Tag Archives: cupcakes

Turkey Cupcakes

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It’s November … let the holidays begin!!!  Have you been to any stores in the last few days?  The ones that have visited are definitely geared up for the holiday season.

Most of us have many ideas, plans and goals for the upcoming holidays.  I want to share my Thanksgiving ideas with you and then move on.

Here is the first cupcake idea for Thanksgiving … my favorite Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting  that I have shared before.  The reasons that I chose peanut butter are …

  1. Peanut butter is a good turkey color
  2. The turkey head is made with a Nutter Butter peanut butter cookie
  3. My family has a love affair with peanut butter

… or …

Of course, you could make them any flavor you wish

This is what you will need … I tried to give options …

  • Frosted cupcakes
  • Nutter Butter Bites (small round cookies)
  • Candy eyeballs
  • Feathers – candy corn or indian corn (I found it in the Halloween clearance section!)
  • Beaks – candy coated sunflower seeds or candy coated chips
  • Gobbler – candy coated sunflower seeds or heart sprinkles
  • Feet – leaf sprinkles or flower sprinkles
  • A small amount of icing or melted chocolate to use as “glue”

First, place the tail feathers on your turkey cupcake body …

Now, assemble the turkey heads.  Use a toothpick and a little icing to “glue” everything in place.  Tweezers may be helpful.  I do think they are starting to develop personality …

Place the heads on the cupcakes …

They need feet …

They do make me smile … I named this one Mr. Turkey Lurkey …

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I look forward to reading your comments …

Ding-Dong, the Witch is Dead Cupcakes

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If I could sing … I would … ding-dong, the witch is dead!  (FYI … you should be happy that you can’t hear me!)

This was a first for me … cupcakes served icing side down!

On Sunday, I was looking at the Michael’s ad and saw this idea.   I believe that the witch legs were made with fondant.  I wanted to make it a little simpler.  So this is what I can up with …

Leg ideas … Sour Punch Sticks, pretzel sticks, Pixy Stix, licorice, sugar sticks, stick cookies and tiny chocolate cigarettes …

Shoe ideas … colored Jordan almonds, small jelly beans and Starburst …

Candy melts to attach the shoe to the leg …

This what you will need …

Before we start, I want to explain that my goal was to make this a very quick and easy project.  I just loved the idea of the witch under the cupcake!  Of course you could spend more time than I did and make it “perfect”.

Here are the items that I chose to use for legs and shoes … I did cut one Starburst and made 2 shoes from it …

Dip the legs in candy melts to create “socks” …

Attach the shoes …

Frost your cupcakes however you want … remember nobody will see the tops!  Assemble the legs …

Turn the cupcakes icing side down on top of the legs and place a hat nearby …

I did pull out the edible marker and add some details …

P. S.  If you like the doilies that I used, don’t forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!

Comments are always appreciated …

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Cast Party Wednesday

Cupcakes To Go

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Today I am sharing some things that I learned while making these cupcakes that were used as wedding favors.   A few weeks ago I showed you the “Queen of Hearts” cookies that were for the bridal shower tea.  The wedding took place this past Saturday and I volunteered to make the cupcakes that the bride wanted as favors.

This past week was one of the hottest of the summer.  I was hot … and lazy … I relied on my old friend, Duncan Hines, once again.  I baked the cupcakes a few days ahead and froze them as usual.  Friday evening I made the icing … my decorator icing recipe  … you may want to check it out because I made a few slight changes.  Then I prepared the assembly line …

Since it was so hot and the wedding was outdoors … I had already planned to deliver the cupcakes in an ice chest to keep them cool until needed.

This is what I did … I baked the cupcakes in regular liners … then placed them in parchment paper cups (sometimes called tulip cups) … just to keep things neat …

I knew that if I iced the cupcake and then tried to put it in the “to go” box … I would surely have my fat fingers messing up the icing … or have smeared icing on the sides of the box.   So, I decided to put the icing on the cupcake after it was in the box …

I used Wilton tip #1M … started on the outside of the cupcake and swirled my way to the center …

And it worked!  I was so lazy, that I even bought ready-made icing flowers at the cake decorating store.  Maybe I should be embarrassed … but I’m not.

I closed up the boxes and refrigerated them overnight.  Saturday morning I tied the ribbons … put them in the ice chest … and drove them to the wedding.  Here is a pic of the first 20 …

I hope that these hints help you to make cupcakes to go!

Wilton Sugar Sheets – Product Review

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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

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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.

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Sweet Slider Cupcakes

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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!

St. Patrick’s Day Marshmallow Cupcakes

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St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, March 17.  Here is an easy NO BAKE CUPCAKE that you can whip up very quickly.  First of all, have you seen these gigantic marshmallows?  I found them at Target and have become obsessed with them.  I have so many ideas for these wonderful marshmallows.  These are made by Kraft, but I’ve seen other brands.  There are even some that are flavored. This idea can be adapted to fit any occasion.  Make it even easier by using pre-made decorations.

This is what you will need to make the cupcakes and shamrocks…   Jumbo marshmallows, melted chocolate (see how to melt at top of page), cupcake papers, frosting (oops…forgot the photos), nonpareils or colored sanding sugar.  I am showing 3  sizes(miniature, large and jumbo) of marshmallows so that you can compare them.

 

Put the nonpareils or sugar in a shallow bowl/plate and pour the melted chocolate in a squeeze bottle.  Pipe the shamrocks right on the nonpareils (3 hearts and a stem).  Pop them in the freezer for few minutes.  You have made chocolate shamrocks!

 

Let’s make the “no-bake cupcakes”…

Melt the chocolate in a deep container.  Insert a sucker stick  (skewer or fork or whatever you have on hand) into the flat side of the marshmallow.  Submerge the marshmallow into the melted chocolate…

Tap off excess chocolate and place the marshmallow in a cupcake paper.  Use a spoon to help get the marshmallow off the stick and make sure that all of the marshmallow is covered by chocolate.  Pop them in the freezer for about 5 minutes or 15 minutes in the fridge.

It is time to add the frosting!  I have included a few icing recipes or use ready made.  Put your decorating tip (I used #1M or #2110) in your pastry bag and fill with frosting.  If you don’t have a bag or tip, use a Ziploc bag and snip a corner (about 1/4″) off.  Pipe a swirl on top (start on the outer edge and work toward the center).

Now decorate with sprinkles, shamrocks or both…

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

Here are some icing recipes that I use most frequently on cupcakes and cakes…

Super Easy Buttercream

In a mixing bowl combine 1 pound powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 5 tablespoon softened butter.  Beat until smooth (remember to scrape the bowl).

My Favorite Decorator Icing

1 cup butter*

1 pound powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons meringue powder (optional, but helps give a light crust)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2-3 ounces heavy cream

In a large mixer bowl with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, meringue powder and 1/2 of the cream.  Add salt, flavorings and enough cream to make the consistency you desire.  Beat at medium speed until icing is fluffy.

*You may substitute vegetable shortening (Crisco) for part or all of the butter, but it will result in a different texture and taste.

Cream Cheese Icing  (softer consistency)

In a mixing bowl, combine 8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese*, 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 pound powdered sugar.  Beat until creamy.

* You may substitute neufchâtel (light) cream cheese.

Cupcake Shortbread Cookies

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This gallery contains 21 photos.

Cupcakes that are cookies … or cookies that are cupcakes… what could be better?  I made these cookies for my friend Jan.  It was her birthday and I brought these cookies as party favors for the “girls’ night out”.  Jan … Continue reading →