Wilton Sugar Sheets – Product Review

Posted on August 11, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

This gallery contains 3 photos.

Yesterday I said that I would show you how I “wrote” on the Peanut Butter Cupcakes. Well, I cheated … I didn’t write anything. I was at Michael’s a few weeks ago … had a coupon … and found this. … Continue reading →

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Posted on August 10, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Peanut butter cupcakes + peanut butter frosting = one happy hubby! But I made these cupcakes for his brother’s birthday … and he was happy.

I made a few small adjustments to this recipe, but do not remember where it came from … so I can’t give credit to the creator … sorry.

Line your cupcake pans with 20 paper or foil liners …

In a medium-size bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt … set aside …

This is my favorite measuring cup for peanut butter … it’s from Pampered Chef, but there are others available. I like the fact that it is clear and easy to tell if you have air pockets. Then you just push the peanut butter out and don’t have to keep scooping and scraping …

In large mixing bowl and paddle attachment, beat together peanut butter and butter until smooth …

Add sugar gradually and beat until totally combined …

Continue beating for about 3 minutes or until mixture is a light tan color …

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, about 2 minutes total …

Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture …

Stir in the vanilla …

Scoop the batter into the lined cupcake pans … about 1/4 to 1/3 cup each … and bake …

For the frosting … in a medium size bowl, beat peanut butter and butter until smooth …

Mix in half of the confectioners’ sugar …

Alternate with milk …

Beat until smooth and no lumps remain …

Frost your cooled cupcakes …

Then roll the edges in chopped peanuts …

Tomorrow I will show you how I “wrote” Happy Birthday on these cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Cupcakes:

1-3/4 cups unbleached flour (or all-purpose)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (salted is OK)

1-1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened (salted is OK)

2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped lightly salted peanuts, for garnish

1. Heat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with 20 foil or paper liners.

2. Cupcakes: In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large mixer bowl with paddle attachment, beat together peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add sugar gradually: beat until thoroughly combined, and mixture is a light tan color, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, about 2 minutes total.

4. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in vanilla extract. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, about 1/4 – 1/3 cup for each.

5. Bake at 350° for 25-27 minutes, or until lightly browned on tops. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

6. Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add half of the confectioners’ sugar, alternating with milk. Beat until smooth and no lumps remain. Spread over cupcakes. Garnish with chopped peanuts.

Makes 20 cupcakes.

I ♥ comments!

Brownie Oreo Cupcakes

Posted on August 2, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

This was an experiment … I have made brownie cupcakes before and love the convenience of single servings, no cutting required … but I have never stuffed a Oreo in one. I have seen many recipes recently with Oreos inside cupcakes, cookies and brownies, so I gave it a try. I will do it again, but it will probably be an experiment again!

First of all, I must confess that I used a brownie mix. You see my family prefers brownies from a mix over brownies from scratch. So, I keep my family happy and my life simple!

I followed the directions on the box and filled cupcake papers with the brownie batter. I got 13 cupcakes from a mix that made a 9″ x 13″ pan of brownies …

Then put the Oreos in the cupcake batter … and put them in the oven @ 350° for 25 minutes …

This is what happened … the Oreos that I laid on top of the batter, stayed … I stood 3 Oreos on end and 2 fell down … next time I may do it differently … maybe pour a little batter in the bottom, place a Oreo on the batter and then cover the Oreo with more batter …

I made these cupcakes to take to a birthday lunch … they looked so plain … so I added a little dollop of icing …

They needed more … a few sprinkles “partied” them up … and I put them in individual cupcake boxes for everyone to take home …

These Brownie Oreo Cupcakes were very easy and tasted good. Let me know if you try it this way or another … I always appreciate input! Just leave a comment below ….

I listed this recipe on “it’s a blog party!” … click on the image below to get more great recipes!

Sweet Slider Cupcakes

Posted on July 1, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Sliders … teeny weenie hamburgers … on cupcakes? My sliders aren’t hamburgers at all … but I’m sure you knew that. They are made with Nilla Wafers, York peppermint patties and candy coating. The cupcakes … well, it is summer … I’m lazy … I used a mix … but I did make my favorite decorator icing (recipe above – all butter version).

This is what you will need to make the sliders … Nilla Wafers, small York peppermint patties and candy coating (frosting could also be used) – red/ketchup, orange/cheese and green/lettuce … I happened to have some candy in tubes (which is very handy, but not necessary) …

This is just like building a real burger … get your buns (Nilla wafers) and hamburger (York) patties ready … put some ketchup (red candy) on the bottom bun …

Then put the hamburger patty on the melted candy … add some melted cheddar cheese (orange candy) on top of the patty …

Don’t forget the lettuce (green candy) … and the top bun … your sliders are cooked!

Now, for the cupcakes … bake your favorite recipe or mix … make your icing … I used a bag and a plain round tip (#12) …

This is the voice of experience … do not make your icing and put it in the fridge … then try to pipe it out of a bag while it is still cold (like I did) … or this will happen … a hard skinny line of icing comes out of the tip … it breaks … it has some pretty big air bubbles … it is pretty ugly … let your icing come up to room temperature (or at least close) …

But help is on the way … sprinkles will save the day! Sprinkles are a wonderful invention and cover a multitude of boo boos …

Place the sliders on top of the cupcakes …

I believe that if some sprinkles are good … more must be better!

Ladybug Cupcakes …

Posted on June 1, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

I am sorry for not posting anything for a while. I was out-of-town … no internet access! Now I am home and back in the swing of things.

Several weeks ago I was asked to make some cupcakes for a gathering of family and close friends. I chose to make a very easy flower with a little ladybug on it. Let me tell you why ladybugs …

Our sons grew up with a neighboring family’s sons … they are extended family, not just friends … the neighbors’ oldest son married and had two daughters. The younger daughter was named Kaitlynn … which became Katie … which became Katie Bugs … and ladybugs are Katie Bugs. In honor of Katie … these are really “Katie Bug Cupcakes”. Katie has been gone a year now … but whenever we see ladybugs … we think of Katie Bugs.

There are several new things that I learned while making these cupcakes … I had bought some cupcake papers that were a very different size … a small diameter and rather tall … so I “helped” them fit my cupcake pans by flattening out the bottom … I used a glass … now bake your favorite cupcakes …

The ladybugs can be made in advance … I used Peanut Butter M&Ms because they are bigger than plain M&Ms and flatter than peanut M&Ms … using a marker for food (Americolor Gourmet Writer) just draw ladybug markings … and let dry for a few minutes before handling them … but I decided that these little ladies needed to see … so I gave them eyes using melted white chocolate and a toothpick …

Now for the cupcakes … make your favorite icing … color about 1/2 cup of the icing green (for 24 cupcakes) … place a star decorating tip (I used #199) in a bag and fill it with white icing … place a leaf tip (I used #352) in a bag and fill it with the green icing … have candy flower centers ready for use …

Make a swirl flower , or I like to call these “fried egg flowers” … start at the outside edge and work your way toward the center … add a candy for the flower center … I used very large edible confetti … yellow M&Ms could be used if the Peanut Butter Addict that you are married to did not eat all of the leftover M&Ms! … OK, I admit that I helped him … I will plan better next time …

Add leaves by holding the tip so that it looks like a bird’s beak … squeeze the bag … then release pressure as you pull away from the cupcake …

So that is how to make a Katie Bug cupcake …

Graduation Cupcakes with Marshmallow Grad Cap Pops

Posted on May 17, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

It’s mid May and I just can’t believe that time is passing so quickly … it just dawned on me that school has already ended for some … and will be ending very shortly for others. So, I hope this idea for graduation may be helpful to you.

The graduation caps may be made in advance and stored in an airtight container for several weeks. This is what you will need … large marshmallows, ” Stacker” marshmallows (new from Kraft – at Wall Mart), dark chocolate candy melts, 4-1/2″ lollipop sticks, Extreme AirHead Belts and mini M&M’s …

First of all, remember that marshmallows are not perfect … the new StackerMallows are rectangular (not square as I was hoping for) … round ones are sometimes are oblong … but remember – they are marshmallows … have fun with them!

I made the caps two different ways … For each cap you will need 1 rectangular and 1/2 of a large marshmallow. Cut a large marshmallow in half (check out the photo) and place it on the rectangular marshmallow with a dot of melted chocolate between …

Dip the tip of the stick in melted chocolate … insert into the marshmallows (go thru both marshmallows) … and let it dry. Now dip the entire marshmallow cap in melted chocolate … tap off excess chocolate …

Place the pop in holder or styrofoam and put in fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm up. If you get chocolate drips on the stick you can use a paring knife (smooth blade) to clean it up …

Attach a mini M&M (M down) with a dot of melted chocolate … Using a paring knife slice the AirHeads into strips … cut the lengths to about 1-1/2″ long … attach to cap with melted chocolate … you may have to hold it for a moment to prevent slipping …

Let’s move on to cupcakes … bake your favorite cupcakes … let them cool … make decorator icing (recipe found in the icing section above) … fill your decorator bag (I used Wilton tip #1M) with icing … working in a spiral pattern (start on the outside rim), frost cupcake … add sprinkles … insert marshmallow cap pop …

Congratulations to all graduates!!!

COME BACK TOMORROW (May 18) FOR A NEW “HAPPY GRAD POP” !

Cupcake Paper Flowers and a Giveaway

Posted on May 4, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Do you remember the cupcake liners of yesterday? I remember the choices were so limited … white, pastel and silver. Now, there are so many to choose from … bright colors, polka dots, zebra stripes and sooo many more. Today I decided to use them for something other than cupcakes or muffins … something crafty … paper flowers. I had seen this idea on a website … but can’t remember where … so I “winged” it. It was a very simple and fast project. I probably spent more time arranging the flowers in the vase than I did making the flowers!

I would like to share … I took all of the marshmallow critters to the Easter gathering at my neice’s house … the children smiled as they bit the heads off of those little critters! By the way, I apoligize for my lack of posting for the last nine days. Life has been busy around here … holidays, a few days out of town, laundry, cleaning … you know what I mean … life.

So now, back to the fun …

These are the supplies you will need to make the flowers … cupcake liners, buttons, pipe cleaners and something to poke a hole in the cupcake papers (I used an exacto knife) …

Bend 1-1/2″ of a pipe cleaner to form a tail … then poke the pipe cleaner thru the button holes …

Wrap the tail around the stem to secure the button …

Cut the cupcake paper/papers … thread the stem thru the papers so that the button becomes the center of the flower …

I added “leaves” to some of the flowers … just bend or wrap the pipe cleaners as shown …

I am not sure what the correct botanical name is for these flowers, but they are fun! I hope you enjoy them. Happy Mothers’ Day!

CUPCAKE LINER GIVEAWAY !

I do have a confession … I love all cupcake liners … I see them and buy them … friends buy them for me … I buy them for friends … I confess … I hoard cupcake liners. But, here is the good news … I am going to share my liners with one lucky winner. To enter, tell me what you would do with the liners if you won. Would you use them to bake cupcakes, make a crafty project, or something else? If you don’t know what you will do them, just say “Hi”. To enter, please leave your answer below in the comment section (don’t forget your email address). The deadline to enter the drawing is Saturday, May 7, 2011 midnight. The Peanut Butter Addict will draw the winner out of a hat (literally) and I will announce the winner on Sunday, May 8. Good luck!

Giveaway is over, sorry 😦

Chick Cupcakes for Easter

Posted on April 20, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

This gallery contains 11 photos.

Spring chicks, what can I say … I love them because they are cute, yellow, roly poly and sooo sweet and simple to make! Just bake your favorite cupcakes, frost them yellow, add a few decorations and you are done … … Continue reading →

Easter Basket Cupcakes

Posted on April 13, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Easter baskets, jelly beans, egg hunts, picnics, family gatherings … just some of the things that make up Easter. I usually bring a sugar filled treat to our family events … maybe it will be cupcakes this Easter. These were very simple to make … easy enough for kids to make!

The directions are for the supplies that I had or chose to use. If you don’t have something that I used, improvise! The handles are made with marshmallow poles that I found at Dollar Tree, but other candies (Sour Punch Straws?) would work well. The chick is a mini version (substitute a large marshmallow for the jumbo one) of my “Mallow Yellow Chick” that I posted a few weeks ago. Jelly beans come in so many different colors, it was hard to choose! (I chose ones that I don’t like the flavor of, so that I don’t eat them.) Sprinkles of all types are available at so many grocery and craft stores. Let’s get started …

First, bake your favorite cupcakes and let them cool completely. Make buttercream icing and color it green (start with a drop or 2, you can always add more if necessary).

Some other things that you will need are a decorating bag, a small spatula or butter knife, a round tip (#12), a multi-strand tip (Ateco #133) and a coupler (if you want to change tips). I think it is easier to use a glass to hold the bag as I fill it with icing …

To cover the cupcake in sprinkles … frost the cupcake using the round tip or a spatula … then dip it in the sprinkles …

To make grass … frost the cupcake … then with the multi-strand tip (grass tip) close to the cupcake, squeeze the icing, stop squeezing and pull your hand away. So … squeeze, pull … squeeze, pull …

Prepare the handles … I inserted small pretzels sticks into the ends of the marshmallow handles and stabbed them into the cupcakes … you may need to shorten the pretzel a little if it is too long for your cupcake … NOTE: You may want to insert the handles at the last-minute if you are planning to take the cupcakes to a party or make them a day ahead. (The handles flopped around during transportation … it was not a pretty site!)