Almond Joy Cupcakes

Another birthday, another round of baking. At least I am a consistent gift giver when it comes to friends and family. Spreading joy and sugar comas wherever I go. Go me! Just call me the cupcake birthday fairy godmother (or whatnot). 

Everyone, I'd like for you all to meet the Almond Joy Cupcake. A gift for a special lady in my life, in honor of her annual renewal. Now before you go off on how much you aren't into coconut desserts, I implore you to give these a try. They are a bit on the sweet side, but damn delicious and definitely worth the steps to make a dozen or two. The coconut comes from the frosting, which is a hybrid of cream cheese and butter cream with shredded coconut tossed in towards the end. This is the kind of frosting that is dangerous to have around, on hand, in the fridge...excuse me for a sec, I must put thoughts of the frosting out of my mind before I relapse again into a spoon crazed fit. 

The cupcake portion itself tastes somewhere along the lines of chocolate angel food cake - very light and fluffy. I might use the chocolate cupcake base recipe to make a few new recipes down the road (like a maybe a Kahlúa cupcake or Mexican chocolate cake). And since these cupcakes are somewhat filled with frosting, an added bonus of this recipe is having tiny little cake bites after carving out the cupcake centers. A creative baker would find use for these, or if you are like me would eat them all fairly quickly. 

Next time around I think I might dip each frosted cupcake into the chocolate ganache and then sprinkle the toasted coconut and sliced almonds while it is still setting. And it is definitely worth it to use toasted coconut and toasted sliced almonds as a topping (just buy a bag of both at the store and use your stove top to lightly toast). I also wouldn't mind test running a boozy version of these lovely treats and adding them to my boozy cupcakes by the dozen box (a work in progress). For now, I'm happy giving these away as birthday surprises...enjoy! 

Almond Joy Cupcakes 
Borrowed from: Beantown Baker

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Toasted shredded coconut
• Toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven 350 F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. In another medium bowl with an electric mixer on high, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Next, beat in the melted chocolate. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating until blended. Stir in vanilla.

Fill the cupcake liners about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Place on a rack and let to cool completely before frosting.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Beat the cream cheese and butter in a mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with heavy cream. Beat in the salt, coconut flavoring, and vanilla extract.

Continue beating until mixture is smooth and spreadable. Add additional confectioners’ sugar if necessary to thicken the frosting, or more cream to thin. Gently fold in the shredded coconut.

Chocolate Ganache

• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

In saucepan bring whipping cream to boil over high heat. Pour hot whipping cream over chocolate and stir until chocolate melted. Add more cream if the ganache is too thick to spread.

To Assemble 

Remove center of cupcake using the cone method. Set the cake cone aside – feel free to eat it! Pipe frosting into hole and continue on top of cupcake. Drizzle ganache over frosting. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and toasted sliced almonds. 

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

To bake or not to bake? That is the question most of us avid bakers face, especially during the holidays. When it became apparent I would be the lead baker for Thanksgiving dinner, I quickly set about trying to find stellar, deliciously tasting desserts to serve my family. Poking around the intronets I discovered a lovely blog called A Bit of Bees Knees and an awesome recipe for morphing boston cream pie into cupcakes. Who doesn't love cupcakes AND boston cream pie?!

Along with a basic pumpkin pie, I decided to go the boston cream pie cupcake route for our Thanksgiving Day dessert spread and am definitely happy I did. These cupcakes were amazing! Everyone who sampled one wanted more. The filling made these cupcakes extra special and the flavor was spot on.

My only change included using instant vanilla pudding as opposed to cook and serve, which didn't appear to make any big difference. Using this recipe and the vanilla pudding box instructions for pie filling as guides, I was easily able to assemble the pie portion of these cupcakes (and shovel a little pudding into my mouth in the process). If you are questioning what to make to accompany your next holiday dinner, try these babies out. Buon cibo! Buone Feste!

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
Borrowed from: A Bit of Bees Knees

Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp each baking powder and salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

Filling

1 package (3 oz) isntant vanilla pudding

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze

8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup each sugar and water

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until blended.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Beat in vanilla extract.

With mixer on low speed, alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just blended.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare pudding as package directs, using 1 1/4 cups milk and the pie instructions on the box for guidance; cover surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.

Place chocolate, sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter until it melts and mixture is smooth. Let cool.

Slice off top of cupcakes to come to top of paper liners. Spread cut surface with about 1 Tbsp filling. Top with cupcake top. Spoon about 1 Tbsp glaze onto top center of each, easing it over top. Set in the fridge for half an hour to let the chocolate set up. 

Spiced Green Tomato Cupcakes

With the onslaught of darkness and cold, most of us gardeners out there have likely spent the last few weeks turning our gardens from summer wonderlands of bountiful fruit into leaf-covered, compost piles that will yield happy soil come spring. Picking the last of the green tomatoes is always a favorite time of year for me as I use the opportunity to come up with spiffy new recipes for using them up. No wasting around here!

This time around I decided to make a batch of cupcakes with my green tomatoes. Using two recipes as a starting point, I eeked out a delicious cupcake akin to carrot cake. To top things off, I opted for a low-fat cream cheese frosting which made the cupcakes outstanding.

Hands down, these babies have been the most popular baked good I've made all year. As with most of the tasty recipes, I had to gift away as many cupcakes as possible to prevent devouring them all. I think I stopped myself after I had consumed six cupcakes in a row...

Now, I highly encourage all of you to grab those last few green tomatoes laying around the house or yard and make a batch of these for the upcoming holiday. As you sit there, licking your sticky fingers, smiling at the delicious goodness of these cupcakes...you can thank me. Enjoy! 

Spiced Green Tomato Cupcakes 
Inspired by: Spiced Green Tomato Cake 

• 2 1/2 cups pureed green tomatoes
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Puree the green tomatoes in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Cream together butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes in a mixing bowl, until well incorporated. Add eggs and beat until creamy. Next add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix. Finally, add the pureed tomato mixture and mix.

Sift together flour, spices, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a separate bowl. Then add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, followed by the raisins and walnuts.

Pour the batter evenly into the cupcake pan, using 2/3 of a cookie scooper often works well.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to completely cool before frosting.


Low Fat Cream Cheese Frosting
Inspired by: Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe 

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 
• 1 8-oz package of low fat cream cheese, room temperature 
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.

Either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag to decorate each cupcake. Refrigerate any leftover frosting for up to 4 days. It tastes especially delicious eaten by the spoon. 

Vanilla Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

As some of you know, my life has been turned upside down over the past few months. Major changes have affected the course of the future and I have faced my fair share of struggles. First and foremost, a big heartfelt thanks to everyone out there who has lent me their shoulder, ear, and kind words during this transition. I promise to keep bribing you with baked goods!

A few weeks ago I had another foodie order, this time for vanilla cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream frosting for someone's birthday. With this challenge at hand, off I went to dig up something tasty and inevitably put together these goodies using a Martha Stewart recipe for the cupcakes and a Food.com recipe for the frosting. Even thought I didn't receive any feedback from the folks who received the cupcakes, I am fairly confident this is the best vanilla cupcake recipe I've ever made and the peanut butter buttercream frosting was to die for!

On a side note, please be on the lookout soon for a special posting collaboration I'm doing with Frosting For The Cause. It is a wonderful group doing good things to raise awareness of the fight against cancer and am very excited to be able to participate!

Vanilla Cupcakes 
Adapted from: Martha Stewart 

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature 
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups rice milk

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated; scrape down sides of bowl, and beat in vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
• Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
Adapted from: Food.com

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, don't use old-fashioned or natural brand
• 1 1/8 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 pinches table salt
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

In standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter and peanut butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners' sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.

Easter Beer Hunt & Cadbury Egg Cupcakes

Yes, I know I am doing this backwards. Most bloggers have their posts coincide with upcoming holidays, not ones that have just passed. Well, call me unconventional because I like to share post-holiday news. Or lazy. Either will work.

Last Sunday marked the 8th annual Easter Beer Hunt at a friend's house. If you have never heard of Easter Beer Hunt, I pity you. Seriously, it's life changing (thanks Charlene for pointing this out). Once you have attended an EBH, you will likely do everything in your power not to miss one in the future.

This year, the gang was coming off of the high of the Arcimoto launch from the evening before (way to go, Arcimoto gang!). Many of EBH hunters were still sore from the festivities the night before and getting to see Nathan Fillion (or in my case, touch him).

Yet I digress. Here are a few of the basic tools for EBH: hammer and nail to make your necklace (imagine flair). 

Each year our fearless leaders spend much of Easter morning hiding beers around a very large yard, which close friends and family then spend the remainder of the day searching out for achievement awards. 

Remember it's not a competition, it's an exhibition. 

In keeping with the holiday spirit, my foodie contribution this year were Cadbury Egg Cupcakes. During my usual weekly hunting, I discovered the recipe from My Baking Addiction. Using a Chocolate Cupcake recipe from Joy of Baking as the base and a Buttercream Frosting recipe from My Baking Addiction, I whipped up two batches of these sweet babies to share with the hunting crew.

Each cupcake held inside of it a mini cadbury egg, adding to the insane amount of sweetness. I had some extra batter left so I made a few small star cupcakes without any hidden treats inside. Next time around, I might use the mini-butterfinger eggs or other flavor to hide inside, changing up the flavor matrix a bit. These are definitely holiday-friendly, easily modified for whichever holiday is coming up next. Enjoy! 

Cadbury Egg Cupcakes 

From: My Baking Addiction

• 24 paper cupcake liners
• Batter for 24 cupcakes (see recipe below)
• 48 Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs (24 frozen) You’ll use the frozen ones inside the cupcake batter. Freezing the eggs keeps them from completely vanishing inside the baked cake.
• 1 batch of buttercream frosting (see recipe below)
• yellow dye or gel
• Large Round piping tip or snip the end off of a piping bag.

Scoop batter into paper liner ⅔ of the way full. Place one frozen Mini Cadbury Creme Egg into the middle of each cupcake. Use a spatula to spread the batter over the egg.

Bake according to the recipe you are using. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

While your cupcakes are cooking, make your buttercream. My favorite recipe can be found within this Fundamentals Buttercream Frosting Post.

Remove about 1 cup of buttercream from the mixing bowl and dye it yellow.

Assemble your piping bag fitted with a large tip and pipe a large circle around the perimeter of the cupcake.

Fill in the center of the circle with the yellow buttercream and top with a Mini Cadbury Cream Egg.


Chocolate Cupcakes 
From: Joy of Baking

• 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 cup boiling hot water
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter, or line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.

 

In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16 - 20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. (Do not over bake or the cupcakes will be dry.)  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 

Buttercream Frosting

From: My Baking Addiction

• 4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• pinch of fine grain sea salt
• 1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
• 2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 4-6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.

Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Peanut Butter Dark Chocholate Cupcakes

Another round of birthdays this week. Hell, this month. Which is fine by me, as it means more reason to bake. Although I attempted a late-night (drunkish) baking session last night, and promptly remembered why I shouldn't do that. Ha, a story for another time. ;)

This week's menu: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting. Mmmm, super rich and super sinful.

I picked up this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker and have had nothing but positive feedback from taste testers. I didn't change anything in the recipe, however next time I think I would change things up a bit. The peanut butter frosting is a little intense; next time maybe the kaluha frosting from the White Russian Cupcakes. Also, I think the dark chocolate cupcake could improve with a little instant coffee for taste. Tinker around with your batch and share what you discover. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
From: Brown Eyed Baker

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup (1.5 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• ¾ cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• ½ cup (4 ounces) lite sour cream

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. (If you are using a non-stick muffin pan, heat the oven to 325 degrees F.) Line standard-size muffin pan with baking cup liners.

Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. (Alternately, you can microwave the mixture at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.) Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogeneous and thick.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  1 cup creamy peanut butter
  5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Life With Chickens & White Russian Cupcakes

I am not going to lie. Life with chickens is well, a little weird. Chickens are definitely their own species. Not quite birds as they don't fly and seem to have an attitude about it. And not quite domesticated pet, say like a dog, however they definitely perform some amazing pet tricks.

With their crowing at odd moments and chicken yoga, feathered ladies follow a hierarchy all of their own. A pecking order is always in place, which seems to change for no reason and is quite dramatic. They are so fascinating!

Chickens rock, plain and simple. Life with chickens is entertaining, in that way where you stand at the kitchen window for spans of time wondering what the hell they are doing now. Go hang out with a friend of yours who has chickens. Or better yet, agree to watch the flock for a few days when your friend heads out of town. You'll get what I mean after observing fowl play for a while...ha! Sorry, always one for a chicken joke.

Now on to the thing I am sure most of you stopped by for - White Russian Cupcakes. Wow, hats off to the person who came up with this one. I discovered this recipe through Baked Perfection. Forewarning, this is definitely an adult cupcake. Maybe it was the white russian I had to drink while making the recipe, but I could definitely taste a wee bit of the alcohol in the cupcake. Personally, I love me any dessert that makes me tipsy if I eat too many!

As for the recipe, I didn't change much. I made sure to sift the dry ingredients together, as cupcakes always come out better that way. Also added a tiny bit of almond extract, although hazelnut would have been even better. One thing I did add to the recipe directions - drink a white russian while baking these lovely treats (it's a must). Enjoy!

White Russian Cupcakes 
Adapted from: Baked Perfection

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 large egg and 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond or hazelnut extract 
• 1/2 cup almond or rice milk
• 1/8 cup Vodka
• 1/4 cup Kahlua, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Get yourself a white russian to drink (strength is up to you, however in my opinion they are served best strong).

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a seperate bowl or in a stand mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until combined. Add egg and egg white, one at a time. Then add the vanilla and almond extracts, Vodka, and 1/8 cup of Kahlua. Gradually add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions, ending with the flour mixture.

Bake 17 -20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcakes comes out clean. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops with the remaining 1/8 cup Kahlua. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Kahlua Buttercream

From: Baked Perfection

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• 3 - 4 tablespoons Kahlua

Beat butter until creamy. Add salt. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until combined. Add Kahlua 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.

Orange Cupcakes

Being a baker, you do a lot of bartering. Or at least I do. See these babies? I used them in a trade of services. One batch of cupcakes for a favor. Seems fair, right?

Honestly, I had forgotten I had promised to make these. After rushing around all morning baking a unicorn cake (more to come on that), I remembered well into the afternoon that I had one more thing to bake! Damn.

I did some digging around on the internet and found this recipe for Orange Cupcakes from My Baking Addiction. Simple, easy, tasty. Exactly what I was looking for. My modifications from the original recipe - didn't have any orange extract so I opted for almond instead, included the zest of one orange and the zest of 1/3 lemon, and split the liquid into 1/8 cup milk (hazelnut in my case) and 1/8 cup orange juice. And of course made them mini cupcakes (cute) with leftover store-bought frosting to decorate (I know, my bad). Enjoy!

Orange Cupcakes 
Adapted from: My Baking Addiction

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teas. vanilla extract
• 1/2 teas. almond extract
• Zest of 1 orange 
• Zest of 1/3 lemon 
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teas. baking powder
• 1/4 teas. salt
• 1/8 cup milk
• 1/8 cup orange juice 
• Extra Orange Zest for topping 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or grease enough mini muffin pans to hold 36 mini cupcakes.

Place the sugar and orange/lemon zests into a mixer and blend until moist and fragrant. Add in butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes (12-14 if using a mini cupcake pan) or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. Use a little bit of orange zest for a nice finish.

-Makes 12 regular cupcakes or 36 mini cupcakes

You're Baking Me Crazy! Guest Bakers In the Kitchen

It's official. I have finally figured it out. How to have way too much fun, that is. Get a couple friends into the kitchen with you, add sugar and alcohol, then wait for the magic. And giggles. Smiles all around, all night long.

This week I invited two lovely, adorable ladies into the Panda le Chef kitchen for some holiday inspired baking.

As I recently picked up a pack of forest friends cookie cutters from Ikea, I opted to try out Martha Stewart's Sugar Cookies while my dear friend C opted for the Polar Opposites Cupcakes from What's New, Cupcake?

Ok, I may have pushed C a bit to do these ones. We thought they were easy. If you look closely you can see what time the clock in the picture reads...too late to be baking!

My dear friend H also came along and inspired these beautiful little piggies.

The Polar Opposites Cupcakes involved a glorified yellow cake mix batter (made with buttermilk) baked in typical cupcake liners. The frosting involved store-bought vanilla frosting with marshmallow fluff. Sweet as can be!

We used doughnut holes, sweetened coconut, frosted oat cereal, and mini marshmallows to decorate the bears. Next we used piped chocolate store-bought frosting to make the hands, feet, and face. C is amazing with decorating baked goods.

As for my Sugar Cookies, they were pretty straight forward. Some of the comments on Martha's page call for adding more sugar or making the cookies sweeter. I see no need in this if you are going to frost them. Actually, they needed little altering other than adding both vanilla and almond extracts. Very tasty. They make great lunch (as they have been mine for two days running).

Now go find a friend or two and start baking! Make sure to include some mimosas or hot cocoa with whiskey. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies
From: Martha Stewart

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Assorted candies, sprinkles, or colored sugars, for decorating (optional)

In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, almond and vanilla extracts. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove one dough disk; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out 1/8 inch thick between two sheets of floured parchment, dusting dough with flour as needed.

Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes.) Reroll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 18 minutes (depending on size). Cool completely on wire racks. To ice cookies, spread with the back of a spoon. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes. Decorate as desired.

Carrot Cake Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Baking requests are always welcome, and if the person gets lucky I will actually whip up a batch of whatever was requested pronto. This week I received a request for a healthy version of carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Sounds insanely delicious, right?

Upon digging around I unearthed a healthier version of carrot cake cupcakes from Healthy Food for Living. The lovely Lauren over there at Healthy Food for Living had taken a typical carrot cake cupcake recipe and toned down the amount of fat as well as sugar.

 
Now before you get all sore thinking we killed the sweetness of these little babies, just wait to taste a batch. You really won't notice much other than the taste of delicious in your mouth.

As this week's request is likely to end up as bribery in the local university office, I decided to make a double batch, mixing mini cupcakes with normal sized ones. As I ended up with a little extra left over, I had these mini bundt pans I recently picked up and decided to make a few for kicks.

One thing you will notice is that I call these muffins as opposed to cupcakes. To me, they taste and feel like muffins, especially with the lessened sweetness. However, the beauty of this recipe is that you can add more sugar to the batter or make the cream cheese frosting sweeter. My modifications to the recipe included adding walnuts, using olive oil as it was all I had on hand, using cinnamon applesauce as opposed to natural, using maple flavor as opposed to extract, and using more maple syrup for the cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!


Carrot Cake Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

yields about 12 normal muffins

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 2 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil, such as canola
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (use 1/4 cup more for added sweetness)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp cinnamon applesauce
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup finely grated peeled carrots, about 2 medium (A microplane grater works best)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 
• 4 oz 1/3-less-fat neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3-4 Tbsp pure maple syrup (personal taste)
• 1/8 tsp pure maple extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or coat with canola oil cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients (through ground ginger).

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, and eggs. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla extract.

Stir in the grated carrots.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir just until fully incorporated.

Using a large spoon, divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin  comes out clean.

 

Allow muffins to cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, maple syrup, and maple extract using an electric mixer, until smooth.

Frost muffins once they have completely cooled. Store any uneaten muffins in the fridge.