Caramel Apples!

Caramel Apples!

This is a super easy, fun, and simply a delicious treat for any occasion!  You can decorate them with any type of topping you like.  I suggest creating a dipping station.  I used Chicago style popcorn, white and chocolate chips and toffee bits.

This recipe yields 12 caramel apples
What you need:
2 bags of melting caramel candies
4 Tbs. of heavy whipping cream
12 apples, green or red.  Use your favorite!
Craft sticks
Your choice of topping

How To:
In a double boiler place two Tbs of heavy whipping cream and 1 bag of caramel.  Heat on low until completely smooth (I suggest doing one bag of caramel at a time and adding any additional bags after each use)
While your caramel is melting, start removing the stems from you apples and stick your craft stick through the top of each apple.
Once the caramel is ready and briefly cooled for about 2 minutes, start dipping apples one at a time.  It's best to turn the apples in the saucepan until it is completely covered in caramel.   Once covered, hold the apple over the saucepan and scrape off any excess caramel with a spoon.
Roll apple in your topping and let set.  (I used cupcake liners to place beneath the apples, you can also butter a baking sheet and let them set on there)

It is best to make the apples the same day that you'll be eating them.

Enjoy!!!

Cookie Monster Cupcakes! So cute, you won't want to eat them!

                                                 Cookie Monster Cupcakes! 

Don't be intimidated by this little monster!  Super fun and such a hit!  You can use any type of cupcake that you would like. I used vanilla with chocolate chips to keep the cookie theme going.  Feel free to get creative, chocolate is always a hit or go with a blueberry cupcake. 

So here is what you'll need:

1 package of chocolate chip cookies (feel free to make your own batch)

Wilton Melting white chocolate ( these will be used for the eyes)

Black frosting (best in a tube b/c you'll be dotting the eyes)

Blue Frosting (recipe will be below, again store bought will be fine)

You will need a decorating tool or bag and the attachment that you're going to use will be the star tip.  This gives the cupcake the furry appearance that the Cookie Monster has.  

Cupcake ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups of sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup milk

1/2 semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.  

First in a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside until wet ingredients have been blended.  

In a stand mixer blend sugar and butter well.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla then alternately add the flour mixture and milk until completely blended.  Finally stir in chocolate chips to cupcake batter. 

In a lined cupcake pan, fill each cup up until about 3/4 full.  Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until cooked.  

Let cool completely before decorating.  

In the meantime, if you have decide to make your own frosting heres the time to do it.  

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 ounce packages of cream cheese (softened)

1/2 cup of butter (softened)

2 cups of sifted confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blue food coloring

In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Then add the vanilla and slowly sift in the confectioners sugar.  Add coloring until you've reached your desired color.  (This frosting needs to be refrigerated). 

Decorating:

Lay out the wilton white chocolate on wax paper and start dotting them with black frosting to make the eyes.  

Once the cupcakes are cooled, you will need to cut into the cupcake top about half way in and pinching the sides together gently so that you can place the cookie in the cupcake.  See photo below:

 Once this is done, you can start piping the blue frosting on with the star shaped tip.  Form your own pattern.  I like starting beneath the cookie and continuing around the mouth.  Once the whole cupcake is covered, gently stick the eyes into the frosting and enjoy!

Happy Baking!!

Pinkalicious Cupcakes

It's that time of year!  Endless family gatherings, parties, and the dreadful question of "What can I bring?"  There's no need worry anymore.  I am going to share some of my easy and most popular recipes to make this season of cooking fun, simple, and simply delightful! 

I had a birthday party to attend and the theme was Pinkalicious.  For those of you who don't know, she ate too many pink cupcakes and turned pink.  What a fun treat for a little girls birthday party!  I made these...

They were a hit!  The beauty of these cupcakes is that the party certainly doesn't need to be Pinkalicious theme for them to be enjoyed.  

This recipe yields 12 cupcakes 

What you need:

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt 

2/3 cup cold milk

1 Strawberry yogurt (Yoplait will work perfectly)

Maraschino Cherries (for decorating)

Decorative Candied Pearls (for decorating)

Frosting:

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pink food coloring

(If you would like to buy already made pink frosting, go for it.  It tastes just as good.)

Preheat oven to 375 F. 

In a stand mixer or hand mixer blend butter and sugar together.  Once blended add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg.  Once blended add the vanilla extract.  

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together: sugar, flour, baking powder, salt.   Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.  Once this step is complete stir in the milk and strawberry yogurt.  

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, start checking cupcakes at 18 minutes to make sure they aren't cooking quickly, as every oven is different.  

If you have decided to make your own frosting, you can start preparing it while the cupcakes are baking.  

In a stand mixer, combine sugar, butter, milk and vanilla.  Beat on speed 2 until smooth and fluffy while slowly adding the pink food coloring until it has reached your desired shade. 

Once cupcakes are cooled, start decorating!

Enjoy!!