CONGRATULATIONS! to both winners.

Please email me with your shipping address within 48 hours or I will keep your prize for myself draw another winner. Nah. I’m feeling generous today since it’s Thanksgiving and all. I’ll give both winners 7 days.

Thank you everyone that entered. You’ve all given me some great ideas for my next crunkcake. Please don’t be sad if you didn’t win. My blogiversary is 23 days away (according to my nifty side bar count down). But that’s all the hint you get. *wink*

Ciao for now cupcakes.

Yesterday I mentioned in my post about my white thingamabob battery powered sifter. (Yes, that IS the technical term.)

And a promise is a promise!

Norpro 4 cup battery powered sifter (via Amazon.com)

Product description: The perfect sifter for those who have trouble turning a crank or squeezing a handle. This 4-cup capacity sifter is battery-operated; just push the button to run. Commercial flour is usually pre-sifted and compacted at the mill. Re-sifting make the flour fluffy again. Cakes, muffins, and breads are much lighter in texture when flour is sifted before being added to dough or batter. Stainless steel mesh screen is removeable to clean and will not rust or corrode. Plastic body and easy to clean. Great tool for Arthritis Sufferers. Requires C battery (Not Included)

Here’s how to win:

FINE PRINT:
(1) Only those who live within the US and Canada eligible to win prizes. (Sorry my international peeps!)
(2) Please make sure you leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win.

To enter answer the question via comments:
1. What boozy drink do you think would make a yummy cupcake? Oh and somewhere in your comment you need to wish my friend, Scott, happy birthday. Any entries without “Happy Birthday Scott” will be ineligible!

Want an extra entry?*
A. Check out IHC’s Facebook page! Click the button and leave me a separate comment with your FB name so I can matchy matchy with the “People Like This” list. (+1 entry)
B. Twitter (@ihcuppycakes) about my giveaway and leave me a separate comment with the link. Click “x time ago” under your tweet for the direct link. (+1 entry)
C. Bake any IHC recipe and leave me a separate comment with your blog post link. Past recipes work too! Your post must mention my blog somewhere to be valid. (+1 entry)

* If I don’t see a separate entry, I will not count it. B/c I said so. :P

DEADLINE: November 20th @ 11:59pm EST

Winners will be chosen by Mr. Random Generator on November 22nd.

For 2 lucky winners, sifting will never be the same. Your wrists will thank you.

Good luck to all participants! (Ok, NOW I will start accepting bribes.)

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Me, Scott and Husband

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!

My husband and Scott have been friends since high school. He’s the 6’3″ guy in the middle. Even though he’s actually bending down and I’m on my tippy toes, he’s still WAY taller than me! lol

His girlfriend, Laura, planned a fun filled day at the local park complete with Star Wars theme, bounce house, boce ball, nerf guns, kickball contest, pinata, pizza and ice cream cake. What every 32-turning-33-year-old needs to FORGET he’s turning 33 years old. HA HA!

Of course I was asked to bake cupcakes by special request of the birthday boy. When I asked Laura what flavor she replied with “BOOZE!” *fist pump* I have few different kinds of crunkcakes in my blog but I’ve been wanting to try a new version of my White Russian cupcakes. I knew this was the PERFECT time esp when I mentioned “kahlua?” and Laura said “You read my mind!”

Obviously Laura and I get along really well. Scott is a lucky man.

Pssst Scott. I’d love to bake some wedding cupcakes soooooon. No pressure. hehe

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Oh and before I get more than a few emails about the weird white thingamabob I’m using to sift the flour in the picture below… It’s a battery powered sifter!! My new favorite kitchen gadget. I LURVE it so much. No more carpel tunnel trying to get the last bit of flour or powdered sugar threw my sifter. And guess what? I’m giving 2 of them away! Courtesy of Amazon.com. More details tomorrow!

White Russian Cupcakes v.2
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For cupcakes
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cup sugar
12 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 large egg + 2 egg whites, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream*
1/4 cup Vodka (I used Absolut vanilla vodka)
1/4 cup + 4 tbsp Kahlua, divided

* I’ve substituted whole milk with good results. You could probably substitute half-and-half too but I can’t guarantee results since I haven’t tried it in this recipe yet.

For Kahlua Swiss Meringue Buttercream**
5 large egg whites
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
2-3 tsp Kahlua, to taste (I used 3 tsp)

** SMBC recipe makes a good amount. You could probably 1/2 the recipe if you use it sparingly for each cupcake but I’m a frosting whore so I like having more vs less.

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer, fitted with flat beater, beat the sugar and butter until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating on low. Then add vanilla, Vodka and 1/4 cup Kahlua. (Be careful of splashing!) Gradually add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with heavy cream in 2 additions, ending with the flour mixture.

Fill each cupcake liner about 1/2 full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. While cupcakes are still warm, poke holes with a toothpick and brush cupcake tops with leftover 4 tbsp Kahlua. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.

To make Kahlua Swiss Meringue Buttercream–
Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.

Transfer bowl to mixer stand fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 8- 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don’t worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add Kahlua and beat just until combined.

Switch to the paddle attachment and beat on the low to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes.

-If using SMBC within a few hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature in a cool environment.
-If not, then store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring SMBC to room temperature. Beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

To assemble cupcakes—
Using a Wilton 1M (or favorite star tip), pipe buttercream on each cupcake. I garnished mine with chocolate pearls and silver dragees for some extra bling!

Enjoy!

Husband rating: A
He will always be a cream cheese frosting man but his second favorite is the swiss meringue buttercream. Crunkcakes aren’t really his favorite b/c of past bad booze memories but he really loved this one.

Wifey rating: A+
Holy yum! I’m so glad I decided to make these again with swiss meringue buttercream. I like my whipped cream version but the SMBC turns it up a notch and really punches the “white russian” flavor though.

Other rating: A+
Everyone raved about this cupcake and so many people asked me about the frosting. I’m telling ya! Once you go SMBC, you never go back!

Oops! Sorry! I got a little carried away there.

Today Hubby and I are celebrating his grandmother’s 88th birthday with the rest of the family. I love Grandma Mary like my own Grandma. Actually she’s the only one I have left. Both sets of my grandparents have passed away. So every day that she is with us is a blessing.

Now Grandma Mary is still a vibrant lady who knows what she wants! Every year it’s the same thing. All she wants is the family to get together, eat dinner and spend quality time with her and each other. No gifts allowed! And she’s VERY serious about it. If you buy her a gift, she will return it and you’ll get a letter in the mail with the money back. So then we started buying her flowers. And she said “No Flowers! I don’t want my family to waste their hard earned money on something that will die in 3 days.” She’s a feisty one, I tell ya!

This year I’m not buying her a gift (per her wishes) but *I AM* giving her flowers. But I think she’ll be ok with these ones. *wink*

You can see how I made the Rose Cake on Amanda’s blog (here).

Her step-by-step pictures are way better than mine. The only differences are:
1. My frosting recipe. You CAN NOT have a red velvet cake without cream cheese frosting! Am I right?
2. I didn’t bother with covering the cake in frosting again over the crumb coat since I knew that the frosting roses would cover it.

Cream Cheese Buttercream
Recipe adapted from Wilton.com

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature (I used Neufchatel instead)
1 tbsp white vanilla extract
2 lbs (~8 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp milk, optional

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, sift the powdered sugar and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, fitted with a flat beater, cream together shortening, butter and cream cheese until nice and smooth. Add vanilla. Slowly add sugar mixture until all ingredients are well incorporated. Add milk (if needed) to get your frosting to spreading consistency.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
He’s always a fan of red velvet cake. Doesn’t matter if it’s not HIS birthday! HA HA!

Wifey rating: A+
I am in love with this buttercream. Even though I know this post isn’t about cupcakes, I think you need to fall in love with this buttercream too.

Other rating: A+
Grandma Mary and fam loved the cake. They asked me many times how I made the roses. If only they knew how easy it was! But that will be our little secret. *wink*

Labor Day always signals the end of summer for me. So the holiday is a little bittersweet. But it’s Husband’s 3rd most favorite holiday (besides #1 Thanksgiving and #2 Halloween). He loves any reason to get together with family, eat hamburgers from the grill and swim in Aunt Katie’s pool.

Aunt Katie is Todd’s aunt but even before we were married I was calling her Aunt Katie. When Aunt Katie told me that she loves chocolate+peanut butter (Who doesn’t??), I knew EXACTLY what I was making for her combination Labor Day-Birthday party.

I got the idea from my friend, Stef’s super delicious blog.

But you know me. I never follow directions. I always make changes. You can see Stef’s recipe (here). You know it’s bound to be delicious too.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hi-Hats
Recipe adapted from Cupcakes by Martha Stewart and Cupcake Project

Makes 18 cupcakes

For one-bowl chocolate cupcakes
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened Dutch process cocoa (I used E. Guittard unsweetened red dutch process cocoa)
1-1/2 sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup warm water

For peanut butter cream cheese frosting
2-8oz cream cheese, room temperature (I used Neufchatel 1/3 less fat instead)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Jif)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

For chocolate coating
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate)
3 tbsp peanut oil (I used vegetable oil)

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking power and salt. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract and water.

Fill cupcake liners about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting—
In a stand mixer, fitted with a flat beater, cream the peanut butter, butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually add the powder sugar 1/4 cup at a time until you get the desired consistency and taste. Add vanilla extract.

Using a Magic Tip 9ST round tip, pipe cream cheese frosting onto cupcake. Freeze to set frosting while making chocolate coating.

To make chocolate coating—
In a heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate and oil and melt over a saucepan of simmering water.

Stir until chocolate melted and smooth. Let cool for 15 minutes.

To assemble cupcakes—
Holding the cupcake upside down by the bottom, dip the cupcake into the chocolate until all the frosting is covered. (I think it’s easier to take the liners off.) Let excess chocolate drip off.

Then let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes so the chocolate firms up.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
He’s a huge fan of chocolate+peanut butter like his aunt so I knew he’d love this one too.

Wifey rating: A
The chocolate and peanut butter combination is so classic and decadent esp in this cupcake. Yum!

Other rating: A+
All of my husband’s family raved between chocolate+peanut butter bites. The birthday girl loved them!

Carrie and me

So when her mom called me to ask if I’d bake cupcakes for her bridal shower, I said “OF COURSE!”

I got her bridal shower invitation and it had an understated bee theme. I remember talking to Carrie on the phone and loved when she said “I wanted a bee theme for my bridal shower b/c [fiance] is my honey!” She pretty much gave me creative license on the cupcakes. The only thing she requested was “cream cheese frosting”. So I took that idea and ran.

I immediately thought of my favorite cupcake cookbook, What’s New Cupcake by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. I consider Alan my cupcake mentor. I wish he lived closer so I could do more than just talk on the phone with him. (Hi Alan!!) So I knew their honeycomb cupcakes would be PERFECT for the bridal shower.

But you know me. I had to change it up a little.

Alan and Karen use canned frosting and cake mixes. Unlike other cupcake-ers, I have no beef with cake mixes and canned frosting but since I haven’t baked in a LONG time I decided to dig out my favorite vanilla cupcake, cream cheese frosting and sugar cookie recipes. But I don’t like black jelly beans. Blech! So I used chocolate covered almonds (bees) instead. Mmmmm!

Oh Ginger Spice, I’ve missed you…

Two days later. My kitchen is still a disaster zone.

No biggie. Oh honeyyyyyy! Your time to shine. ♥♥♥

Vanilla Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from What’s New Cupcake by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson, Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski and Bake at 350

Makes 36 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For vanilla cupcakes
5 cups AP flour
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cup sugar
24 tbsp (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
4 large egg + 4 egg whites, room temperature
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups milk (I used half-and-half instead)

For honey cream cheese frosting*
2-8 oz package cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel cheese)
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted plus extra if needed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup honey** plus more for assembling honeycomb

* Depending on how much frosting you pipe on each cupcake, you may have some leftovers.
** Use the amount to desired honey taste.

For honey comb cookies***
3 cup AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 sticks (salted) butter, cold (I used unsalted butter)
1 egg
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 tbsp light corn syrup
yellow sprinkles (I used Cakemate from my grocery store baking aisle)

*** Cookies can be made up to 2 days advance and stored in a air tight container.

For “bees”
chocolate covered almonds
yellow gel food coloring
almond slivers

INSTRUCTIONS

To make honeycomb cookies—
Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl. Make sure you get everything that settles on the bottom.

The dough will be crumbly (That’s ok!). Knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl until it comes together.

Roll dough to 1/4″ inch thick on a floured surface and cut into hexagon shapes. If you don’t have a hexagon cookie cutter, you can print out the template I used (here). Place on baking sheet and let chill in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes before baking. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies are firm to the touch and lightly golden. Let cool completely.

Place yellow sprinkles in a shallow bowl. Microwave the corn syrup in a microwave safe bowl for about 10 seconds. Using a food dedicated brush, coat the cookie with corn syrup and dip in the yellow sprinkles to coat.

To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer, fitted with flat beater, beat the sugar and butter until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and egg white, one at a time, beating on low.

Then add vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, ending with the flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.

To make frosting—
In a stand mixer, fitted with a flat beater, mix the cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually add the powder sugar until well combined. Add vanilla extract and honey. If the frosting is too thin, you can add more powdered sugar until you get desired consistency. Add yellow gel food coloring to desired shade. (I added about 5-6 drops)

NOTES: I reserved 2 cups of frosting for honeycomb cupcakes but in retrospect I really didn’t have to. Who cares if the center of the honeycomb is white frosting right? It gets filled in with honey anyways.

CUPCAKE 1: Honeycomb cupcakes
Spread the top of 13 cupcakes with frosting. Adhere 1 cookie on top of each cupcake. Arrange 5 cupcakes on a serving platter and 4 cupcakes on each side. Position the cookies to form a honeycomb.

Pipe frosting in random places along the honeycomb and attach a chocolate covered almond. Fill a piping bag (or ziplock bag) with frosting. Snip a small hole in the bag. Draw “stripes” on the chocolate covered almond in a zig-zag pattern. Adhere 2 almond slivers (one on each side) as bee wings.

Add 1 tbsp of honey in the middle of each cookie right before serving.

CUPCAKE 2: Beehive cupcakes
Using a Magic Tip 9ST (or your favorite round tip) pipe the frosting on each cupcake. Add 1 chocolate covered almond on top of frosted cupcake. Fill a piping bag (or ziplock bag) with yellow frosting. Snip a small hole in the bag. Draw “stripes” on the chocolate covered almond in a zig-zag pattern. Adhere 2 almond slivers (one on each side) as bee wings.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: N/A

Wifey rating: A+
Is there anything BETTER than a cupcake garnished with a sprinkled decorated cookie? I don’t think so! Since I’m a frosting girl, I loved the honey cream cheese frosting but I might up the honey quotient next time to really get the honey punch of flavor.

Other rating: A+
Cousin Carrie and all guests RAVED about the honeycomb cupcakes. But the BEST compliment came from my Niece Allison (age 18 months).

I told you. lol

Now I’ve gone and done it. I’ve committed a cupcake sin. I’ve concocted a cupcake that has no actual cake in it. Lemme give you some background. While I was trolling around the internet last night for a meatloaf recipe (I just really wanted mealoaf last night!), I found the famous meatloaf cupcake and then I had an ephiphany! I want to create a breakfast cupcake. I mean if meatloaf and mashed potatoes gets it’s own cupcake then GOSH DARN IT, breakfast should too! So that’s what I did!

I found Julia’s Bacon and Egg Cups recipe and “cupcaked” it. You know me. It’s not a cupcake without some “frosting” and “sprinkles”. The frosting was inspired by my Husband’s mom, my Mother-in-Love. (Mother-in-law sounds so stuffy and formal to me. She’s so much more than that!)

Every Christmas morning, my husband and I open presents with his family and have breakfast. I love Christmas morning breakfast. Scrambled eggs, monkey bread, cinnamon rolls, french toast, fruit, omelets… The first year I ate breakfast with them there was this pink-ish dip and everyone was eating their scrambled eggs in it. I remember whispering to my Husband “Umm… what’s that?!” He replied, “You have to try it with your eggs! You’ll never go back to ketchup again.” Oh baby. He was right.

PS- Check out my nifty new SHARE buttons below. You can find the new print button there too!
PPS- I really appreciate all my fans’ support when I joined Weight Watchers. Since many of you have emailed me questions about Weight Watchers and asked about my progress… Please check out my weight loss+running blog –> http://seecupcakerun.com

Bacon and Egg Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Salsa “Frosting”
Recipe adapted from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body <– Don't we all wish we had THAT problem? lol

Makes 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For “cupcakes”
12 slices bacon (I used thick cut maple bacon)
8 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and extra for garnish
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

For “frosting”
2-8oz cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel instead)
1/2-1 cup salsa (I used 1 cup Pace Picante chunky mild salsa)

1 slice of bread, toasted (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
To make “cupcakes”–
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly coat cupcake pan with non-stick spray.

In a bowl, whip the eggs, salt, pepper and cheese with a fork. Wrap 1 piece of bacon around the inside of each cupcake tin.

Fill each bacon lined cupcake tins about 3/4 full with the egg mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the egg cups are golden brown and don’t jiggle. Use a knife to remove from each tins.

Let cool slightly while you make the frosting.

To make frosting–
In a stand mixer, fitted with a flat beater, add cream cheese and salsa. Mix until well combined.

Using a Magic Tip 9ST or your favorite round tip (just make sure that the tip opening is big enough for the salsa chunks to fit through), pipe frosting onto each cupcake.

Garnish with shredded cheese and piece of toast.

Enjoy!

Husband rating: A+
He said they are good without the “frosting” but GRRRRREAT with the frosting.

Wifey rating: A+
I love breakfast foods and when you make it a cupcake, it’s EVEN better especially when this self-proclaimed cupcake liner addict is using bacon as an edible cupcake liner. Is there nothing bacon can’t do?? Yum!

But I digress.

I did not know Jennifer that well. We’ve had a few twitter conversations (all relating to cupcakes. Go figure!) But when I heard that she had lost her soulmate my heart hurt for her. I immediately thought of my own husband. Just the thought made me tear up. I knew I had to do something. But what?

I didn’t have to look far. Her blog had the answer. Bake a peanut butter pie for Mikey. (You can find the recipe on her blog.) And “… share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there’s no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on.”

Jennifer’s words were wise. I did exactly what she said.

I kissed my husband.
I hugged my nieces.
I laughed with my parents. (My Father-in-Law tells the best stories!)
I shared pie with my brother, brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

I thought I was doing something for Jennifer and Mikey but I realized that night, surrounded by all the people that I love, that she’s the one that gave me the gift. The gift of quality time.

Thank you Jennifer.
Rest in peace Mikey.

You are loved. —> There is no greatest gift in this world. ♥♥♥

Click (here) to see all the Peanut Butter Pies for Mikey. It’s inspiring.

Aaaww… Please don’t give me that look.

I feel guilty enough already.

I know. It’s been a while. *smacks hand*

Hello my name is CB … [crowd chants Hello CB] … and I’ve been on Weight Watchers for almost 23 weeks. Yup! I’m doing still it. Trust me. You aren’t the only one surprised. Unfortunately that doesn’t leave me much wiggle room for baking. B/c I can’t be trusted with 12 cupcakes innocently sitting on my granite countertop. But last night I REALLY missed it.

The smell of vanilla extract.
The tickle of flour up my nose.
The sound of my KitchenAid mixer creaming the butter and sugar.

I couldn’t bake just anything though. I was craving one of my favorite desserts: Creme Brulee. So I started googling as fast as my little fingers could type. And came up with a combination of 2 dessert favorites. Twofer! And you all know how much I love a 2for.

But of course. This is a cupcake blog. I couldn’t leave you without a cupcake. It’s an oldie but a goodie. (Click here)

Oh and PS.

My cousin’s bridal shower is at the end of August so I’m already brainstorming cupcakes for her. Hang tight. I’ll have cupcakes to share with you soon!

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars
Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

Makes 36 bars (I cut it into 20 b/c 36 is WAY too tiny in my opinion!)

INGREDIENTS

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1 box (1 oz) French Vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix (I used Cheesecake flavor instead)
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted (I used unsalted butter)
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs + 3 egg yolks
2- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel cheese instead)
1/2 cup sour cream (I use 0% Fage greek yogurt)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup toffee bits, finely crushed (I used Heath toffee chips)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a 9×13 inch pan with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater, combine cookie mix, pudding mix, brown sugar, melted butter, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and 1 whole egg until soft dough forms. Press dough into bottom of pan and 1/2 inch up sides of pan. [Notes: I totally missed the part about pressing the cookie dough "1/2 inch up the sides of the pan". Oops! But it still turned out delicious despite the lack of cookie "wall".]

In a large bowl, (I wiped out the same bowl I made the cookie dough in) beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add 1 whole egg, 3 egg yolks and remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Combine until smooth. Spread over cookie crust in pan.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until set in center. Take pan out of the oven and immediately sprinkle with crushed toffee bits. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Let come to room temperature before cutting into bars. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. [Notes: These freeze really well too!]

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A
He’s loves cheesecake but not a huge toffee fan so I wasn’t sure he’d like this one but I heard lots of “Mmmm…” while he was eating.

Wifey rating: A
Cookie base – Good. Cheesecake filling – great. Creme Brulee – fell short. Don’t get me wrong. The bar is DE-LISH-OUS but I can’t really say it tasted like a creme brulee. At least not enough for my tastebuds. Maybe next time instead of the toffee bits I’ll top it with brown sugar and brulee with my torch for that authentic creme brulee taste.

Other rating: A+
Husband had a meeting with a few coworkers and brought these as a dessert. He said everyone raved and there were no leftovers. Many of them asked for the recipe!

Happy Easter to all my cupcake freaks!

Now I know what you’re thinking!
“How the heck can you be eating cupcakes when you JUST told us that you started Weight Watchers?”
Am I right? I knew it. I must have been a mind reader in a former life.

But these aren’t just any cupcakes. These are WW approved cupcakes! But before I give you the recipe, if you are anti-cake mix, you best just move onto another blog right now b/c there’s cake mix involved.

Hey… Wait! Come back! Gimme a chance. It’s bound to be delicious…

Bird’s Nest Peepcakes
Recipe adapted from Dinner With Danielle

Makes 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

1-18.25oz of cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate)
1-12oz can of diet soda (I used diet A&W cream soda)
1 large egg or 2 egg whites* (I used 1/3 cup egg white substitute)
12 chick peeps
36 Robin’s egg whoppers
favorite butterceam recipe or 1 can of pre-made frosting
1 cup shredded coconut, toasted**

* You can omit the egg(s) if you want and it should still work but I decided to keep the egg(s) to have a fluffier “cake”
** I toast coconut in a skillet over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until brown, about 5 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pan with liners.

In a stand mixer, fitted with a flat beater (or a large bowl with hand mixer), combine the cake mix, egg(s) and diet soda. Mix until all ingredients are well combined, about 2 minutes.

Fill cupcake liners about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.

Using a Wilton 1M (or your favorite star or round tip), pipe a small mound of frosting on each cupcake. It doesn’t have to look perfect since you’ll be covering it with coconut.

Style 1. Top with chick peep and add toasted coconut around the chick peep.
Style 2. Coat cupcake with toasted cupcake. Add 3 Robin’s egg whoppers on top.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
He said he couldn’t even tell tastewise I’d done anything different to the “cake” recipe.

Wifey rating: A+
I’m really surprised at how yummy the diet soda cake mix turned out. Obviously b/c there’s frosting and candy on it, the whole cupcake isn’t WW friendly. But I was making it for our family Easter party so I didn’t wanna make it too “diet-y” for them. Don’t worry! I scrapped off most of the frosting (blasphemy!) so it wasn’t too bad for me. Next time I make this I’ll probably do a fat free whipped cream instead of frosting to make it really WW friendly. Check out Danielle’s blog for tons of other flavor combinations! I wanna try the white cake+diet orange soda next. I”m told it’s suppose to taste like a creamsicle! Yum.

Other rating: A+
All our family and friends LOVED the cupcake. When I told them it was made with diet soda they were totally surprised. Even my 15 month old twin nieces loved them. I have proof.