pink lemonade cupcakes

my kitchen was a disaster, but the cupcakes turned out beautifully. i realize i need to follow directions. when it says to gradually add the powdered sugar, they mean gradually. it looked like a snow storm in my kitchen.

anyway.....

these cupcakes are great! i like cupcakes, but i'm not much of a frosting person, unless it's this frosting. i may or may not have eaten it by the spoonful. luckily the recipe makes a ton so i had plenty.

thanks to my little sis, kalli, for taking the pictures!

pink lemonade cupcakes - makes 36
idea and frosting recipe adapted from real mom kitchen
cake recipe adapted from our best bites and real mom kitchen

for the cake:
1 box white cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup pink lemonade drink mix (like country time pink lemonade)
a few drops of red food coloring

mix all dry ingredients with a whisk, then add wet ingredients. beat for two minutes. fill paper liners 3/4 full and bake according to box directions - 350* for 18-20 minutes. makes 36 regular size cupcakes.

for the frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
zest from 1 lemon
2 pound package or 7 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3 drops of pink food coloring

cream the butter, shortening, and lemon zest together. then add the lemonade concentrate, milk and vanilla with a mixer. beat until smooth. gradually add the sugar, mixing well until light and fluffy. beat in the food coloring. pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. (i had about 2 cups leftover, i should have used a lot more on the cupcakes. but then again, i didn't think i was a frosting person.)

decorations:
18 colored drinking straws
candied fruit slices

cut the bendy part off the straw and discard, then cut the remaining piece in half. put the straw in the cupcake, a bit toward the edge and stick a candied fruit slice in the frosting. i ended up cutting the fruit slice in half for the regular sized cupcakes and in fourths for the mini cupcakes.

ella's white sugar cookies

recipe from annie's eats - makes about 40 cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla (use clear vanilla)
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sifted flour

cream butter, add powdered sugar. blend in egg, almond and vanilla extract, salt and flour. chill dough until firm. roll to 1/4" thickness on a well-floured surface. cut with cookie cutters and put on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet. bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes. the cookies shouldn't brown. frost when cool.

here's a tutorial and recipe i used to decorate the cookies.

chocolate sugar cookies

recipe adapted from annie's eats

this recipe doesn't make very much so i usually double it. you can never have too many chocolate sugar cookies right? i should warn you, the dough is extremely sticky. i have to refrigerate it overnight before it is workable. even then it's still pretty sticky so i use plenty of flour to roll them out and a pastry brush to remove the excess flour so they look nice and clean when baked.


1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder (i've found hershey's special dark at the grocery store. just make sure it's dutch process and not natural cocoa powder.)
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (3 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

in a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside. in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. blend in the egg and vanilla. with the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated and no streaks remain. for the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

preheat the oven to 325*. line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. on a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick. cut out shapes and place on baking sheets. bake 8-8 1/2 minutes, just until set. let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

i used the glace icing and tutorial to decorate the cookies from out best bites.

irresistible graham cracker cookies

i found this little gem on the back of a box of kroger graham crackers, of all places. notice there are no eggs - i wish i had known about this recipe when i was pregnant and had a serious craving for cookie dough!

1 1/2 cups honey graham cracker crumbs, finely crushed
1/2 cup flour (i used 1/4 cup all-purpose and 1/4 cup whole wheat)
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup flaked coconut (run your knife through a bit so the pieces aren't too big)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. in a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, flour and baking powder. in another bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk and butter until smooth. add vanilla extract. add crumb mixture and stir until smooth. add chocolate chips, coconut, and walnuts. cover dough and place in the refrigerator to chill, about 30-60 minutes. drop walnut sized balls of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. bake 10 minutes. let cool for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

makes 4 dozen

toddler truffles

Makes about 24 balls
recipe from gourmet mom on the go

you don't need to be a toddler to love this fudgy dessert. i love how there is no flour, just black beans.

ingredients:

One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed*
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional) -- i used walnuts
1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 c. cocoa powder
Pinch of kosher salt
2 eggs
sprinkles or powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray or butter an 8 by 8-inch pan; set aside.
In a large, deep bowl, combine the beans, sugars, nuts, butter, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Using a stick blender or food processor, start to work the ingredients around. When they are fully blended, add the eggs and blend to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until firm and the edges get slightly crisp. Cool and cut into small cubes or take a spoonful and roll into small balls in your palms. Dust with powdered sugar or sprinkles.
Store covered, up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Variations:
• Substitute white beans, pintos, or adzuki beans. They can be found in the ethnic aisle of your store. The texture and color may change, but the idea stays the same—a cake made of beans!
• Add a tablespoon of orange zest, try different kinds of chopped nuts, or add dried currants after blending for a chunkier texture.

*jessica's note: a 15 oz can equals 1 1/2 cups of cooked black beans. i cooked 3/4 c. dry black beans instead of using canned. it was a little more than what i needed so i made sure to measure 1 1/2 cups for the recipe.

coconut waffles with mango-strawberry compote

this recipe came from a chef i saw on oprah many years ago.

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into small cubes
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons sugar

1 3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 stick of butter, melted
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup coconut milk*
1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut, roughly chopped
whipped cream

to make compote: toss mango, strawberries, and sugar in a medium bowl. cover and let stand for about 90 minutes.

to make waffles: heat a waffle iron and lightly oil the grids. whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl to combine. make a well in the center and pour in the melted butter, milk, eggs, and coconut milk. whisk just until smooth - do not over mix. fold in the coconut. spoon waffle batter into the waffle iron, cook until the waffle is golden brown, 3-4 minutes. serve the waffles hot, spooning the compote and whipped cream on top.

*this recipe only uses about a half can of coconut milk so make this recipe with the other half.

eggnog shakes -- just like hogi yogi

this recipe was created out of necessity. i absolutely love the eggnog shakes hogi yogi makes around the holidays, but the location near me went out of business. plus they were kind of expensive, so this was what i came up with. only 2 ingredients! (and i'm sure this version is much more figure friendly.)

1 serving

1 cup eggnog
1+ cup ice

mix the eggnog and ice in a blender until smooth, adding additional ice cubes until desired thickness is reached. serve immediately.

ginger snaps

i love this recipe because it uses oil instead of butter and you can use whole wheat flour and no one will know. these are chewy, a little crispy on the edges, and have the perfect amount of spice.

ginger snaps
yields: 4 dozen

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour (i use 1 c whole wheat and 1 c all-
purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (trust me on this)
1/3 cup white sugar for decoration

preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

in a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil, molasses, and egg. combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cayenne pepper; stir into the molasses mixture. roll a tablespoon of dough into a ball. roll each ball in white sugar before placing 2 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. use a glass to smash the dough down to 1/4 inch in thickness.

bake for 7 1/2 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. do not over bake. let them sit on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. they will firm up as they cool.

chocolate marshmallow cookies

i think i found this recipe while surfing the net a while ago. i just made these amazing cookies for the first time and they are addicting. when you make them, be prepared to have a lot of people ask you for the recipe.

jumbo marshmallows (about 20)
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

make the icing first so you can frost the cookies when warm.

to make the cookies, cream sugar, butter and vanilla. then add the egg and mix well. mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. add the milk and dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture alternating wet and dry. mix until well combined. drop tablespoons of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8 min.

while these are cooking cut your marshmallows in half so you have short round marshmallows.

pull cookies out and set 1/2 a marshmallow on top of each cookie, cut side down, and return to the oven for 1 min. i squish the marshmallow down so they sit into the cookie.

once you take the cookies and marshmallows out of the oven, let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire baking rack with wax paper underneath. the next step gets a little messy.

drizzle the icing on the warm cookies.

icing

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 dash salt
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

melt the butter with the milk in the microwave then add the vanilla and almond extract. sift dry ingredients together. mix the dry into the wet ingredients. i use a hand held mixer. you should be able to drizzle the icing on the cookies so you might have to add more milk. but i thought the consistency was perfect as is. let the icing set on the cookies a couple of hours before serving.