Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

I usually don't "do" cakes or cupcakes. We aren't big cake eaters and I hate wasting food. Cookies are much easier to pawn off on people and we can freeze the dough or leftovers. I checked out Martha's Cupcake book from the library and decided it was time to give cupcakes a chance. Of course, I chose to bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes. I just love my cookies, sorry, it is an addiction:) I am slowly branching out though...baby steps:)

A cookie and a cupcake comibined? Hmmm. I wasn't sure what to expect. Would it be more like a cookie or more like a cupcake?

I had a little trouble getting them out of the paper cupcake wrappers. The tops of the cupcakes were peeling off. I wasn't planning on frosting them so I flipped them over and I am so glad I did. The chocolate chips made them presentable.

I took these to a neighborhood event and they were the first thing to go. So were they more like a cookie or a cupcake? Bake them and you decide:) Either way they are a tasty treat.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

Recipe from Martha Stewart

(Printable Recipe)

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup milk (I used skim)

1 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. Whisk together the dry ingredients-flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. Cream the butter and sugars together on high speed, using a mixer. Mix until creamy and smooth. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl. Add in the vanilla and beat until smooth.

4. On low, add in the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. End with the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

5. Pour batter into the muffin cups, use about a 1/4 cup. Bake cupcakes for about 20 minutes. Use a toothpick to test them. It should come out clean when they are done baking.

6. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack and cool before removing papers.

7. I removed the papers and served the cupcakes upside down to show off the chocolate chips. You can make frosting if you wish.

You might also like:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting from Peabody
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Bake or Break
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Phemomenon

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting from Two Peas and Their Pod

Cupcakes from Cupcake Chic

Happy Friday everyone! I have been having some health issues and haven't been in the mood to cook, bake, or eat much. So today I am going to spotlight one of my new favorite bakeries in Utah, Cupcake Chic. 

Cupcake Chic is an all cupcake bakery specializing in made to order miniature cupcakes. Each gourmet cupcake is handcrafted and made with only the finest ingredients. The flavor list is endless at Cupcake Chic. Sure, they sell the classics, chocolate, vanilla, etc. but they don't stop there. They offer fun flavors beyond your wildest imagination! 

Trista, the genius behind Cupcake Chic, recently shared a cupcake sampler platter with us. The cupcakes were super cute! I didn't want to disturb the adorable cuppy cakes, but of course we had to sample:)

First up, the Red Velvet, a Southern classic that has become popular pretty much everywhere. I loved the deep red cake color. It was very moist and chocolaty. The vanilla bean cream cheese frosting topped it off nicely. 

Second on the tasting list was the Key Lime Cupcake: a graham cracker crust topped with lime cake and lime cream cheese frosting. This was Josh's favorite! The lime was very tart and very tasty! 

Next, was the Neapolitan: a layer of both milk chocolate and vanilla cake with a swirl of fresh strawberry butter cream frosting. This was by far the cutest! I love the mix of chocolate and vanilla, topped with strawberry and the cute little sprinkles! This one has something for everyone! 

The Chocolate Coconut cupcake was next. This one was really calling my name. I love chocolate and coconut together. The base was dark chocolate cake with coconut cream cheese frosting dipped in coconut. The frosting wasn't too sweet, which I loved. The coconut was nice and powerful too. Pure bliss!

Josh couldn't taste the next one, a Peanut Butter cupcake studded with chocolate chips and topped with a swirl of chocolate cream cheese frosting. If you are a peanut butter lover, this is the one for you! And of course the chocolate makes it even better:) I loved the chocolate chips in the cupcake, very nice touch! 

The final cupcake we tried was the Raspberry Vanilla: a moist vanilla bean cupcake with fresh raspberry butter cream frosting. I am usually a chocolate gal, but I really loved this one. A perfect treat for Spring and of course the pink frosting sold me too:)

You are probably wondering how we ate all of those cupcakes, but don't worry, I promise we only had a small bite of each. So what was my favorite? That is such a hard question. Josh for sure loved the Key Lime cupcake! I really liked the Chocolate Coconut cupcake and the Raspberry Vanilla, but they are all heavenly. I was impressed with each and every one! 

Thanks Trista for a fun sampling night. We are in love with all of your cupcakes! For more information please visit Cupcake Chic's website or blog. 

If you don't live in Utah, don't worry. Cupcake Chic does ship cupcakes-boxes of 4 for $25, shipping included! And if you need an event catered, why not treat everyone to cupcakes? The perfect sweet for anyone and everyone! 

Berry Trifle with Lemon Mousse

I am loving Spring. It is finally here and I can't get enough of it! Yesterday I went on a long run and it was actually HOT! It felt really good though, I just have to remember my sunscreen next time:) Oh, and Happy Earth Day! Do something extra special to save the environment today!

I have been finding some great sales on berries, too good to pass up. I love eating them on my cereal or just plain for a healthy snack. I bought way too many so I decided to celebrate Spring with a Berry Trifle.

I love trifles, they are easy, pretty, and the variations are endless. This time I went with strawberries, blackberries, and I made a lemon mousse. I also added in a few pieces of my lemon angel food cupcakes. I just tore them into chunks and placed them in between the berries and mousse.

It was really hard to eat this trifle, not because it didn't look good, but because it looked TOO good. I didn't want to mess it up, but eventually I gave in and I am glad I did. The trifle was delightful. The lemon mousse is very light and refreshing. You really don't need the angel food cake, but why not? It made the trifle extra special. If you have an abundance of berries, try a berry trifle. Trust me, it will make your day!

Berry Trifle with Lemon Mousse

• (Printable Recipe)

• 
  

• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant lemon pudding mix (I used sugar free)

  2 cups milk (I used skim)

  1 half-pint container heavy whipping cream

  1 tablespoon granulated sugar

  Strawberries

  Blackberries

  Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes (you can leave them out or substitute any angel food cake)

  
  

  In a medium to large bowl, mix instant pudding mix and milk; stir thoroughly and set aside. In another medium-sized bowl, beat heavy whipping cream and sugar on medium to high speed (with an electric mixer) until stiff peaks form. Working in thirds, gently fold whipped cream into pudding mixture until thoroughly combined. If necessary, whip combined mixture again until thickened.

  
  

  To assemble the trifle, layer the mousse, berries, and cake. Get creative and make it pretty. We used mini trifle dishes, you can make one big one if you wish.

  
  

  Mousse recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

Recipe for Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes

The weather has been so nice this weekend. It is finally starting to feel like Spring. Yesterday I went for a nice run outside and Josh worked on our yard the entire day. He is prepping our backyard for a big garden. I can't wait to grow our own vegetables and herbs. This is our first Spring as home owners. We really don't know what we are doing when it comes to gardening, but we are hoping to acquire at least one green thumb:)

I have always enjoyed angel food cake. It is light, fluffy, and goes so well with fruit. I think it is the perfect dessert for Spring. I recently made angel food cupcakes and they were amazing!

They may look plain and not very decadent for a dessert, but sometimes it is nice to have a light treat. I loved the lemon zest in these cupcakes. I was going to make a frosting or glaze, but I think they were perfect by themselves. I served them with a blackberry on top to add to the already adorable cupcakes!

If you are looking for a Spring dessert, look no further. These cupcakes are perfect! Happy Spring everyone!

Oh, and a quick congrats to my brother and sister in law! They had their baby yesterday! Little Ramona is so adorable. Unfortunately, they are many miles away so we have only seen pictures, but don't worry I will still be the favorite auntie from afar:)

Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes

Seen on Culinary Adventures of a New Wife, originally on Baking Bites

(Printable Recipe)

3/4 cup superfine sugar, divided
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
5 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, sift together cake flour and 1/4 cup superfine sugar.
3. In a large bowl, beat room-temperature egg whites until foamy, then add in cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add in the remaining 1/2 cup of superfine sugar while the mixer is on high speed, beating the egg whites to soft peaks.With a rubber spatula add in the vanilla and lemon zest, do this very gently!
4. Fold in flour mixture, adding it in two or three additions.
5. Divide evenly into prepared muffin tins. Fill them pretty full.
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until golden brown. The tops will spring back when lightly touched.
7. Cool on a wire rack.

Lemon Icing Drizzle

I didn't do the lemon drizzle because I liked the cupcakes plain, but I know the drizzle would be fabulous. I will try it next time!

Confectioner's Sugar
Fresh lemon juice

Combine confectioners sugar with lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle on top of cooled cupcakes.
Makes 12 cupcakes.

Mini Banana Cupcakes with a Nutella Swirl

I love sweet treats. I usually eat really healthy, but put a dessert in my vicinity and I am in trouble:) Teanna, from Spork or Foon always entices me with her amazing photos of sinfully delicious baked goods. When I saw her Self Frosted Cupcakes, I knew I had to try them.

I heart Nutella. I could eat it by the spoonful. I try not to buy it because Josh is allergic and I really don't need it. After reading Teanna's post, I decided it was time for a splurge.

I love bananas and nutella together, so I thought I would try a little spin off from the Self Frosted Cupcakes. I made a banana cupcake with a Nutella swirl. I also made them in my mini muffin pan, for cuteness factor and portion control.:) I thought swirling the Nutella would be a pain in the rear, but it was kind of fun! I used a toothpick to do the trick.

They turned out really cute, but I am not sure if I should call them cupcakes. They had more of a muffin texture. They were moist and dense, not light and fluffy like I was hoping. They were still really good, just not what I was going for.

The banana and Nutella flavor was right on though. I think I will look for a different cupcake recipe to try them with....or maybe use a regular pan to see if that helps the texture. They were really good, just think muffin instead of cupcake. :)

Mini Banana Cupcakes (Muffins) with a Nutella Swirl
Adapted from EveryDay Food and Spork or Foon

(Printable Recipe)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Jar of Nutella

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. With a toothpick swirl in the Nutella, about a ½ teaspoon each.
4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate Cupcakes

This week I was asked to bring in a dessert for work, this rarely happens since we are supposed to eat healthy at our workplace...but since they asked I jumped at the opportunity! I love any reason to bake!!

I never got into the cupcake craze. I like cupcakes...they are cute, fun, and usually pretty tasty, but I guess I just prefer baking other desserts. I do have several cupcake recipes on my long baking list, but haven't gotten around to many of them.

Well, I finally tried one this time around. I went with Martha Stewart's Chocolate Cupcake recipe. I stuck with a classic. Almost everyone loves chocolate, right?? I know I do!!

I wanted to try this recipe because of the ingredient list...buttermilk, oil, warm water, cocoa. I figured these would lead to moist, chocolaty cupcakes. I HATE it when they are dry!! Well, I was right, these cupcakes were super moist and chocolaty!! I had leftover cream cheese frosting that needed to be used so I topped them off with that. Why waste a good thing?

My co-workers approved, 2 thumbs up from everyone!! I think I will go back to this recipe. The cupcakes were great. I was in a rush that night so I didn't have time to do any fancy decorating, but maybe next time. These would be fun for birthdays, holidays, etc.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; mix batter until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about one-third full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

I ended up with 18 normal size cupcakes. You could do minis or big ones if you wish!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

I have been in a baking mood lately...ok, I think I am always in that mood:) Is that bad??? Anyways, I decided to make pumpkin cupcakes, a recipe from Fresh from Cate's Kitchen, a blog I absolutely adore.

The cupcake batter was easy to make. I like that the recipe called for half oil and half applesauce. It kept the cupcakes super moist, especially with all of that pumpkin! I love the fall spices too, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves! I knew these were going to be good when they were baking. My kitchen never smelt so good!



After the pumpkin cupcakes cooled I frosted them with maple cream cheese frosting. The perfect way to top them off! The hint of maple was a great compliment to the pumpkin.



It was one of my co-worker's birthdays this week so I brought them in to celebrate. We aren't supposed to bring in "unhealthy foods" at my workplace...we have a healthy food policy, but I snuck these in anyways. I couldn't eat them all by myself! I am glad I shared because everyone loved them! They were in sugar heaven!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Adapted from Fresh from Cate’s Kitchen

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I put in a couple extra dashes)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and sugars.
In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.
Gently stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack

Frosting

4 tbsp butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 cups powdered sugar

With the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese.
Add maple syrup and beat on medium until combined.
Mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, then mix on medium-high until smooth.
Frost each cupcake liberally. You will have leftover frosting…or I did. So save it for another dessert or slather it on graham crackers! YUM!