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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A 12 DAYS OF CUPCAKES PROJECT # 5 EGG NOG CUPCAKES

Tis the season to be jolly and lots of holly and all that other stuff....LOL!  As we continue on our 12 days of cupcakes track I decided why not make a cupcake from the drink of the season....Egg Nog!  To be honest I don't like the stuff at all but a lot of people do so I decided to whip up a tasty treat!  I must say that I still don't like egg nog but the cupcakes were delicious!!!!   I hope you will give them a try even if you don't like egg nog they are totally different from the stuff in a glass =) and super easy to make!



EGG NOG CUPCAKES

1 box yellow cake mix (yes I used a box mix, my gift to you)
3 eggs
1 cup egg nog (I used Southern Comfort, non-alcoholic)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Mix together cake mix, eggs, vanilla, egg nog, rum extract and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.  Fill paper liners 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 16 minutes, or until cake is lightly golden.

Allow cupcakes to cool completely before icing.

Eggnog & Rum Buttercream

1/2 cup butter, softened
Rum extract
Egg Nog

4 cups powdered sugar
Nutmeg for added festiveness

Okay so I did not measure any of this.  Place softened butter in a bowl with the 4 cups of powdered sugar and blend until creamy while adding in egg nog until you reach your desired consistency. Then add about a 3 tsps of rum extract.  Honestly I just kept adding egg nog and rum extract until the icing could be piped easily and tasted super yummy!  After piping I sprinkled a little nutmeg on top for extra flair.

Enjoy and as always EAT DESSERT FIRST! 


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

A 12 DAYS OF CUPCAKES PROJECT #4


*Gingerbread Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting*

CONTRIBUTED BY DENISE VASAK

This delicious cupcake is just like eating a frosted gingerbread cookie.  Now that we are into December and the holiday spirit I decided to go bold with a Gingerbread Cupcake. The only issue was what goes with gingerbread as a frosting? After much discussion with my BFF Charisse, we narrowed it down to Cinnamon buttercream and Brown Sugar buttercream. As soon as I heard "brown sugar" and "frosting" I was sold. YUM! This might be my favorite frosting EVER!!! The recipe is posted below. I doubled it and got 24 cupcakes. For the buttercream one recipe was enough.  For a fun decoration, bake teeny tiny gingerbread people and have them stick up out of the cupcakes. You could also do a small dusting of powdered sugar before piping the icing on them.

Gingerbread Cupcakes (adapted from bakedbyrachel.com who adapted it from Land o'lakes)

1 1/2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C butter, softened
1/2 C water
1/3 C molasses
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare a cupcake pan with liners. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar together.  Add egg. Add baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Mix well.  Then add molasses. Add flour and water alternating beginning and ending with flour.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Brown Sugar Buttercream

1/2 cup of butter
1/3 cup of brown sugar (I used dark)
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups SIFTED confectioner's sugar
1 tblspn heavy whipping cream

Beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy.  Add 1 tsp of vanilla a mix.  Gradually add confectioner's sugar, mixing well after each addition. Once done, add heavy whipping cream. Add additional whipping cream until you get the consistency you want.  


Enjoy and remember to EAT DESSERT FIRST!

Monday, December 3, 2012

A 12 Days of Cupcakes Project #3

I know you have been waiting for cupcake #3!!  The first dessert I ever made from scratch without the assistance of my mom were Snickerdoodles =)  I was so proud of myself and they tasted great too or that is the memory that I would like to have...LOL!  My cousin and I were chatting the other night about the upcoming annual cookie swap that we attend during the holidays and she kept mentioning Snickerdoodles...of course the wheels started churning and I went in search of a Snickerdoodle cupcake or even a muffin recipe...to my surprise Martha Stewart and Bakerella became my inspiration with a Snickerdoodle Cupcake that embodies both a cupcake and the cookie =)  a DUO DESSERT!



SNICKERDOODLE CUPCAKES
Yields about 15 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line regular and miniature cupcake trays with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium for about 2 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time and mix until combined.
Add vanilla and mix until combined.
Add flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar in three additions. Alternate with milk in two additions.
Fill baking cups about 3/4 full.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes.
Remove cupcakes from trays and let cool.
    Snickerdoodle Cookies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place about 3 inches apart.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugar on medium for about 2 minutes.
Add egg and mix until combined.
Add the flour mixture and beat until combined.
In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.
Use a small 1 1/4 inch ice-cream scoop to form balls. Release in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll until covered. When coated, you can shape them in a nice round ball and place on the baking sheet. (reserve any leftover cinnamon sugar to top the cupcakes)
Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies begin to crack. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.
    I whipped up my favorite vanilla buttercream recipe to decorate these babies.  They were very yummy and a big hit with  the teachers at my kids school!  I will be making these again in the near future!


Enjoy and remember to EAT DESSERT FIRST!

recipe adapted from http://www.bakerella.com/snickerdoodle-duo/

A 12 DAYS OF CUPCAKES PROJECT #2

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes (Contributed by Denise Vasak)

To kick off the 12 days of cupcakes I decided to take a favorite and spice it up a bit.




For this cupcake, find your favorite Chocolate Cake recipe - mine is the one on the side of the Hershey's cocoa powder - and prepare according to directions.  Once the cake is all mixed, add 1-2 teaspoons of peppermint extract. If you have peppermint oil instead, start by adding 1/2 teaspoon and wafting the smell of the batter up towards your nose.  You essentially want to catch both the chocolate and peppermint smells evenly.  Bake as directed, cool and use a basic buttercream recipe to frost.  I lightly tinted the icing green, added some sugar crystals and topped the whole thing off with an Andes candy.  If you taste your cupcake and the peppermint flavor isn't strong enough, try adding some peppermint oil or extract to your buttercream and then pipe on cupcakes.

Enjoy and remember to EAT DESSERT FIRST!!

Monday, November 26, 2012

A 12 DAYS OF CUPCAKES PROJECT

WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND (with cupcakes of course)!  Silly me thought it would be fun to embark on my own cupcake challenge of posting 12 different cupcakes during this Holiday Season!  I then realized that I was asking a bit much of myself and enlisted the help of my BFF Denise so that she could showoff her baking skills as well.  We have been pondering recipes since the summer so it should be pretty fun and interesting!  We hope you will check back often to see what yummy treats we have displayed and don't forget to EAT DESSERT FIRST!!

I am starting the project off with a very yummy APPLE CINNAMON ROLL CUPCAKE!  I was trying to use up some apples left over from apple picking so I decided to go with my favorite dessert (cinnamon rolls combined with lots of apples and cinnamon)!  ENJOY!



FINELY CHOPPED FUJI APPLES...YUMMO!

CUPCAKE ROLLS OVEN READY!

CINNAMON APPLE GOODNESS!


Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes
Adapted from Stephani Pollack from Cupcake Project via Paula Deen

Dough:
2 cups milk
1 packet active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups finely chopped apples (I used FUJI apples chopped in my Purple Cuisine Art Mini Prep from Sur La Table)

**instead of the ground nutmeg and cloves I used 1/4 tsp of The Pampered Chef's Cinnamon Plus it has cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, orange peel and allspice**

In a small saucepan, heat milk to about 110 degrees.  Add yeast and sugar to bowl of a stand mixer and pour in the milk, stir to dissolve.  Add salt and two cups of flour and beat for two minutes.  Beat in eggs and butter.  Stir in the remaining flour half a cup at a time, beating well after each addition.  Switch to dough hook and knead about five minutes, until smooth and elastic. ***ALL OF THIS SEEMED REALLY WEIRD TO ME SO I DUMPED IN THE FLOUR AND MIXED AND KNEADED BY HAND***  Spray a large deep bowl with cooking spray, shape dough into a ball, put it in the bowl, turn once to coat and cover it with a clean towel.  Set in a warm place and allow to rise for about 40 minutes or until doubled in volume.

Meanwhile make the filling by combining the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and apples in a small bowl **I didn't add the apples to the filling as the juice from the apples will make it too soupy** 
Melt remaining butter in a small dish. 

Dust counter top with flour and roll out dough into a long rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.  Brush with all  of the melted butter.  Top with the apple mixture, sprinkle evenly over the dough (I sprinkled the apples over the cinnamon mixture), leaving about an inch empty on all sides.

Line cupcake pans with 24 liners.  Roll dough into a log beginning on the long side of the rectangle.  Trim off both ends to remove the uneven part that doesn't have any filling.  Slice the log into approximately 24 even pieces (be sure not to cut them too thick).  Place each piece in a cupcake liner, folding the ends together to make a “C” shape. The pieces should come to about the top of the liners.  I covered the tops of the rolls with filling that managed to come out while rolling (no need to waste any yummy goodness).  Cover the cupcake tins with a clean towel and set in a warm place to rise for another 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
About 2 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and milk until combined.  Start with one tablespoon of milk and add more as necessary until you have a glaze that is thick but runs easily off the spoon.  Drizzle over warm cupcakes and serve.  Store in an airtight container and reheat leftover cupcakes in the microwave for about 20 seconds before serving.

***HOPEFULLY YOURS WILL TASTE AS GOOD AS MINE!  IF YOU KNOW MY STYLE OF BAKING I DON'T MEASURE BUT I FIGURED YOU WOULD WANT A LITTLE ACCURACY***


Don't forget to always EAT DESSERT FIRST!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Did You Say THIN MINTS!!!!

So somehow I manage to sell Girl Scout Cookies every year to a certain family member that never pays for them and well I am left paying for cookies that I do not eat...eventually these get tossed!  I know, I know how dare I throw away Girl Scout Cookies..I mean who does that..ME!  Year after Year!  So what was I to do with the left over Thin Mints that this certain person stuck me with again (sigh) well what else but make something out of them that I might actually eat... :)   And here it is Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint Pizza but since I am trying to slim down these will be a treat for my daughter's Daisy Scout Troop...Enjoy!!!

GIRL SCOUT COOKIE THIN MINT PIZZA
  • 18 ounce refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
  • 20 Thin Mints (quartered)
  • Vanilla Candy Melts (Melted)
  • 12 inch Pizza Pan (I used an aluminum disposable pan)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; Line 12inch pizza pan with parchment paper; Spread cookie dough over lined pan with fingers; Press quartered cookies into dough; Bake for 18 minutes until golden brown; Drizzle with melted candy melts; Enjoy!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Snickering Cinnamon...Is It A Cookie Or A Muffin?

Snickerdoodles..Who doesn't love them???  One of the first things I ever baked from scratch and they were hmm hmm good :)  A few months ago I did a breakfast for the teachers/staff at my daughters school and since I am in LOVE with Hershey's Cinnamon Chips (which I can no longer find in stores and must order from Amazon) I had to find another way to use them besides in my apple cinnamon chip cookies.  So I found a way to turn a cookie into a muffin!  Took a test batch to my co-workers (they love sampling days)  and they were gone in minutes and I got 2 thumbs up approval! 

Sarah Grant this one's for you hun!

 
Ingredients
 
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup cinnamon chips
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 2 eggs
  • Cinnamon Sugar (I buy the Domino cinnamon sugar premixed in a cute little shaker)
  •  
    Making The Muffins
    1. Preheat oven to 375F and line with Paper Liners.
    2. Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Add Cinnamon Chips. Mix until moistened. Fill muffin cups and sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar.
    3. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

    Tuesday, March 27, 2012

    So Much To Do...So Little Time!

    I feel like I have been running in circles here lately! The kids and all of their activities, revamping my Tastefully Simple business and of course there is my baking not leaving much time for blogging!  Oh and then there is that little garden project that I have decided to undertake....more on that later but I have managed to whip up a few treats here and there over the past few months and have decided to take the time to post a few of them :) 

    Ahh we recently had a Green potluck at work and I made Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes (it was in March) St. Patrick's Day! These babies were Yummy!

    Cupcakes
    1 cup Guinness
    1 cup unsalted butter
    3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    2 cups all purpose flour
    2 cups sugar
    1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    2 large eggs
    1 cup sour cream

    Filling
    8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
    2/3 cup heavy cream
    2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
    2 teaspoons Baileys

    Baileys Buttercream
    4 cups confections sugar
    1 stick unsalted butter, room temperatue
    5 tablespoons Baileys (add a little milk if you want less or no alchohol)

    Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F.  Bring 1 cup Guinness and 1 cup butter to simmer in  large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

    Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add Guinness-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and lightly beat . Add flour mixture and beat briefly on low speed. Completely combine using a rubber spatula. Divide batter into cupcake liners, filling them 3/4 full. Bake cake until cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely.

    Make the filling: Place chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth.  Add the butter and Baileys and stir until combined.

    Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (you can pop it into the fridge to speed up this process). Meanwhile, using a 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, (or that neat little tool that I posted to this blog some time ago) cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. Go deep but don't cut through the bottom about 2/3 of the way. Pipe in the ganache to fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

    Make the frosting: Add butter and powdered sugar to your mixing bowl and combine on the cream setting. You want light and fluffy frosting. Add the Bailey's or milk a little at a time to get the consistency and flavor you want! 

    Cheers!