Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the day with friends and family. I am off to my boyfriend's annual Christmas Eve party in just a few hours. But first, I wanted to share one last holiday treat with you all. I have hardly left the kitchen in the past two days preparing for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it. Santa will surely have his choice  of treats when he comes to my house this year!

You didn't think I would make it through December without sharing a Christmas cupcake, did you? These moist and flavorful gingerbread cupcakes are topped with a sweet cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They are the perfect cupcake to share with friends and family this holiday season.

I hope that you all have a very merry Christmas! 

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Cupcakes from Martha Stewart Cupcakes, Frosting from Georgetown Cupcake

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tbsp unsulfured molasses
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp cinnamon
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 22 standard muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the molasses. Beat until fully combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined. Add the vanilla and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix until combined.
Divide batter evenly among prepared tins, about 3/4 full. Bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow cupcakes to cool in tins for about 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting:
In a stand mixer, combine all ingredients in bowl and mix on high speed until light and creamy. Transfer frosting to piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy :)

Gingerbread Pudding Cookies

Usually I know exactly what I want to bake each week. I have a huge archives of saved recipes that I sift through and decide what to make. I rarely walk into the supermarket without a game plan and a shopping list in hand. But these cookies? Well, they were a last minute addition to my Christmas baking list. I was walking around Roche Brothers last week and came across a box of Gingerbread pudding mix. After making my Mint Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies a few weeks ago, I have been eager to try another pudding cookie recipe. And what is more appropriate for the holiday season than Gingerbread Pudding Cookies?

I cannot tell you how soft and chewy the pudding mix makes these cookies. And the best part? They stay soft for days and days. The gingerbread flavor in these cookies is present but not overwhelming. They are a great last minute addition to anyone's holiday party or gathering. I plan on bringing my leftover cookies to a Christmas Eve party tomorrow night. Well, I will bring them assuming that they are still around tomorrow.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve! 

Gingerbread Pudding Cookies
Recipe from Inside Brucrew Life

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 box instant gingerbread pudding mix
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cinnamon chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add the vanilla and milk. Mix until fully incorporated. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and gingerbread pudding mix. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix until fully incorporated. Turn off the mixer. Add the cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips. Mix with a spatula until combined.

With a medium sized ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

There are four different types of cookies in my kitchen right now. I had no choice but to eat cookies for lunch today. Is that bad? I have been having so much fun experimenting with new cookie recipes over the past few weeks, but I always have a hard time giving them all away. Other than my dad, no one in my family really eats my baked goods. At Thanksgiving dinner, my aunt asked my brother if he wanted a piece of pie and ice cream. He responded, "No, I don't really like dessert". Umm, what?? Are you even related to me?? I can't imagine ever saying something like that. Especially if it means missing out on these Brown Butter Snickerdoodles. 

These Brown Butter Snickerdoodles were one of the desserts I brought to the Boston College Basketball Christmas party last night. In my book, brown butter makes anything better. I just love the nutty smell and flavor of brown butter. These cookies puffed up quite nicely in the oven, resulting in thick and chewy cookies full of cinnamon flavor. This was the first recipe I tried from my newest cookbook, Baked Elements. I have the other cookbooks by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito and I cannot say enough good things about them. All of their recipes turn out perfectly- I can't wait to try more from this one! 

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Recipe from Baked Elements by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp + 2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 cup + 3 tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 cup light brown sugar

In a medium sized skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Continue to cook butter until it becomes golden brown in color and smells nutty in flavor. Pour the brown butter into the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat butter on medium speed for 5-7 minutes to bring it to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until fully incorporated. Set aside.
When the butter is cooled, add 1 cup of sugar and the brown sugar to the mixer bowl. Beat until light and creamy, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the milk and egg mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
In three additions, slowly add the dry ingredients, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary. Mix until fully combined.
Turn off the mixer. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or up to 24 hours).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough into balls. Roll each ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Transfer balls to the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Cookies should be cracked on top and golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on sheets for a few minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy :)

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Our lights are up, a few presents are wrapped and I have already watched ELF twice. I still have a lot of shopping and baking left to do though. This time of year is just so busy, it is hard to fit everything in. Thank god for online shopping! I am also busy finishing up my classes this semester so sometimes it is hard to find the time to bake. I am glad I decided to make these cookies this week because they were a hit around here. 

I told you to expect a lot of cookies this month- so let's talk about these White Chocolate Peppermint M&M cookies. They are such a fun and festive cookie for the holiday season. I found the White Chocolate M&Ms at Target, but I probably didn't need to tell you that. By now you know that I find all of my fun holiday candy at Target, right? My boyfriend never knew there were so many different types of M&Ms. Peppermint M&Ms, Candy Corn M&Ms, Cherry Cordial M&Ms, Coconut M&Ms- the list goes on and on. I know my boyfriend loves when I take him on hunts to find all of these different flavors.

Find a bag of the White Chocolate Peppermint M&Ms and bake up a batch of these cookies. They are soft and full of holiday flavor! 

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate peppermint M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Continue to beat until fully incorporated.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.

Turn off the mixer. Add the white chocolate chips and white chocolate peppermint M&Ms. Mix with a spatula until combined.

With a medium sized ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Mint Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies

This past weekend, my boyfriend and I planned to have a cookie making night. I got really ambitious and decided that we were going to make four different holiday cookie recipes. I just love holiday baking. So we went to Target and picked out all of the ingredients we needed for the four cookie recipes. And then we got home to realize that I forgot the paddle attachment to my mixer. I had the stand and the bowl, but nothing to do the mixing. Such a bummer. But of course you can still make cookies without a stand mixer, it just requires a little more effort on your part. I definitely have gotten spoiled by my mixer since it does most of the work for me!

Anyways, we still made cookies but decided to try just two of the recipes. Don't worry, I will make my boyfriend take part in another cookie making night soon. I am sure he loves it just as much as I do.

It seems like I am the last person to jump on the pudding cookie bandwagon. For the past few months, I have seen them pop up all over the blog world. After making these mint chip chocolate pudding cookies, I can see why they are so popular. The pudding mix makes these cookies super soft and they are still soft days after you bake them. Now that I have made these cookies, the possibilities are endless-  vanilla pudding, butterscotch pudding, banana pudding- there are so many cookies to be made!

Mint Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 3.4 oz package chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mint baking chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

With a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the pudding mix, eggs and vanilla. Beat until fully incorporated after each addition. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on slow speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Stop the mixer and add the mint baking chips. Gently fold with a spatula until combined.

With a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 11-12 minutes or until edges are set. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cranberry Eggnog Muffins

'Tis the season for eggnog, gingerbread and peppermint! I know it is not December yet, but I decided to start my holiday baking anyways. Target declared it holiday season months ago, so I don't see why I can't start baking with eggnog now. At least I waited for Thanksgiving to be over!

These muffins are packed with flavor. Between the tart cranberries, the sweet eggnog and even the crumbly streusel topping, I loved the combination of ingredients in these muffins. And of course they make the perfect breakfast treat for the holiday season with their seasonal flavors. 

On a related note, I love the subtle use of almond extract in these muffins. Even more than the flavor, I love the scent of almond extract. If Bath and Body Works had a body spray that smelled like these muffins, I would totally buy it. Trust me, these muffins will make your house smell wonderful this holiday season! However, a little almond extract goes a long way, so don't add too much to the muffin batter :) 

Cranberry Eggnog Muffins

Recipe from Annie Eats (originally adapted from RecipeGirl)

Muffins:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar, divided

2 eggs

3/4 cup eggnog

5 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 cups cranberries, chopped

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12-14 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar, eggs, eggnog, melted butter and almond extract. Mix until fully incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients and continue to mix until combined.

Combine the cranberries with the remaining sugar. With a spatula, gently fold in the chopped cranberries and mix until combined.

Divide batter between prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. 

Streusel Topping:

In a medium bowl, combined the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter. Slowly combine the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, crumbly mixture forms. Distribute the streusel mixture evenly over the muffins. 

Bake muffins for about 18-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Enjoy :)

Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! Ours was filled with family fun and delicious food. Earlier in the week I mentioned that I was bringing cupcakes to our Thanksgiving dinner. Cupcakes are certainly not your typical Thanksgiving dessert but I loved the way that these turned out. 

The cupcakes mimic a more traditional sweet potato pie in that they have a graham cracker crust and a sweet marshmallow frosting on top. For a little added sweetness, I sprinkled some of the cupcakes with chopped pecans and cinnamon, but of course that is just optional. These cupcakes are a great alternative to a homemade pie, which takes a lot more time and effort to whip up. 

Do you guys do any shopping on Black Friday? I have never camped outside or waited in any long lines before. I would much rather find some good deals online and do my all my shopping that way.  I do need to get started on my Christmas shopping soon though, it will be here before we know it! 

Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes
Recipe from How Sweet It Is

Graham Cracker Crust:
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp sugar

Cupcakes:
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup (6 oz) mashed sweet potato
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup whole milk

Marshmallow Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tsp whole milk, if needed

Graham Cracker Crust and Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs and sugar until combined. Evenly distribute the mixture to the bottom of each liner and press down slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and brown sugar until fully incorporated. Add the mashed sweet potato and continue to mix.
Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, mixing until combined. Finally add the milk and mix until smooth and fully incorporated. Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full on top of the graham cracker crust. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.

Frosting:
In a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add marshmallow fluff and beat for another 2-3 minutes before adding the vanilla.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated. With the mixer on high speed, beat for another 2-3 minutes until frosting is light and reaches your desired consistency. If frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tsp of milk and continue to mix.
Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy :)

Edible Eagles

This weekend is one of my favorite times of the year- the start of College Basketball season! Although  I'm having so much fun with my friends in Florida, I am disappointed that I have to miss my Boston College Eagles open up their season this Sunday. I have always been a fan of College Basketball and especially Boston College Basketball. While I was a student at BC (which seems like such a long time ago now), I was lucky enough to be a manager of the Men's Basketball team. I am so thankful for all of the opportunities I had as manager and all of the amazing people I got to meet along the way. Sometimes I wish I was still in college so that I could be a manager again. 

In honor of the Eagles starting their season this weekend, as well as BC Football's big game against Notre Dame tomorrow, I decided to make these Edible Eagles. Aren't they so cute? They are perfect for any team with an Eagle mascot. And you only need a few ingredients to make these cute little Eagles come to life. Happy College Basketball season! Enjoy!

Edible Eagles
Idea from Noble Pig

What You Will Need:
Large Marshmallows
Shredded Coconut
1 cup white chocolate chips, melted according to package directions
Chocolate Covered Cookies
Cashews
Store Bought Chocolate Frosting

How to Construct the Eagles:
In a small bowl, melt the white chocolate chips according to the package directions.
Take a large marshmallow and dip it into the melted chocolate, coating evenly. Then place marshmallow into bowl of shredded coconut, making sure the that the coconut evenly coats 3 sides of the marshmallow. Immediately place the coconut-free side of the marshmallow down onto a chocolate cookie. Allow the chocolate to set for a few minutes.
With a toothpick or knife, poke a small hole on the side of the marshmallow and place a cashew into the hole.
Use chocolate frosting to add two eyes.
Place finished Eagles into the freezer to set for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy :)

White Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. I have the best dad in the world so I wanted to bake something extra special for him. A while ago he went to some function and raved about the White Chocolate Cherry Cookies that were served. He told me that I needed to recreate those cookies for him sometime. I thought that was a great idea but like many of the recipes I want to make, I put off making these cookies for a long time. My dad's birthday was the perfect opportunity to finally try them out.

These cookies were soft and delicious. Filled with white chocolate chips and dried cherries, they also make the perfect cookie for the upcoming holiday season. But the ultimate test of the these cookies was whether or not my dad liked them. Even though he is my dad, he has alway been my toughest food critic. He is definitely not afraid to tell me when he doesn't like a recipe that I make. Luckily I picked a good recipe for his birthday because my dad loved these cookies :) Happy Birthday Dad!

White Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Recipe from Add a Pinch

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and creamy.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Slowly add the flour, salt and baking soda. Continue mixing until fully incorporated.
Turn off the mixer. Add the white chocolate chips and cherries and mix with a spatula until combined.
Scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Enjoy :)

Caramel Apple Milky Way Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Caramel Apple Milky Way Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. Phew. There are a lot of flavors going on in these cookies. But that is a good thing. I brought these cookies to the birthday party of my boyfriend's mom this past weekend. Happy birthday to her and her friends :) Anyways, these cookies were a hit. No offense to all of the other cookies at the party, but everyone loved these cookies and they were gone before anything else. I even saw one kid take one and then come back for three more a few minutes later. Not that anyone could blame him. 

When people first take a bite, they assume it is just a regular chocolate chip cookie. But baked inside each one is a mini caramel apple milky way. Have you seen these in stores? I found mine at Target- big surprise there. I actually ran out of milky ways before I finished making the cookies, so there were a few plain chocolate chip cookies in the cookie tray. Hopefully no one was too mad if they ended up with one of the cookies without a milky way inside.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Caramel Apple Milky Way Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe adapted from Picky Palate

Yield: 5-6 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

10 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 bag caramel apple milky ways

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until combined and creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs and continue mixing until fully incorporated. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until fully combined. 

Stop the mixer and add the chocolate chips. Mix with a spatula until combined.

Using a small ice cream scoop or a teaspoon, place one scoop of cookie dough on top of a caramel apple milkway. Then take another scoop of cookie dough and place in on the bottom the milky way. Seal edges together and place on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Enjoy :)

Halloween Funfetti Cookie Sandwiches

Happy Monday! I have one more Halloween recipe to share with you before Wednesday rolls around. I absolutely love all things funfetti so this recipe was a no-brainer for me. Two soft funfetti cookies with a creamy buttercream frosting in the middle- what is not to love? The black and orange sprinkles, along with the orange tinted buttercream, makes it the perfect treat for Halloween. But this recipe can easily be adapted for all Holidays or special occasions. Just switch up the sprinkles and food coloring. 

As I sit here writing this post, we are waiting for Hurricane Sandy to hit Massachusetts. The rain started yesterday afternoon, but there hasn't been any wind or other signs of a Hurricane yet. School was cancelled and buildings are being evacuated, so everyone must be expecting the worse. I hope that everyone in the Northeast stays safe throughout the storm! If you are stuck inside for the next few days but still have power, you can always make some cookies! Enjoy!

Halloween Funfetti Cookie Sandwiches
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod (Cookie recipe originally adapted from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body)

Cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup black and orange sprinkles

Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp heavy cream
Orange food coloring 

Cookies:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt. While the mixer is on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until combined.
Turn off the mixer and add the sprinkles. Mix with a spatula until combined.
Form cookie dough into small balls, about 1 tbsp in size, and drop onto the baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Allow cookies to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Frosting:
In a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. While the mixer is on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
Add the salt, vanilla, almond extract and heavy cream. Beat for about 3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. 
Add the food coloring and mix until combined and desired color is reached.

Pipe small amounts of frosting onto each cookie one at a time and sandwich with another cookie.

Enjoy :)

Candy Corn Drink

This drink is sure to impress all of your friends on Halloween night. When I first saw it in a magazine a few weeks ago, I thought it was really fun but didn't know how easy it would be to get all of the different layers to stay on top of one another. Well it turns out it isn't hard at all. The key is to place a wooden spoon over the gelatin layer and gently pour the orange soda onto the back of the wooden spoon. I know this might sound weird, but trust me it works!

I didn't have any extra candy corn around the house or else I would have added some to the top of the pitcher. You definitely don't need to do that though, this drink is fun enough on its own. I especially think that kids would enjoy this candy corn drink.

And did I mention how easy it is to make? I have been so busy in the kitchen the past two days, baking halloween themed desserts and something to bring to my boyfriend's mom's birthday party this weekend. It was nice to at have at least one recipe that was not only easy to put together, but also easy to clean up. That it is the best part :)

Candy Corn Drink

Recipe from Better Homes and Garden: Fall Baking 2012 Edition

1 4-serving size package of lemon flavored gelatin

1 cup boiling water

2 cups mango nectar

3 1/2 cups orange carbonated beverage, chilled

1 cup whipping cream

2 tbsp honey

In a large bowl, combine the boiling water and gelatin. Stir with a spoon until gelatin is completely dissolved.  Stir in the mango nectar. Pour the entire mixture into a clear 2-quart pitcher and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 2 hours. The mixture should thicken but not set. 

Take a wooden spoon and hold it above the gelatin mixture. Gently pour the orange soda over the back of the wooden spoon. 

In a medium bowl, combine the whipping cream and honey. Beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Either pipe or spoon the the mixture on top of the drink.

Before serving, stir to mix all of the layers.

Enjoy :)

Dark Chocolate Spider Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Are you ready for Halloween yet? Only one more week to go. I thought I would share another fun Halloween recipe with you today. How cute are these little spider cupcakes? You can add these spider cupcake stands to the list of things from Target I definitely don't need, but still buy anyway. That list is a lot longer than I care to admit. But I knew I wanted to make spider cupcakes as soon as I saw them so into my shopping cart they went. I also found the candy eyes in the Halloween aisle of Target, but you can also get them at Walmart, Michaels or online. 

Even if you can't find the spider cupcake holders that I used, you can easily use black licorice to construct the spider legs. Then your spiders would be 100% edible! I told you that I love baking Halloween recipes. You really can get so creative during this time of the year. Plus it is the one time of the year when it is acceptable to make food that doesn't look very appetizing. Although I still think these spider cupcakes are really cute, not exactly a spooky dessert :)

Dark Chocolate Spider Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Cupcake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart, Ganache recipe from Georgetown Cupcake

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

For the Ganache:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

Chocolate Sprinkles and Candy Eyes for decoration

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

Add the eggs, water, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated and smooth. 

Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Ganache:

Combine heavy cream and chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl set on top of a pot of barely simmering water. Allow chocolate chips to melt completely, stirring throughout the process. Make sure to keep stirring as you do not want the chocolate to burn. Once melted, remove from heat and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes.

Take cooled cupcakes and dip into the bowl of chocolate ganache one at a time, making sure to completely cover each of the cupcake tops. Return to cooling rack and allow the ganache to set for 2-3 minutes. 

Add chocolate sprinkles to the cupcakes and candy eyes on top. 

Enjoy :)

Maple Syrup Pancake Muffins

My boyfriend has been asking to have pancakes for dinner for the past few weeks. While I haven't gotten around to making actual pancakes yet, I decided to make these maple syrup pancake muffins for him this past weekend. I think that was a fair compromise :) These muffins really do taste like pancakes soaked in maple syrup. 

After the muffin batter was already made, I looked at the recipe and noticed that it only resulted in a yield of approximately 10-12 muffins. While that might be enough muffins for some people, I need to feed a whole basketball coaching staff when I bake. By the time my boyfriend and I finished breakfast and I took some home to my photograph, there certainly would not be enough for all of the coaches. So we decided I had to make another batch. This time I switched things up and added some mini chocolate chips to the batter. In the end, I'm glad we ended up making two batches of these muffins because I think the chocolate chip version was my favorite. Who doesn't like chocolate chip pancakes? Feel free to add your favorite pancake fixings to the batter though :)

Maple Syrup Pancake Muffins

Recipe from Tracey's Culinary Adventures (Originally adapted from Joy the Baker)

Muffins:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

7 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup milk

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Maple Glaze:

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. As the butter melts, it will begin to bubble and eventually turn brown in color. As soon as it turns brown, remove from the heat and keep whisking.  Allow the browned butter to cool. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, egg york, maple syrup and vanilla. Slowly add the cooled brown butter and continue to whisk until combined.

Fill each cavity of muffin tin about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool on a cooling rack. 

Glaze: 

Combine the maple syrup and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly, until syrup is thick. 

Once the muffins are cooled, use a fork or knife to poke holes on the top of each one. Dip each muffin into the syrup mixture one at a time. Repeat this step if desired.

Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

Is it Friday yet? This is a really busy week for me because it is midterms week! You see, I took time off from work in September to go back to school and finish getting my CPA license. Only five more classes now stand between me and that license. Anyways, I had two midterms yesterday and one more tomorrow. Almost done! It has definitely been a long process, so I will be glad when I am finally done with everything. 

Over the weekend, I decided to take a break from studying and make a pumpkin pie milkshake for myself. I actually drank this milkshake for breakfast on Sunday morning. A milkshake is an acceptable breakfast, right? I made myself one very large milkshake, but you could split it up into smaller glasses and share with your friends. I just wasn't in the mood to share mine :)

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

Recipe adapted from Dine and Dish

1/3 cup pumpkin 

1/2 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp Pumpkin Spice flavored Jell-O Instant Pudding Mix

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 cups vanilla ice cream

Sprinkles for decoration

Place all ingredients in a blender. Secure lid of the blender and mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy. 

Pour milkshake into a tall glass and add sprinkles on top.

Enjoy :)

Wormy Dark Chocolate Brownies

Are you having a Halloween party this year? If so, you should make these wormy dark chocolate brownies. They are super easy to make and the perfect addition to any Halloween themed party. With the crumbled brownies and gummy worms on top, they almost remind me of those worms in dirt pudding cups. Do you remember those? There used to be a restaurant near my house that had those on the kids menu. I used to love going to that restaurant just so I could order the worms in dirt for dessert. The gummy worms were the best part :) I should really recreate that recipe sometime because now I am really craving one of those worms in dirt pudding cups. 

I have a bunch of other fun Halloween themed recipes coming up soon. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and it is so much fun to create these fun and spooky recipes to share with everyone. Now I just need to find a Halloween party to attend. Any ideas? I will bring the desserts :)

Wormy Dark Chocolate Brownies

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger (as seen in People Magazine on October 24, 2011)

8 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

4 large eggs

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tsp vanilla

20 gummy worms for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 baking pan and set aside.

Melt chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Make sure to stir occasionally as the chocolate is melting.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined. Add the yogurt, oil and vanilla and mix until combined. 

Add the melted chocolate and mix until fully incorporated. Finally add the flour mixture and mix until smooth and combined. 

Transfer the mixture to prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the pan to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Once cooled, cut into 24 brownies. Crumble 4 brownies to use as garnish. Serve remaining brownies with crumbles and gummy worms on top.

Enjoy :)

Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Praline Frosting

My boyfriend and I finally had the chance to go apple picking this past weekend. But where did all of the apples go? I guess we should have gone earlier in the season because most of the trees were bare. One woman told us to head over to braeburn apples, insisting that they were great for baking. There were definitely tons of braeburn apples left to pick, but we were the only people on that side of the farm. No wonder she wanted us to head over in that direction. 

Either way, my boyfriend found some good braeburn apples to pick. He did a great job climbing trees and finding apples for me to bake with. Then we walked around the rest of the farm and found a few more apples to pick. Definitely not a lot of good choices though.

In the end, I made the most of our braeburn apples and whipped up this apple cream cheese bundt cake with praline frosting. I had been eyeing this recipe for a long time and am glad I finally had the opportunity to make it. The cake is packed with chopped apples, pecans and a thin layer of cream cheese filling. It is the perfect cake to celebrate fall flavors. Hope you enjoy friends! 

Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Praline Frosting

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker (originally adapted from Southern Living)

Cream Cheese Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla

Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1 cup pecans, toasted slightly and finely chopped

Praline Frosting:

1/2 light brown sugar

1/2 stick unsalted butter

3 tbsp whole milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 12 cup bundt pan and set aside.

Cream Cheese Filling: 

Using an electric or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and sugar on medium speed until combined. Add the egg, flour and vanilla, beating until fully incorporated. Set aside.

Cake: 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, spices, baking soda and salt. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, canola oil, applesauce and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and whisk using fully incorporated.

Gently mix in the apples and pecans. 

Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Top with the cream cheese filling, making sure that it is spread out evenly in the pan. With a knife, gently swirl the cream cheese filling a few times. 

Pour remainder of the cake batter on top of the pan. Make sure the batter completely covers the cream cheese filling.

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. 

Transfer pan to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack and allow it to cool completely. 

Praline Frosting:

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking the whole time. After 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Slowly whisk in the powdered sugar until mixture is fully incorporated and smooth. 

Pour frosting over the top of the cake and add extra pecans on top. Allow frosting to set for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

With all of the pumpkin baking I have been doing this fall, I can't keep enough pumpkin stocked up in my kitchen. I buy more every time I go to the grocery store, but it still isn't enough. I just can't get enough pumpkin during this time of the year, so bear with me for a few more recipes. I am sure you don't mind too much.

Out of all the recipes I have made this fall, these muffins might just be my favorite. Not only do I love the warm pumpkin flavor, but the cinnamon streusel topping puts these muffins over the top. All of the original muffins were gone within two days, so I must not be the only one who really likes them in my house.

Tomorrow I will give you a break from all of the pumpkin and share a recipe for a delicious apple cake I made earlier this week. But I can't promise that the break will last too long. I was in the kitchen earlier this week experimenting with new pumpkin recipes. It is a tough job, really. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod 

Muffins:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/3 cup water

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon Streusel Topping:

1 1/4 cup oats

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks

Muffins:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter muffin pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, water, pumpkin, eggs and vanilla until combined. Slowly mix in the flour mixture. Whisk until fully incorporated. 

Cinnamon Streusel Topping:

In a small bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined. Mix in the butter with your hands. The end result should be a crumbly mixture.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full with the pumpkin mixture and then sprinkle the cinnamon streusel on top of each muffin. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool on a cooling rack before serving.

Enjoy :)