Portuguese Coconut Tarts (Queijadas de Coco)

 

 

   

  Every year, around Easter, I always look forward to all of the usual treats. The Cadbury caramel eggs, my carrot cake decorated with a basket weave design (get it?), and of course, anything and everything to do with coconut. So I was pretty excited when I happened upon this dessert that was completely new to me. 

 Have you ever heard of a Portuguese Coconut Tart? If you can imagine that a coconut custard pie and a coconut cupcake had a baby, it would be this. Caramelized and golden on top and custard-y in the center, it's one of the most delicious coconut somethings I've every tasted. True story! I saw the recipe on a short video from Celia Rego, who makes traditional Portuguese dishes, and immediately wanted to make them (mainly because I've never met a coconut I didn't like.) They're super simple to make too! All it took was a few simple ingredients that I just happened to have on hand, and it came together in no time. You don't even need cupcake liners to bake. SO easy!!

 Full disclosure... I may or may not have tweaked this recipe ever so slightly, because I can never leave well enough alone...but I still listed the original recipe as is. I kid you not when I say I had to stop myself from eating them and I PROMISE I'll be making them again and again!

If you like coconut, this is absolutely something you need to try!!

 

 

8oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick butter, room temperature

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tbs flour

14oz sweetened shredded coconut 

 

 

Heat oven to 350ºF. 

Using a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix in the sugar, then the flour until smooth. Now stir in the coconut by hand, adding a little at a time so it doesn't clump together. 

  Grease and flour a muffin tin, or spray with baking spray. Fill each cup completely. Tap your pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden on top. Cool completely before removing from pan. 

 

 

 

Tips:

There are other versions that have different amounts of sugar and eggs, and there are some that use milk instead of cream cheese. This recipe was so good I don't even feel the need to try any other! 

The only thing I added was a tsp of vanilla extract, and a tsp of coconut extract. I didn't add them to the list of ingredients because I wanted to post it as I first discovered it, but I think the vanilla and coconut extracts were a delicious addition and this is definitely how I'll always make them. Actually....now that I think of it... I wonder how this recipe would turn out if I made them in a mini muffin tin... Hmm.. Only one way to find out!

Harvest Apple Cupcakes

 

  

  I was recently trying to decide what to do with a couple dozen apples, and I just couldn’t make up my mind. If you know me, you know apple desserts are my very favorite (especially with vanilla ice cream on top!) Hmm.. so many to choose from. But then I thought, wait.. are there any apple desserts I haven’t already shared? I’ve done pies, cakes, fritters, brown betty, pan dowdy, blondies, cookies, crisps…. but what's left? Then I thought.. AHA! Cupcakes!!
 So here we are. The perfect apple cupcake recipe, courtesy of Betty Crocker.
 It’s very straight forward. Mix your wet ingredients, add your sifted dry, spoon into cupcake tins, and bake. Boom. Easy, right? And then you cool and frost them with your favorite frosting. The recipe calls for cream cheese frosting, so who am I to argue??  But feel free to use whatever floats your boat.
 Perfect recipe. Give ‘em a try!

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups chopped tart apples
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)


For the Frosting:
2 pkgs cream cheese
2 sticks butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar



Heat oven to 350°F.
Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. 
In large bowl, beat sugar, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed about 30 seconds or until blended. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla and the salt; beat on low speed 1 minute. Stir in apples and nuts (if using).
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, using about 1/2 cup batter for each. 
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks to cool. 
To frost cupcakes:
Combine frosting ingredients in order listed, until well mixed. Pipe or spread frosting onto each cooled cupcake. Store frosted cupcakes or any remaining frosting covered in refrigerator. 

 

Tips:
As you can see in the ingredients list, the original recipe adds chopped nuts, but I decided to make them optional. You do you!
When combining your frosting ingredients, be sure to turn you mixer to LOW speed, especially when adding the powdered sugar. Trust me on this!
Oh, also, the original recipe called for a can of store bought cream cheese frosting, but I prefer to make my own. Again, you do you!

Mini Lemon Drop Cupcakes

 

   Over the years, I’ve noticed my blog definitely has a pattern. Of course, it’s seasonal…. warm spices in Autumn, hearty stews and soups in Winter, fresh fruits and produce in the Summer. But in the Spring, it’s always a little bit of a variety. Very often, I’ll do Brunch recipes, or the odd novelty dish that I’ve seen bouncing around the interwebs. But another thing that says SPRING to me is something lighter and brighter, specifically, citrus. Lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruits… there’s just something about them that makes me think of brightness and freshness… a fresh start, if you will.
 So today, I’m sharing these perfect little jewels of lemon-ness that I found on a blog called Butter with a side of Bread. They’re so easy they come together in no time, and they bake in half the time as regular cupcakes. Simply delicious! I made them for Easter… brought half to Cathy’s house for brunch, brought the other half to Jeanie’s house for dinner. They were a big hit at both events! Definitely a dessert to add to your repertoire. They’re irresistible!


Cupcakes
1 box lemon cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding 3.4 oz, dry mix
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sour cream or yogurt
1/2 cup milk

Lemon Glaze
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
2 tbs unsalted butter melted
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup hot water



For the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Coat mini muffin tin with cooking spray. 
Beat the ingredients in a large bowl with a mixer for several minutes until blended and smooth. Fill each muffin about 1/2 full. (Use a small cookie scoop!) Bake for about 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the pan on a wire rack for about 2 minutes and then turn the muffin pan over on a wire rack so that all the muffins are upside down.
Cool completely. Meanwhile,  make the glaze.


For the glaze:
Place the wire racks over waxed paper. Beat the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth.
Dip muffins in glaze to coat the bottoms (which are now the tops!) and the sides and let the excess drip off back into the bowl.
Place each lemon drop back on the wire racks until the glaze is set.


Tips:
The best tip in this entire recipe is to use the small cookie scoop. It’s the perfect tool for filling your cupcakes!
Usually this is where I would add a tweak or two, but not this time! This recipe is awesome, just as it is!
The only tweak I can think of is maybe trying an orange or lime version. I bet that would be pretty awesome, dontcha think?

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

  Recently, my niece Casey Case with the Pretty Face celebrated a milestone birthday, so of course I offered my baking skills for the party effort. I asked what her favorites are, and I was told that she love love LOVES peanut butter. OK, I can work with this! How 'bout if I make Peanut Butter Cupcakes? "Perfect! She'll love 'em!" But wait... then I realized.. I have no peanut butter cupcakes on my website. WHAT?? How is that even possible?? Well, we must find a go-to recipe right away!

 It didn't take me long to find just the perfect recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Sally's Baking Addiction. I don't think there is even ONE recipe I've tried from Sally's blog that wasn't absolutely perfect. And these cupcakes turned out perfectly! So there we have it. I did, however, make one slight change. Not to the cupcake recipe, but for this occasion, I decided to do a Peanut Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream instead of the peanut butter icing that Sally posted. Honestly, the results were life changing. I don't even know how else to describe them. If you've ever made Swiss Meringue Buttercream, the recipe was the same, only I swapped out some of the butter for peanut butter. Sheer peanut butter heaven! And as My Kristin always says "the peanut butterier, the better."

 At the party, the cupcakes were a huge hit, and Casey loved them! I'd say that's a solid mission accomplished right there. And if you're also a peanut butter fanatic, you'll definitely want to make these. I'm telling you... LIFE CHANGING. Not even kidding.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1/3 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole milk

1/3 cup very finely crushed or chopped peanuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2-3 liners because this recipe yields 14-15 cupcakes. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Using a handheld mixer, stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, or a whisk, mix the oil, peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients, milk, and peanuts and whisk or beat together until completely combined. Avoid overmixing. Batter will be slightly thick. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only 2/3 full to avoid baking over the sides. Bake for 21-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently touched.

For around 35 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Tips:

It should be noted that the original recipe suggested that all ingredients should be at room temperature for better mixing. I didn't have time, so a few of my ingredients were straight from the fridge. Sorry Sally.

I also didn't have any peanuts to finely chop or crush, so I just left them out. I did, however, add an extra pinch of salt, just to drive home that salty peanutty flavor. Turned out great!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

 Whenever I try a recipe using Guinness Stout, I always wind up with the same problem: what to do with the rest of the Guinness. Yes, it seems obvious to just drink it, right? But the thing is, I don't drink beer or stout, like, at all. But since I do like to cook and bake with it, I have a habit of buying a 6-pack, using ONE for a recipe, and then I'm stuck with the other five. So, I could certainly tell you that the inspiration for baking these cupcakes comes from a deep love of Guinness, but really I just wanted to use it up! lol
 But even though I don't drink it, I LOVE what it brings to the party when it comes to cooking and baking. These cupcakes are so rich and chocolatey, they're a sure-fire win. In fact, if you have some serious chocoholics in your circle, THIS is what you should make for them. I think they're possibly the richest most chocolatey cupcakes I've ever made. Not. Even. Kidding. And they come together in a snap, so you can whip up a batch in no time!
 The other thing that I like about this recipe is that there's Guinness in the frosting too, not just in the cupcakes. Very often, you'll see a chocolate Guinness cake with maybe a cream cheese or Bailey's frosting, but this one has a decadent chocolate Guinness swirl on top that pushes it over the top. It's from a website called Broma Bakery. I'm not sure if it's their recipe or not, but like I always say, they're the ones who shared it, so they're the ones who get the credit. So, if you want a rich, ever so moist cupcake that will blow your chocolate lovin' mind, this is the one for you!
Btw, does anyone want a bottle of Guinness? I still have 3 left.....



For the cupcakes:

1/2 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder 
1 cup all-purpose flour 
1 1/4 cups sugar 
3/4 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 
2 large eggs 
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark stout, such as Guinness Extra Stout
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


For the frosting:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 
3/4 cup cocoa powder 
3 cups powdered sugar 
1/4 cup Guinness Extra Stout
2 tablespoons milk 
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
flaked sea salt, for garnishing (optional)



 Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 14 cupcake tins with dark cupcake molds. Set aside.
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the butter, eggs, Guinness, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry in batches, beating on medium speed until the batter is smooth and shiny, about 20 seconds. Pour into cupcake molds, filling about 3/4 of the mold, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Cream the butter and cocoa powder for 2-3 minutes, until the cocoa powder begins to lighten in color. Add in the powdered sugar, milk, Guinness, and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

Frost the cupcakes by scooping the frosting into a piping bag with a large star tip. Swirl the frosting around the cupcake, starting from the middle and working your way outwards. Continue to spiral the frosting up like a pyramid until the cupcake is frosted. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt, if using, and serve!



Tips:
Yes, I know most cupcake tins are only 12 cupcakes and not 14. An odd yield, to be sure. But it's worth the extra time to bake just those last two cupcakes. To make sure they bake evenly, fill up the rest of the cupcake wells with water. This helps to insure even baking when you only have a partially filled cupcake tin.
Oh, and don't forget the sea salt on top! That's the kicker!
Going to a party? Double everything!

Perfectly Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes

  Whenever I see a recipe that claims to be the PERFECT this or the PERFECT that, I'm immediately skeptical. Not that I'm a glass-half-empty kind of a person (well, not all the time anyway), but I'm just a pretty tough critic when it comes to that claim. It has to be pretty amazing to be called PERFECT in my book, know what I mean? So, when I saw this recipe on LifeLoveandSugar.com, I immediately wanted to try it. TBH, I wasn't saying "Ok, Smarty Pants, PROVE it!" (well, maybe a little) but actually I was thinking "if these cupcakes are that good, then I want some!" especially when it comes to anything vanilla, which is my favorite flavor ever in the whole wide world.
 So I whipped up a batch..... WHOA.... Lemme just say this.. stop what you're doing RIGHT NOW and make these cupcakes. They're AMAZING. And yes, I would even go so far as to say they're PERFECT! I'm not even kidding. To me, perfect isn't just good flavor. To me, a recipe is perfect when it also uses easy ingredients, is quick and simple to follow, and gives you the WOW factor at the end. This recipe is ALL of those things! I made them for the cast and crew of my current theatrical project, and they were a big hit! Honestly, they're so light and fluffy, I literally had to cut one in half to make sure that it was baked all the way through. SO GOOD. The original recipe also listed a vanilla icing to go with them, but I used a Swiss Meringue Buttercream, which is my fave. Side note, I'm still trying different buttercream recipes to see which ratio of egg whites to sugar to butter makes the best one. I'll get back to you on that at another time! In the meantime, just use your favorite vanilla icing and you'll be good to go.  So, big thanx to Lindsay over at Life Love and Sugar.
This one's a keeper, and it's definitely PERFECT!



1 2/3 cups all purpose flour 
1 cup sugar 
1/4 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp baking powder 
3/4 cup salted butter  
3 large egg whites 
3 tsp vanilla extract 
1/2 cup sour cream 
1/2 cup milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, egg whites, vanilla, sour cream and milk and mix on medium speed just until smooth. Do not over mix. Fill cupcake liners a little more than half way. Bake 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.


Tips:
To really pump up the vanilla flavor, I scraped the insides of a vanilla bean and added the "caviar" to the batter. As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as too much vanilla flavor! More is more!
Btw, I doubled the recipe and used an ice cream scoop to portion the luscious batter into cupcake tins. I ended up with exactly 3 dozen cupcakes which was exactly what I wanted!

Mini Eggnog Cupcakes

  Usually around Christmas time, my focus always goes right to finding cookie recipes, but full disclosure, I don't always have the best luck with making cookies. (I guess that's my Achilles heel.) So for this week's recipe, I decided to go with cupcakes instead! I made these little bites of heaven last year for my family's Christmas party, and everyone loved them! Making small bites for a big dessert table is always a good idea because then you can sample several things without having to commit to a giant piece of cake, etc. Know what I mean? This recipe is from a blog called Life Love and Sugar, and it's SUPER easy. Easy to mix, easy to bake, always a big hit. Sounds like the perfect party dessert, dontcha think? Yum.

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup salted butter, room temperature

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cup egg nog

1/4 cup milk 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, egg whites, vanilla, nutmeg, eggnog, and milk and mix on medium speed just until smooth. Do not over mix. Fill cupcake liners a little more than half way. Bake 12-14 minute or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean. Makes 48 mini cupcakes or 12-14 regular cupcakes. 

Tips:
To make it easier to fill your cups, use a cookie scoop!

If you're making regular sized cupcakes, use a 2 oz ice cream scoop, and then bake them for 18-22 minutes or until they test done.
For extra egg nog flavor, add a tsp of rum extract!

Use any kind of buttercream or cream cheese icing you want. I made Martha Stewart's Swiss Meringue Buttercream and added eggnog, nutmeg, and rum extract. Also added an extra sprinkle of nutmeg on top!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream

 So, I was looking for a recipe for pumpkin cupcakes. Yes, yes, I know I already have a recipe for Pumpkin Cupcakes on my website, but I figured, more is more, right? And like the other recipe, many recipes use cream cheese frosting for their pumpkin cakes, so I was thinking, maybe I'd try doing a cinnamon Swiss Meringue, instead. Mmmm... good idea. This CLEARLY falls squarely into the "how can this not be good?" column.
 I did my usual search, trying to find just the right recipe, and as usual, there were several criteria I needed to meet. Well, for one thing, I wanted 24 cupcakes. I was making it for my fabulous group of theater friends, and 12 was just not gonna cut it.  Also, whenever I bake something pumpkin, I want a recipe that uses the whole can of pumpkin. Don't you hate when a recipe just calls for 1/2 cup? What are you supposed to do with the rest of the can of pumpkin? Yes, I know, put it in the fridge, and save it for something else, right? Only it's usually a science experiment in my fridge by the time I get back to it. For me, it's better to just use the whole can on the first go. Great. Ok, so I happened to see a recipe for cupcakes on a website called Live Well, Bake Often. The recipe only made 12 cupcakes, which made me wonder if doubling the whole recipe was an option. As I scrolled through the comments section at the bottom of the recipe, a baker asked if it could be doubled. Danielle, who is the blogger, responded that making THIS cake recipe would be better for 24 cupcakes, so that's how I happened to find it. (Did all of that make sense?) Anyway, as my Dad would have said "It was like going around my ass to get to my elbow, but I got finally got there."
 Anyway, the recipe is PERFECT. You literally just throw all of the wet ingredients into a bowl, mix them up, and then stir in the sifted dry ingredients. It's just that easy. It also bakes up to become the most perfect cupcakes you've ever seen and I think this is now my go-to recipe!
See? More really IS more! And topping them with the cinnamon Swiss meringue buttercream turns them from great cupcakes into OMG Cupcakes. Like, seriously.
 So, thank you, Danielle over at Live Well, Bake Often, for the fabulous recipe. And thank you to the reader who left the comment. Funny how things work out sometimes, isn't it?



For the cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder 
1 tsp baking soda 
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
1 tsp salt 
1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree 
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup granulated sugar 
4 large eggs 
2 tsp pure vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place cupcake papers into 2 cupcake pans to make a total of 24 cupcakes. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Using a 2 oz ice cream scoop, fill each of the cupcakes evenly. Place pans in oven. Bake for about 20-22 minutes, switching pans about halfway through (to insure even baking). The cupcakes are done when the tops spring back when lightly tapped, or when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.



For the Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream;

5 large egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup plus 2 tbs granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 lb (4 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla and cinnamon. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day. If not, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.

Tips:

The cupcake recipe should make EXACTLY 24 cupcakes. When you're filling up the cupcake pans, if you come up a little short, just take a little from this one and a little from that one until all are filled evenly. They bake up to the perfect dome over the top, and they don't spread out to stick to your pan, which I greatly appreciate. 

The buttercream recipe is Martha Stewart's, and it's my go-to for Swiss Meringue. There are MANY versions of Swiss Meringue, ranging from just 2 or 3 egg whites all the way up to as many as 9 or more. This one is my favorite because it always turns out perfectly, you can tweak it to make it new (adding the cinnamon was my extra little twist!) and most importantly, it has the smoothest creamiest texture, and as much as I hate the expression, it has the perfect mouth feel. Some recipes have what I call a sort of plastic texture, and that's just not my favorite thing at all. This one wins.

Of course, if you don't want to do this buttercream, you can choose any other favorite frosting, or just swirl some regular Cream Cheese Frosting onto your cupcakes. It's just that sometimes I feel like that's what everyone uses on EVERYTHING and I was going for something a little different.
But you do you!

Red White and Blue Velvet Cupcakes

  I'm sure you've probably heard of Red Velvet Cake, but have you ever heard of BLUE velvet? Apparently blue velvet cakes became a thing in the early 80s, inspired by the Royal Heirloom Sapphire Engagement Ring. Who knew? I mean, I guess it makes sense. Why do just a red velvet cake when you can make a velvet cake in any color you want?? (I'm thinking maybe green will be next for St Patrick's Day, no?)
 So when it came time to choose a red white and blue something for the 4th of July, I decided that this would be the one to try. The recipe is from SprinkleBakes.com, and I'm really pleased with how they turned out! I must admit, they looked like Cookie Monster when I was scooping batter into the cupcake tins, but they look so great under a swirl of cream cheese icing and topped with a red raspberry, they look nothing short of patriotic!
 They're moist and dense with just a hint of that signature buttermilk tang, just as you'd expect from any velvet cake. Also the brilliant blue is so unexpected and just enough of a showstopper to make them the talk of your 4th of July celebration.  If you like red velvet cake, then give this one a try.
I PROMISE you'll love it just as much!


2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs Wilton royal blue gel food coloring
1 small dab of Wilton violet gel food coloring
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbs vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting
Fresh raspberries



 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake pan(s) with 24 paper liners.
In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and mix well after each addition. In a small bowl, mix cocoa and food colorings together to form a paste, and then add to sugar mixture; mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour batter into cupcake papers. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting them with cream cheese frosting and then top each one with a fresh raspberry.

Tips:
The original recipe said to bake the cupcakes from 25-30 minutes. I immediately thought "Oh that's WAY too long" and decided to check them at 20 minutes. Turns out this was a good idea!
Not a fan of raspberries? Use strawberries instead!!
And about the food coloring.... the Wilton Food Coloring Gels were easy to find at Michaels craft store. I've read a few articles that said that the addition of the violet food coloring is absolutely crucial to achieving the perfect shade of sapphire blue. Otherwise, they might turn out more of a dark denim blue. Also, if you just add regular blue food coloring instead of the gel, not only will you not get the right color, but your tongue and teeth are more likely to turn blue when you eat them! EEK!

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

  If you've ever done a show with me, you know that I like to bake for the cast. Whether it's for a long rehearsal or for a double performance day, I like to bring some oven lovin', just because those kinds of days can be tedious and exhausting, and a little treat can help everybody get through it. Not only that, it really helps to unite a new cast.
  Since I mainly audition at only a few local theaters, (and have been doing so for many years), it's not uncommon for me to be in a show where I go into it already knowing most, (if not all), of the cast members. A few months ago, though, I found myself in the lovely situation of not knowing many of the people in my new cast at all. How exciting! This was my golden opportunity to not only work with an entirely new group of gifted individuals, but also to laugh and bond and artistically grow as we all worked toward our shared common goal.
 When I asked my friend Anthony what his favorite dessert is, he said that he loves cinnamon rolls. Alrighty then! Lets run with it! And btw, honestly, who doesn't love cinnamon rolls? They're warm and gooey with a fabulous cream cheese glaze pored over the top. So I thought, "ok, what can I make for my fabulous new friends that involves cinnamon rolls?" I wanted a small two-bite picky uppy something that one could just grab while getting ready for a performance or during the show when one has down time between scenes. Then I found this recipe on a blog called Lady Behind the Curtain. How perfect! This was CLEARLY the right recipe. So I made them for the cast and crew, and everyone LOVED them! They were easy to do, plus they were everything I was looking for in a small picky-uppy treat.
 Over the course of the show's run, I baked several times for the cast, and I'm happy to say that the show was a huge success! I think, for me, the bigger success was that my life was made richer just for having worked with this wonderful wacky hilarious group of artists who are now my very close FRIENDS. It's pretty amazing to think that something as simple as a tray of cupcakes can help to turn a newly assembled cast into a family of friends. Pretty cool, huh?
 So whether you're making these cupcakes for a party or a new cast or for friends or family, I'm absolutely certain they'll also be a huge success! Oh, and don't forget to take a bow because you will most definitely deserve a round of applause!




Filling:
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cupcakes:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter, room temperature
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk

Frosting:
1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
5 cups confectioners' sugar




For the filling:
In a small bowl stir together brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon. Set aside.

For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Spoon a heaping 1 tablespoon of batter into each prepared muffin cup. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon brown sugar mixture over batter in cups. Spoon another heaping tablespoon of batter evenly over brown sugar mixture in cups; add another heaping teaspoon of brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar mixture over batter in cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely in muffin tin then remove to be frosted.

For the frosting:
Mix together butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. If the frosting is too thick add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to reach spreading consistency.



Tips:
I made them as mini cupcakes instead of regular cupcakes. If you do this, just be sure to adjust your baking time! Since all ovens are different, I like to test for doneness with an inserted toothpick.
As much as I love pecans, I decided to omit them because I was making them for a new group of friends and I was concerned that someone might have a nut allergy. I try to keep this sort of thing in mind when I'm baking for a crowd. Just sayin!

Strawberry Cupcakes

 For years and years, I've looked for a go-to recipe for strawberry cupcakes. Many recipes contain strawberry gelatin as their main source of strawberry flavor, but I wanted something that uses FRESH strawberries. I'm not saying that the Jello cupcakes aren't good, and yes, I'll probably try them at some point, but I still wanted that fresh strawberry flavor that you just can't get in a box.
 So when my friend, Denise, asked me if I would bake strawberry cupcakes, I thought "ok, let's figure this out once and for all." I did some searching and found Sprinkles' recipe (which is the name of the first cupcake bakery, founded by Candace Nelson.) Actually, I googled to see if Martha Stewart had a good recipe and found that this is the recipe she uses. I figured if Sprinkles' recipe is good enough for Martha, then it's good enough for me. So I went with it. Turns out, they were a HUGE hit! I think "outstanding" was the word Denise used! They were really simple to make, and the icing that goes with it is absolutely amazing too.
 So I think it's safe to say this is now my go-to strawberry cupcake recipe. I can already tell I'll be getting many more requests for this one! You should definitely try 'em!

2/3 cup whole fresh strawberries

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp coarse salt

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg 

2 large egg whites

Strawberry Frosting




Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.



Tips:
I usually like to tweak a recipe here and there to suit my own tastes, but this recipe needs absolutely no tweaking at all. It's perfect just as it is. For deliciously moist cupcakes, be sure not to overbake them.
I garnished each with a whole strawberry so there would be no question of what kind of cupcakes they are. Just sayin! They look awesome, don't they?
I wonder how this recipe would work with other berries. Maybe blueberry? Raspberry? I'll definitely give them a try and let you know how they turn out!
Yes, the strawberry frosting is fabulous, but you could also do cream cheese icing. That would be FABULOUS!

Strawberry Frosting

This is Sprinkles' strawberry frosting recipe that goes with their cupcake recipe. It's fabulous on strawberry cupcakes, of course, but it would also be amazing on a vanilla or lemon cake. I bet it would even be amazing on a chocolate cake. Sweet, and buttery, and pretty in pink. You should definitely add this to your repertoire!



1/2 cup whole strawberries
2 sticks butter
pinch of coarse salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

Banana Cupcakes

 Not too long ago, I was asked to bake banana cupcakes for a 60th birthday party. TBH, I didn't have a go-to recipe for banana cupcakes, but I figured, "how hard can they be?" So I did a little googling, and quickly happened upon this recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. They seemed easy and quick and they looked like everything I wanted in a banana cupcake recipe. (To be clear, these are banana cakes, not banana muffins!). My next decision was which icing to use. Martha used a honey cinnamon recipe, but I figured I'd go with a fabulous chocolate swiss meringue icing instead. A few banana chips and some mini chocolate chips for garnish, and they looked amazing!! Dontcha think??
 They were a HUGE hit at the party, so this is clearly the new go-to recipe for banana cupcakes. Perhaps next time I'll try it with the honey cinnamon icing, but for now, I think I'll stick with chocolate. One thing is for sure. I'll definitely be making them again and again.
You should definitely give them a try!


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas)
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Dried banana chips and mini chocolate chips for garnish, (optional)


 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread or pipe each cupcake with your favorite chocolate icing. Sprinkle tops with mini chips, then place one banana chip in the center, if desired.

Tips:
I doubled the entire recipe because I needed to do a tray of 2 dozen. Not all recipes turn out as well when you double them, but this one was perfect!
Instead of doing chocolate icing, you could also use cream cheese icing or even whipped cream on top. Or how about some shredded coconut? Try whichever combination you like!
If you'd prefer to use fresh banana slices instead of dried ones, peel and slice the bananas then top each cupcake just before serving. If you slice the bananas too far in advance, they'll turn brown.
You really don't even need to garnish with the banana slices, but it shows your guest what kind of cupcakes they are! Clever, huh?

Dirt Cupcakes

 When my niece, Kristin, was planning her daughter Shyla's first birthday party, she sent me a text and asked if I would make Dirt or cupcakes for the party. (If you're not familiar with Dirt, it's basically a tray of chocolate pudding with crushed oreos and gummy worms on top, made to look like, well, Dirt!) Anyway, she explained that the theme for the party would be 10 Little Ladybugs (since that's Shyla's favorite book), and there would be butterflies and grass and trees and stuff like that. She said the pudding would look more like the theme, but she likes cupcakes better. So I figured, why not do both in one?? And here we are!
 First, I baked the chocolate cupcakes. Then when they were completely cooled, I cut out the centers, filled each one and also swirled the top with chocolate pudding whipped cream, then dipped it in crushed Oreo crumbs. All it needed was a little gummy worm on top, and boom, it's a Dirt Cupcake!! Aren't they adorable? They were just perfect for our beautiful little lady bug on her first birthday, and they were a big hit at the party!
 For the cupcakes, I used Hershey's Double Chocolate Cupcake recipe, and for the pudding, I used the same recipe as I do when I'm making a trifle, only with chocolate instant pudding instead of vanilla. They were such a big hit, I have a feeling I'll be getting many more requests for them in the future!
Happy Birthday, Shyla!
 

Hershey's Double Chocolate Cupcakes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 sections (1/2 oz. each) HERSHEY'S Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar , melted

  Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.
Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla; beat with whisk or spoon until batter is smooth. Blend in melted chocolate. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

Chocolate Pudding Whipped Cream

1 3.5 box instant pudding
1 cup cold milk
1 cup cold heavy cream.

Using a mixer (preferably with a whisk attachment), mix the dry pudding with the milk until the powder is dissolved and the mixture becomes very thick. Add the cream and whip until completely combined and fluffy. That's all there is to it!

To make the Dirt Cupcakes:

First, have all of your components ready: the cooled cupcakes, the pudding whipped cream, the Oreo crumbs, and the gummy worms. For the crumbs, I just threw a bunch of Oreos into the food processor and blitzed it until they were completely crushed down to fine crumbs. Then I placed them in a large bowl. The gummy worms were a bit too long for a cupcake, so I cut each one of them in half.
 Using an apple corer, cut a vertical hole in each cupcake, straight through the center all the way down to the bottom of the cupcake, making sure not to cut through the paper at the bottom.
 Fill a ziploc plastic bag with pudding and snip off one of the corners with scissors, then squeeze enough pudding into each cupcake to fill the hole. Finish with a swirl of pudding on top. To cover each one with crumbs, gently but quickly dip the top of each cupcake in the crumbs, being careful not to lose any of the pudding into the bowl of crumbs. It's best if you do it in one quick motion. Place a half of a gummy worm on the top of each.

 Bonus dessert idea! Make individual chocolate trifles!
 Place a little bit of your leftover pudding in the bottom of a few pretty wine glasses. Crumble some of the cut out cupcake centers on top of each. Repeat with a second layer of cream and then more crumbs, then top each glass with a swirl of whipped cream and a bit of shaved chocolate.

Tips:
-Yes, it's correct that there are no eggs in this recipe. Just sayin'!
-This recipe makes 12 cupcakes, but it was no problem to double it.
-Even if you're not planning to do the pudding, Oreos, and gummy worms, this is still a great go-to cupcake recipe. Simply frost them with your favorite frosting and you're good to go!
-Instead of adding a cup of water as the recipe says, I added a cup of strong coffee. It doesn't make it taste like coffee, it just gives it a richer, deeper chocolate flavor.
-If you have another chocolate cupcake recipe that you'd prefer, go for it! The dirt idea will work with pretty much any cupcake recipe.
-Oh and one other thing, if you decide to use a regular cake recipe instead of a cupcake recipe, be sure to adjust your baking time for cupcakes instead of setting your timer as for a cake. Otherwise you'll end up with 4 dozen charcoal briquettes and you'll have to throw them out and start all over. Not that I would know this from experience or anything...

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

  Do you love chocolate? Wait, let me ask that again. Do you LOVE chocolate? If you are someone who worships in the house of chocolate, then these are absolutely the cupcakes for you. They have a rich depth of flavor that you just don't expect in a simple ordinary chocolate cupcake. Yes, they are simple to make, but they are far from ordinary! When I saw Ina Garten making them on her show, Barefoot Contessa, I noticed that they only require a few simple ingredients (most of which I happened to have on hand). I also noticed that the recipe only makes one dozen, so it's perfect if you're making them for a small group. All things considered, I knew I'd be making them the next time I had a few friends over. (It's funny how I never get any complaints when I tell my friends I'm going to bake cupcakes!!) I made them for Kelsie, AJ and Matt, and everyone gave them a huge thumbs up! They're VERY rich and VERY chocolatey, kind of like if a brownie and a cupcake had a baby. So if you absolutely LOVE chocolate, you should definitely add this one to your repertoire. One can never have too many chocolate recipes, am I right?!?! Who's with me on this??
 Enjoy!

1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
16 fluid ounces chocolate syrup (recommended: Hershey's)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Line muffin pans with 12 paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough. 

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let the cupcakes cool thoroughly in the pan. 

 

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Dip the top of each cupcake in the ganache. Do not refrigerate.

 

Tips:

Instead of making the ganache in a double boiler, you can also heat the heavy cream in the microwave until very hot and then pour it over the chips and instant coffee. Don't stir it, but just let it sit for a few minutes and let the chips melt. Then stir until smooth and glossy.

 Oh, one other thing.. Miss Ina always uses extra large eggs in her recipes, but I only ever buy large eggs. So I just used 5 large instead of 4 extra large. Worked perfectly!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

 

 When you receive an invitation to a Halloween party, what's the first thing that comes to mind? You'd usually think "What costume shall I wear?", am I correct? But when my friends, Casey and Chris invited me to their "I Put a Spell on You" Party, the first thing I thought wasn't "what shall I wear?" but rather  "What shall I BRING?" hehehehe Here's how the actual conversation went:
Me: So... If I happen to be baking something for a Halloween party, what do you think might be a good something?"
Casey: "Something orange and black? Like an orange cake or cupcakes with chocolate icing?" 
Me: "How about Pumpkin Cupcakes and maybe orange cream cheese icing?"  
Casey: "Oh my GOD that is the best thing I've ever heard in my life. CLASSIC Joey Quaile shenanigans!!!!
 LOL She always cracks me up. And I'm so thrilled with how the cupcakes turned out! I used Martha Stewart's cupcake recipe and added a few little simple decorations. Don't they look cute? They were really simple to make too, and they made exactly 2 dozen cupcakes, which is exactly how many decorations I had. Perfect!
Even if you're not going to a Halloween party, you should still give this recipe a try. If you love anything pumpkin as much as I do, I PROMISE you'll love them! SERIOUS yum.
 Thank you Casey and Chris for inviting me to your party! Hopefully everyone will love the cupcakes as much as I do! 


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
Orange Cream Cheese Icing, if desired


 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
 In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
 Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Tips:
Not a fan of Orange Cream Cheese icing? Are you feeling ok? Use regular cream cheese icing! Not a fan of regular cream cheese icing? Maybe you should lie down, something is definitely not right. Use regular butter cream! Use any kind of frosting you like!
Instead of measuring out each different kind of spice, I just threw in a couple teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice blend. I had it handy and it was just easier. Just sayin!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Cupcakes

 Every summer, my fabulous friends Ginna and Charlie throw a wonderful party. It's a summer event that I look forward to every year! And, of course, I always like to bring something delicious and freshly baked. Quite often, I'll bake cookies and I make sure to time it so that I'm pulling them from the oven just as I'm walking out the door, and then they're still warm when I arrive at the party. Everyone LOVES warm cookies right out of the oven!
 This year, though, I decided that I didn't want to make the Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies that I usually make. Ginna loves oatmeal raisin cookies, yes, but I wanted to do something slightly different. So then I thought, "I wonder if I can find a a cupcake recipe that would be similar." So I did some googling, and lo and behold, here it is. You just gotta love Martha Stewart for coming up with a recipe for a cupcake that tastes just like an oatmeal raisin cookie. Perfect! I made them for the party and they were a big hit!! Martha didn't include the glaze, but I figured they needed to be jazzed up a little. I mean, they were for a party, after all.
 So, here's the thing.. I've listed the recipe below, just as Martha Stewart listed it, but be sure to read my tips following the recipe. The recipe is pretty easy, but I've included a few thoughts to go along with it! Hope you like 'em! And thanx again to Ginna and Charlie for another great party! Can't wait until he next one!

3 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup oat bran

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups raisins

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut 

 

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

 Line 3 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Whisk 2 cups oats, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, bran, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside. 

 Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Mix in sour cream. Stir in raisins with a rubber spatula. 

 Transfer 2 3/4 cups batter to a small bowl, and stir in remaining 1 3/4 cups oats and the coconut; set aside. Spoon 2 1/2 tablespoons plain batter into each prepared muffin cup; top with 1 1/2 tablespoons oat coconut batter. Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. 

 

 

Tips:

 So, my first thought is that it says to line 3 muffin tins with papers, but the recipe only makes about 2 1/2 dozen. So, don't think your amounts are off. Just know that you won't be filling up that last tin all the way.  

 Second, I don't understand the point of having two different batters. For one thing, I didn't come out even. I measured everything to the letter, and I still came out with extra coconut batter leftover. It seems to me that you could just mix the coconut and the extra oats right into the whole batch and bake them. I'm sure Martha must have had a reason for putting the coconut batter just on the top portion of each cupcake, but I'm not seeing it. I think, next time, I'm gonna test the theory of just mixing the coconut right into the whole batch and seeing how it goes. And a little side note.. I couldn't find oat bran at the grocery store, so I used wheat bran instead, and they turned out perfectly.

 And finally, for the glaze, I just mixed powdered sugar with a few drops of vanilla extract and enough water to make it the right drizzling consistency. Be sure to add it literally just a few drops at a time. A little liquid goes a long way when you're making a glaze with powdered sugar. Then just drizzle the glaze over the top in one direction, then go back again and drizzle it in another direction to make a pretty cross hatch design. 

Oh, just one more thing...When you serve them.... everyone will constantly refer to them as muffins. But no. They're definitely cupcakes. LOL Just sayin'!

 

 

Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

 Have you ever heard of an impossible pie? It's basically a pie that doesn't need a pastry crust because it makes its own crust as it bakes. Cool, huh? They were really big in the 70s, with coconut being the favorite and most popular flavor (also known as Amazing Coconut Pie). This recipe is sort of like that. I know they're called cupcakes but I'd say they're more like little mini pumpkin tarts.  But hey, who am I to question the name? The bottom line is that they're simple and delicious, which is all that really matters! They're perfect for any fall party, definitely for Halloween or Thanksgiving. If you like pumpkin, then you simply must try 'em!


1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda


Preheat oven to 350F.
Line a 12 muffin pan with foil liners, then spray the liners with cooking spray (or just spray the muffin pan with cooking spray).
 Mix the pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and milk.  Add the flour, pumpkin spice, salt, baking powder and baking soda to the mixture. Fill each muffin cup with 1/3 cup of the mixture. Bake for twenty minutes and let cool for twenty minutes.  Remove cupcakes from pan and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle more pumpkin pie spice on top and serve. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Tips:
 Be sure to use foil cups and spray them well with cooking spray. You can also use a nonstick silicone muffin pan. Paper liners don't work well because it's difficult to remove the paper from the cupcakes.
 Don't worry about measuring exactly 1/3 cup of batter into each cup. Just divide the batter evenly between the 12 cups and you'll be fine!

Mini Berry Shortcakes

 

 This recipe was originally called Bite-Sized Strawberry Shortcakes, (from a website called I Heart Naptime) but there were 2 things wrong with that title. Well, for one, I was using raspberries and blueberries, not strawberries. And for two, well, they didn't exactly turn out to be 'bite-sized." So I decided to change the name, just to suit my own purpose. But regardless of what you decide to call them, you simply must try them! They literally only take a few minutes to stir together, and they only bake for 10 minutes! How easy is that? 
 It's basically just a sweet biscuit dough dropped into your mini muffin tin and quickly baked in a really hot oven. Top each one with a star of whipped cream, some fresh berries, and boom, there's your dessert for July 4th! I think the next time I make them, I'll do half as much batter in twice as many mini muffin cups. Then they really will be bite-sized!
Better make extra! They're gonna disappear in no time flat!

2 c. all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter, diced
1 egg
milk (see below for amount)

1 c. heavy cream
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Fresh berries

 Preheat oven to 450º.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar to blend. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or forks until butter is about the size of peas. Crack egg into a measuring cup and add milk to come to the 3/4 cup line. Whisk, then pour over flour mixture. Use a rubber spatula to mix gently until the flour is just moistened. The mixture should be very lumpy.
Spoon a tablespoon or two of the batter into the cups of a mini muffin pan. Flatten the tops a bit with the back of a spoon or fingertips.
Bake 10 minutes, until golden. Let cool slightly in pan then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.
Meanwhile, beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until soft peaks form.
Right before serving, top each mini shortcake with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries.

Tips:
Use any kinds of berries you like! Strawberries, blackberries, all good!
 Instead of cutting the butter in with forks or a pastry cutter, I placed the dry ingredients in a food processor and then gave it a few pulses to cut the butter in. MUCH quicker! Then I transferred it to a mixing bowl to stir the milk/egg mixture in by hand.I also sprayed my mini muffin pan with baking spray. Why take chances?
 I'm sure this recipe was intended to be "not too sweet", but if I'm gonna have a dessert, it's gonna be sweet enough! So I added a little more than 1/4 cup sugar to the batter, sprinkled the tops of each shortcake with sugar before putting the pan in the oven, and then added a few extra tablespoons of sugar to the cream before whipping it up. More is more!

Ina's German Chocolate Cupcakes

Ok here's a fun fact. Did you know that German Chocolate Cake is not from Germany at all? Nope! It's as American as apple pie! The cake gets its name from an American chocolate maker named Sam German, who formulated a kind of dark baking chocolate which was originally used in the recipe. So, actually, it should be called German's Chocolate Cake. Crazy, huh? Who knew?!
 Here's a cupcake version. They're fabulous and yummy and, let's be serious, can anyone resist that caramel coconut frosting? I think not! SO delicious! This recipe is Ina Garten's and is now my go to recipe. I think I need to make these again!

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons freshly brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Coconut Frosting:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
4 extra-large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In a third bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the buttermilk and flour mixtures alternately in thirds, beginning with the buttermilk and ending with the flour. Don't overmix! Fold the batter a few times with a rubber spatula to be sure it's mixed.

Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners. (I use a 2-inch ice cream scoop.) Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:
 Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the evaporated milk, brown sugar, and egg yolks and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 15 minutes, until slightly thickened. If the mixture looks a bit curdled, beat it vigorously with a whisk. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla extract, almond extract, coconut, almonds, pecans, and salt. Allow to cool for about an hour. Frost the cupcakes with a knife or small metal spatula.

Tips:

For me, the key to the icing is the almond extract. Be sure to include it! Oh and also the kosher salt! It just makes everything SO much better. 

I didn't have sliced almonds, so I just left them out and they were still delish. Just sayin'.