Cars Cupcakes!

I know, I know. I have been pathetic in my attempts at posting lately. But like I said before, this whole 17 day diet thing really has kicked the sugar out of my life. It's amazing that I've even survived!  But people! I have lost 7 pounds in less than two weeks!? gahhhh!

 

I thought I'd keep it short and sweet and share some adorbs cupcakes I did for my pals Jessica and Eduardo. Their baby boy Elijah's turned two a few weeks ago. And Elijah really loves Cars, the movie. So that's exactly what he got!

Super cute right? This is only my 2nd time decorating with fondant and I think they turned out pretty good! So fun to make!

I decided to do some Lightning McQueen cuppycakes made entirely out of fondant and sugar sheets. Elijah especially liked these. He kept saying "truck!" and pointing. I die at the cuteness.

To add to the theme, I did some lightning bolts out of fondant and then some standard cupcakes with racing flags and colored fondant stars. Not too shabby!

 
ahh! so fun! weeeee!! 

the whole gang :)


This was the most fun I've had making cupcakes! It was super delightful to take the extra time to create something special and I felt quite honored to be asked to do so!


If you have a special occasion and need something sweet to celebrate, you know where to find me! or get inspired and try it yourself! happy baking!

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Hubs had another "food day" at work this past weekend. Let me just add how lame I think it is that he even has to work Saturdays period. Weekends should be reserved for fun.

But that's neither here nor there...

He was assigned to bring dessert yet again. I am starting to notice a trend here. Not that I was complaining though. It gave me an excuse to get into the kitchen and bake something. I haven't been able to lately since I most recently committed myself to the "17 day diet" phenomenon. This lovely regimen has restricted me from carbs and sugar. My two best gals.

This diet ain't easy people. By nine o' clock, I'm gritting my teeth and biting my nails to keep myself from springing out of my chair and into my baking cabinet to eat some semi sweet chocolate chips. Yes, I am that pathetic.

Oh look, I have gone on a tangent. Enough about me. Back to the goodies.

I wanted to do something quick on time but would still wow his co-workers. I decided on a brownie. My hubs loves peanut butter so I decided to marry the two. And here, you have the birth of the peanut butter cup brownie.


I posted a few pics on the BookFace and many of my friends were salivating and eager to get the recipe. Ask and you shall receive!

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

1 box brownie mix plus whatever the box calls for ingredients (I used Hershey's Fudge Brownies)
1 can creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels


The How To:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray mini muffin tin with non stick cooking spray.

Mix brownies according to package. (I would suggest staying away from the cake like brownie option. You will want your brownies to be nice and dense.)

Once batter is mixed, drop a heaping teaspoon of batter into each muffin well. Bake for 12-14 minutes or when toothpick placed in center comes out slightly wet.

Once brownies are baked, take back of a teaspoon and press into the tops of each brownie to create a small dent in each top (to make room for the PB!).

Take two large spoonfuls of peanut butter and melt in microwave for 45 seconds. Once melted, take 1/2 teaspoon and pour peanut butter into the tops of each brownie. (Make sure brownies are still warm when doing this.)  Then top with peanut butter chips and chocolate morsels. Let cool completely before removing from tin.

Recipe makes roughly 40-45 mini brownies depending on how much batter you use in each well.

enjoy! this one is super easy! :)

White Chocolate Cupcakes for Two

I have been pretty pressed for time lately. I'm sure that obvious due to my neglect of blog posts. Life just gets in the way sometimes. Thanks for being patient with me!

When you're short on time like I certainly have been, a cupcake for two recipe is just the way to go. You can pretty much blink, then sneeze, and you have a delicious baked goodie right in front of you. After falling in love with my Thin Mint Cupcakes for two, I knew that pretty much any recipe could be downsized.

I was craving some white chocolate (maybe I was just craving frosting) so I whipped up a white chocolate cake, stuffed it with some white chocolate morsels and topped it with a white chocolate frosting. This cupcake was totes awesome. Rich and creamy and oozing with white chocolately goodness. My only gripe would be there's only two ;)

White Chocolate Cupcakes

1 egg white
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla (yes, a full teaspoon – they are super vanilla-y!)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 heaping teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup white chocolate morsels


The How To:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 2 liners.

In a bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined.
Add in vanilla and melted butter and stir until mixed.
Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth.
Stir in milk.
Stir in white chocolate morsels into batter.
Divide batter equally between the 2 cupcake liners.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until cake is set. Let cool completely, then frost as desired.


White Chocolate Frosting

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup white chocolate

Meanwhile, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  Mix in vanilla. Melt white chocolate in microwave and then mix into frosting. Pipe onto your cupcakes.

**You may have a little extra frosting, so save it for later. Or eat it.**

Enjoy! :)