Cupcakes for a 4 Year Old

White Cupcakes with Pineapple Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting for a four-year-old's princess party.

Cake Batter Ice Cream with colorful sprinkles. Topped with dark chocolate Hershey's sauce and a cherry.




Cake Batter Ice Cream (makes enough for a 1 1/2 quart ice cream maker)
Adapted from allrecipes

1 cup milk
1/2 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup white cake mix, sifted

(Save the egg whites and the remaining cake mix for your cupcakes.)

1. In a saucepan, whisk together milk, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract, whipping cream and white cake mix. Cook over medium-low heat until ice cream mixtures reaches 160 degrees F. Stir frequently to keep mixture from sticking. Once ice cream mix reaches desired temp, remove from heat and place the saucepan in the fridge or freezer until the mixture is cold.
2. Pour the chilled mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze according the ice-cream maker directions. When the ice cream reaches a soft serve consistency, stop the maker and place the ice cream in a one- or two-quart plastic container to freeze.
3. For a fun punch - add sprinkles to the ice cream and stir it through the ice cream.

White Cupcakes
Use remaining cake mix (from an 18.25 oz box), two egg whites 1 1/3 tbsp vegetable oil, and just shy of 2 cups of water. Follow directions on cake mix box, baking 21-24 minutes.

Makes about 15 cupcakes.

Pineapple Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box (16 ounce) box powdered sugar
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped into small bits.

1. With an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, until well combined. Add vanilla and mix.
2. Stir in (with a spoon, not mixer) pineapple and cherries. For a little color, you can add cherry juice, but don't get it too thin. If you want more color, add a drop or two of red food coloring.
3. Frost cupcakes and enjoy! Top with a cherry if you want.

And tomorrow - I'll have cupcake flags for you to download. Be sure to check back!


See something you like? Print it. Share it. Email it. But please, link back here when you do.

Hey, Blondie!

Blonde brownies... Ahh, how those words complete me. They're part chocolate chip cookie, part brownie. And total perfection.

I've had many blondies in my day. Some good, some not so good. But this was the first time I'd ever made them with my own two hands, and I can guarantee, it won't be the last. Wanna see???

Mixing the flour in by hand.

I could just stop here and eat all this dough by myself. (Who's with me??)

Spread it into your pan. We're almost there!

There it is! Blondie heaven!

And then I stepped it up one more notch with some delicious gelato...

Did you say "gelato?" Yes, I did, and yes, it's toootally worth it. Talenti Gelato is all I buy now. You'll soon be like, "ice cream who??!" In my experience, gelato and sorbet aren't as heavy on the stomach as your traditional ice cream (great for summer treats). And the best part - the flavor!



Wanna make some for yourself? I know you're as tempted as I was...

What You'll Need
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 lb. light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag (11.5 ounces) milk chocolate chips
Optional - 1 cup chopped pecans

What You'll Do
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch pan.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a mixer on low speed, combine butter and sugar until just blended.
4. Add eggs to sugar mixture, on at a time, mixing between each egg. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and pecans. Then turn off the mixer.
5. (I do this part by hand, but you can continue with the mixer if you wish.) Add flour a little at a time until well combined.
6. Spread batter evenly into pan, and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Insert a toothpick in the center to see if it is done. Cut and enjoy!

Don't want chocolate chips? You could sub chips with M&Ms, Hershey's Kissables (that'd be really cute), maybe some peanut butter and chocolate chips. Lots of options! Please let me know how yours turns out if you make any. Or, if you have another yummy treat you've baked up recently, I'd love it if you'd share the recipe.

Original recipe came from Bakerella.

Color Me Green Cupcakes

St. Patrick's Day... Cupcakes! Of course. More shamrock power to go with the pin-on shamrocks I'll be giving my co-workers.

What You'll Need
White Cake mix - I used Betty Crocker Super Moist.
Green food coloring
Vanilla frosting
Green sprinkles or sugar (if you like)


What You'll Do
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line two cupcake/muffin pans with baking cups. One box will make 24 cupcakes. (I spray baking cups lightly with cooking spray. It helps the cupcakes come out of the baking cups, I've found.)

- Mix the cake mix per directions and ingredients on the box. Then add green food coloring until you get the shade you like. For this shade, I added about 10 drops. It does seem to stay almost true to color after baking, so you don't have to worry about a drastic color change.



Fill each baking cup 2/3 of the way full.


Bake about 20 minutes (follow instructions on cake box) or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


When the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost each cupcake.


For the cupcake flags, I printed a sheet of clovers and punched them out with a circle punch. Then, with a scalloped circle cutter, I punched a circle in green scrapbooking paper. I glued the clover to the green circle, and on the back, I used a thin line of glue to adhere a regular toothpick. Let that dry several hours. And there you have it.

Now... for an exciting treat... Click here, and I have these clovers available for you to download and use for your very own cupcakes!

I'm joining these blog parties...
Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design
A Little Craft Therapy at Life in the Pitts
Make It Yours Day at My Backyard Eden
Penny Pinching Party at The Thrifty Home

Peanut Butter Bars

Do you ever look at the recipes on boxes? I'll admit I rarely do. I just empty the contents, make my food and move on. But I picked up a box of Krusteaz Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookie Mix recently and found their recipe for Peanut Butter & Chocolate Bars.

Perfect, I thought! I have some extra chocolate chips and some extra peanut butter chips. I'll mix those. It'll be great. And then last Friday, I ran across the Foodie Friday First Anniversary post over at Designs by Gollum. Ahhh, well. She does do it better! :)


So here you go... Peanut Butter & Chocolate Bars

Ingredients
1 box Krusteaz Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
1 tbsp water
1 egg
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips

What You'll Do
- In a large bowl, blend the water, egg, and vegetable oil. Add cookie mix and blend until dough forms. Hand kneading is necessary.

- Lightly spray a pan. They recommend a 9x9x2. I used a 11.5x7, I think. (Is that even a size? ha!) Press dough into the pan. I made a bit of a lip on the sides all the way around.


- Sprinkle the chocolate and peanut butter chips, pressing them into the dough.


- Bake 22 to 28 minutes.


I'll be looking at the recipes on the boxes from now on!

Cinnamon Marble Cake

This cinnamon marble cake is so yummy and so easy! If you're in need of a quick cake for a book party or shower but don't have time to make one from scratch, don't fear. This is your answer! And shhh... I won't tell them you used a box!


Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 box Golden Butter Cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1/4 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a separate bowl, combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Mix well.

Grease pan and "flour" with 1/2 of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. To do this, you will spray the pan and sprinkle half of the mixture in the pan. Then, while gently tapping the pan (which helps loosen any excess), rotate the cinnamon/sugar mixture around the pan until it all sticks.


In a mixer, combine cake mix, vanilla pudding, sour cream, vanilla, eggs, and oil. Add water a little at a time until it's all mixed well.

Pour half of the cake batter into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of the cake batter and top it off with the remaining batter.


Using a knife, swirl through the cake mixture. (I only go around the cake one or two times. Too many and you'll lose the "swirl" and have a blob.)


Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees F until cake is set. Allow cake to cool in pan for 20 minutes. Then, flip it onto a cooling rack lined with wax paper. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.


If you like, gently sift powdered sugar on top of the cake.


Cut and serve. It's an incredibly moist, dense cake. It's perfect by itself or served with some berries and whipped cream.

Buckeye Fun

Most people think of buckeye balls as a Christmas food, I've heard. And while it certainly deserves to be eaten during the holidays, come on... it's peanut butter and chocolate! Can I please eat it year 'round???

I'd never made a single buckeye ball until recently. And I totally cheated when I did. Make your own (and cheat) like me!

Ingredients
1 can (16 ounces) creamy peanut butter
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 (1 pound) boxes powdered sugar
2 containers Baker's Dipping Semi-Sweet Chocolate

How I Cheat:

Directions
Beat peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer. (There's just no way to get it done by hand.) Gradually add powdered sugar, and beat until completely blended.

Get ready to get your hands dirty! -- Shape peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls. Place on wax paper-lined cookie sheets.


Chill for at least 10 minutes.

Following instructions on packaging, melt chocolate.

Dip* each ball in chocolate until partially covered. Placed back on wax-paper lined cookie sheets to harden. Refrigerate if they're not hardening.


*How you dip the peanut butter ball is up to you. You can use a spoon, your fingers, magic. I take a toothpick, pierce the center and dip. When I place the chocolate-dipped peanut butter ball on the wax paper, I remove the toothpick and gently cover the hole. It really takes figuring out what works best for you.

Enjoy!


I'm linking up to these blog parties...

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I love red velvet. And I love these cookies!

They're so fun and perfectly sweet for your Valentine's sweetie. Did you see what I did with them yesterday? Check it out here.

Ingredients
Red Velvet Cookies
(makes about a dozen cookies, more or less depending on size)
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (or one stick) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk

Filling
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 pound (one box) confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions for the cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

Using a mixer, cream butter with the granulated sugar until fluffy. (This takes about 4 minutes.) Add in the egg, food coloring and vanilla, and beat until well mixed. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk until smooth.

Place 1/4-cup (about 2 heaping spoonfuls) scoops of batter 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the batter out with a butter knife in a cookie shape. They should not be completely flat. (See picture.)

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.


Directions for the filling
Place stick of butter in small bowl on mixer and beat gently.

Divide cream cheese into three parts, and gradually add to butter. Mix well, but do not over beat.

Add sugar to the butter/cream cheese mixture gradually. Add vanilla. Mix gently.

Once cookies have cooled completely, flip cookies over and frost the underneath side of the cookie. Press two together, and there you have a delicious red velvet sandwich!

It's like nothing you've ever had before. Unless of course, you've had red velvet cake with cream cheese icing, and then it's just like it. :) Except a cookie!

See where I'm showing off this post...

Also sharing at Foodie Friday.