Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

 

I wanted to try something different this time, so I decided to make Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes. I love pumpkin pie at the holidays! So I looked up different recipes and how people made them. Some people just used boxed cake mix and put pumpkin spices or pumpkin puree, while others put mini pumpkin pies inside the cupcake (crust and all)... so I decided to combine a couple of things see how it worked out.

The first time I had way too much moisture and the cupcakes were way moist and did not set up and were still gooey. So this way my second attempt... They set up much better this time ( I put less milk and used the pumpkin as most of the moisture) They turned out much better but still stuck to the wrapper a little bit, but after I put them in the frig for a little while it seemed to help it better. 

Recipe:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened 

2 tbsp milk

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

3 tbsp cinnamon 

1 - 15oz can of pumpkin

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix/Shift together the flour, baking powder, & salt in a small bowl; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until blended. Then add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Should start to look light & frothy.Add milk.

3. Slowly start to add flour mixture. Make sure everything is incorporated. I used a hand mixer. Once you have the flour mixture all mixed in. Add the can of pumpkin, cinnamon, & pumpkin pie spice; incorporated until smooth.

4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 the way full. Bake for 20 minutes.

Whipped Cream Cheese Pumpkin Spice Icing:

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tub of whipped topping

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

4 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese & butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar. Add in the whipped topping. Once that is incorporated in, add the pumpkin pie spice until everything is combined.

Put into piping bag or sandwich bag and put onto cupcakes and enjoy!!!!!

  

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

So I figured I needed to start trying out different cupcake recipes for my up and coming cupcake project. Trial and error are the best thing when trying out new things so you know what you can do better the next time. Soooo, my first cupcake recipe is Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes. Light, yummy yellow cupcakes with a chocolate chip cookie surprise in the middle and a whipped chocolate icing. Now I found the recipe on AllRecipes.com, But I modified it a little bit.

INGREDIENTS:
(Cookie Filling)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softned
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate

(Yellow Cupcake Mix)
1 (18.25) box yellow cake mix
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
3 eggs


1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and sea salt; set aside. Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar into a mixing bowl w/ an electric mixer until incorporated. Ad 1 egg and the vanilla extract and beat until smooth.  Slowly incorporate the flour mixer until everything is combined together. Fold in the chocolate chips; mixing just enough to combine everything evenly. (Now the recipe calls for making the round dough balls and freezing them. I tired it without freezing them. Without freezing them it came out more like a cookie inside of a cupcake. With freezing the dough ball, the center would be more like cookie dough)
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Beat 3 eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer to break them up. Add the cake mix, water and canola oil; continue beating for 2 minutes on medium.
4. Spoon into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each 2/3 full. Place a dough ball (frozen or unfrozen) in the center of each cupcake.
5. Bake in the oven until a toothpick comes out clean in the cake portion of the cupcake, about 15-20mins. Cool for 30mins before attempting to frost.

Whipped Chocolate Icing:
1 tub vanilla icing
1 tub of cool whip topping
3-6 tbsp of cocoa powder ( add a much or little as you want, all depends on how chocolaty you want it)
1/2 8oz package of cream cheese, room temperature

Mix the cream cheese and vanilla icing together with a electric hand mixer until smooth. Gently fold in the tub of cool whip. Add the amount of tbsp of cocoa powder to your tasting. I suggest start with 3 tbsp, then taste and add 1 tbsp at a time from there.

Now I do not have fancy piping bags with tips to use to pipe out onto the cupcakes. I used a simple sandwich bag and filled it up and cut one of the ends off. First time I did it, I filled it up almost all the way and zipped the bag shut. The bag busted open and became a mess. Bryan said lets try filling it half way and leaving the top open and just twirl it in your hand so its easier to handle. BINGO it worked. After you ice the cupcakes, garnish with chocolate chips if you want.

ENJOY!

Sooooo it's been a while since my last post. Work has been super busy this past month, don't think I will ever get use to the 50-60hr/week. But I have lots of cooking plans starting tomorrow! Also lately I have been obsessed with mason jars and researching how to can, supplies & recipes.... fruit, veggies, & meat. While researching my new little project, I stumbled upon a few recipes and articles about desserts in mason jars. cupcakes, cheesecakes, pies....mmm sounds good. Then a light bulb went off in my head, I could do this! Since then I have been pricing supplies & and writing down all the recipes. A dessert in a jar that you can take on the go. Going to start testing recipes to see how everything turns out and how to improve. Once I feel confident, I am probably going to start small and do a couple of craft shows. Who know where this will go, but I like an adventure!  


“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”
― Julia Child

German Apple Cake

This cake is one of my favorites. Moist, with lots of apple cinnamon flavor. I have of German Irish decent and this is one of my Grandmother Young's recipes. All the women on mother's side all learned how to bake and cook from my grandmother. I learned from her, my mother and my two aunts.
Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tsp vanilla extract
4 large, thinly sliced and peeled apple ( cortland or granny smith)
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Cored, peeled and thinly sliced apples. I used Cortlands. You want to use a semi tart apples to counter balance the sweetness of the cake.

Next, in a large bowl, beat the eggs and 2 cups of sugar until creamed. Add oil, vanilla, and orange juice. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until smooth and no lumps.

Batter should be pancake consistency, not runny and no too thick

Combine together the 3 tsp cinnamon and sugar in small dish. In the bottom of a greased and floured fluted or tube pan, lay a think layer of the apples and sprinkle the layer of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Pour half the batter on top of the apples. Again layer a couple layers of apples and top with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour the remainder of the batter slowly on top. And finish with remainder of the apples with a layer of cinnamon sugar.

cutting the apples thin helps to make sure the apples cook all the way through

  Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 mins or until toothpick or knife comes clean in the center. Remove pan from the oven and cool for about 1 hour.

Once cooled down, place a plate or serving dish on top and flip over. Cake should easily fall out of the molded pan.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar or a simply glaze. I topped my off with a glaze.

Pumpkin Mousse Pie

As I stated in my last blog, I ended the meal with a Pumpkin Mousse Pie. Sounds delicious right? WELL IT IS! Something different to serve instead of your typical Pumpkin Pie.  This is very light and super easy to make.
Here's what you need:

1 - 9" Graham Cracker Pie Crust
8 oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup, packed brown sugar
1 - 16 oz can of pumpkin
1 - 8 oz tub of cool whip
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

As you can see, name brand food doesn't matter. We call this cooking with a budget :)

Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature. Using cream cheese straight out of the frig is harder to work with when mixing everything together. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and brown sugar until creamed. Then add pumpkin, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice until everything is mixed together. Add half the tub of whipped cream. Beat with hand mixer on low until combined. Then add the other half of the tub and use the hand mixer on low until everything is completely combined. Use a spatula and pour into the pie crust. Set in fridge for about an hour, top with more whipped cream (if desired) and a sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice.

Slice and Enjoy!!!!!!

If you are not a fan of cream cheese, cut out the cream cheese and use a package of vanilla pudding instead. only use 1 1/4 cup milk instead of the the suggested 2 cups. This will help set the pie up. Happy Eating :)

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

Oh i know its been a while since I posted my first blog. Still trying to get use to posting things on here. I hope everyone had a great holiday and enjoyed time with family. So lets back track a little bit....
Every Wednesday night I make a nice meal for Bryan and I. Thanksgiving came around and I knew we were going to be eating a lot of turkey dinners....So I made our Mini make shift turkey dinner.
Started out with making stuffed turkey cutlets. Super Easy and Super Simple.

All you need is:
4-6 thin sliced turkey cutlets
1 box of instant stuffing
1/2 apple, chopped

toothpicks

Preheat oven to 375 F. First make the stuffing according to the back of the box. Once cooked, mix in chopped apples.

 

 

1 box regular stuffing mixed with 1/2 chopped apple

Next lay out the turkey cutlets. At this point, I seasoned my cutlets with season all. Use a soup spoon and scoop out a spoonful of the apple and stuffing mixture. Place the spoonful on the left or right half of the cutlet.

Tip: If you place on the larger side, it will be easier to pin together with toothpicks

Fold over the opposite side and hold together with toothpick(s).  Repeat process until all turkey cutlets are full. Leftover stuffing is normal. Place in a deep casserole dish. Add chicken stock or water to the bottom of the pan to coat.  Cover the dish with foil or place glass lid on top. Bake for 15-20 mins. I served the cutlets with green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy. For Dessert I made a Pumpkin Mousse Pie. Very light and very delicious!  You can also substitute the turkey cutlet or chicken cutlets as well.