Christmas Themed Red Velvet Cupcakes

I received a request for red velvet cupcakes a couple of months ago. I decided Christmas would be the perfect time to experiment with a recipe I randomly found. I figured since the cake would be red anyway, it would not be difficult to make the frosting green and make a Christmas themed garnish. I used the same cream cheese frosting I had used to make the carrot cake cupcakes and I modified the cake recipe to become a cupcake recipe. The result was more than I had hoped for; the cake was very moist, while the cream cheese frosting was the perfect balance of sweet and cream cheese to compliment the chocolate cake. 

Ingredients

For the batter:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 ounce red food coloring 

1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar

1/2 cup of prepared plain coffee

For the frosting:

1/2 cup butter

8 oz cream cheese

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt/ Set the bowl aside.

In another mixing bowl, mix together the sugar and vegetable oil.

Add in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring and mix well. 

Stir in the coffee and white vinegar. While mixing, slowly add the dry and wet ingredients together.

Pour batter into muffin sheets that are lined with cupcake tins. Be sure to only fill tins about 3/4 of the way as the batter will rise while baking.

Bake cupcakes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Once muffin pan is taken out of the oven, pull cupcakes along with their liners out of the pan and put on a surface away from the heat to allow them to cool. 

While the cupcakes are cooling, combine the butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Next, add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Also, add in some food coloring if you would like the frosting to have some color.

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, spread the frosting on top using a spatula. 

Feel free to add garnishments. I used pomegranate seeds and parsley to make mistletoe. 

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I received a request for carrot cake a few months ago and finally had the chance to do a little bit of experimenting this past weekend with some recipes. I thought making cupcakes instead of one cake would be more fun and easier to share. After finding a few different recipes that looked good I decided to pick various things I liked from each to create the batter, frosting, and garnishments. The result was much better than I had anticipated. The cupcakes were perfectly moist, the cream cheese frosting was sweet, but not overpoweringly sweet, and the garnishments were "the icing on the cake." If you have several hours to spare and like carrot cake, I highly recommend these cupcakes.

Ingredients

Cake Batter:

4 eggs

3/4 cup oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons cinnamon

8 oz crushed pineapple

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup (or less) chopped pecans

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

8 oz creem cheese

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup or so of chopped pecans

Combine the eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl

While stirring, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Using a spatula, stir in the crushed pineapple, shredded carrots and pecan pieces.

Pour into cupcake lined pan. Note - only fill cupcake tins 3/4 of the way.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes or until an inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean.

Once cupcakes have been completely cooled, combine the butter and cream cheese. Next, add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Finally, fold in the pecan pieces. 

Spread the frosting on the cupcakes using a spatula. If you want to garnish the cupcakes, cut dried apricot into carrot shapes and add a piece of mint on top to make the stem.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cranberry Bars

I made these pumpkin bars a couple of weeks ago. I really wasn't expecting too much, but they turned out pretty well. They are a great fall treat and very easy to make.

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups white sugar

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

2 cups all purpose flour

2 generous teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

dried cranberries (optional)

Mix together the eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin until it is well blended.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients into the bowl with wet ingredients and mix well.

Fold in the amount of dried cranberries to your liking. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes.

Latte Streusel Muffins

I can never get enough pumpkin, especially in the months of October and November. I decided to make it more cost effective, I'd buy a box full of canned pumpkin so I had no excuse not to try a bunch of pumpkin recipes. The looming hurricane put me in the mood to bake something this evening. I found this recipe by chance and decided to give it a try, with some modifications. The muffins turned out really well. Although if you're looking for a muffin with a strong pumpkin taste, this is probably not the right recipe. The coffee taste overpowers the pumpkin, but is a delicious match for the coffee streusel on top. I highly recommend you give them a try!

Ingredients

Muffins:

1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons espresso powder (or strong coffee powder)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground salt

3/4 cup canned pumpkin (I added an extra teaspoon or two in addition to the 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 large eggs

1/4 cup brewed room temperature strong coffee

Streusel topping:

1/3 cup oat bran

1 1/2- 2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons old fashioned oats

generous 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon espresso powder (or strong coffee powder)

2 tablespoons canola oil

In a medium bowl combine the flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Put bowl aside.

In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, and oil. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. 

Add in the brewed coffee and mix well. Slowly (while mixing) add in the dry ingredients that had been combined earlier.

Spoon the batter into cupcake liners placed in a cupcake pan. The recipe makes 12 muffins so the batter should be evenly spread among the liners.

Next, grab a small bowl and toss in the ingredients for the streusel topping besides the canola oil. 

Once the ingredients have been mixed, add in the canola oil and mix with your fingers.

 Spoon the streusel on top of the muffins, once again spreading evenly between the 12 muffins. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 to 20 minutes, until an inserted toothpick or knife comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Speculoos Oatmeal Cookies

The name pretty much says it all. I found this recipe after sifting through some pumpkin recipes. The combination of speculoos and pumpkins was too intriguing to not try. I decided to make this recipe first time around without any modifications and they were delicious! However, next time I will probably try to add my own twist(s) and some healthier substitutions. I think the speculoos was overshadowed by the pumpkin so I would like to bring it out a bit more next time. 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 generous teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup speculoos (called Cookie Spread at Trader Joe's)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

Combine the flour, baking soda, spices and salt in a bowl and set aside.

In another bowl combine the butter and sugars and mix well.

Next, add in the pumpkin and speculoos and mix well. Also beat in the eggs and vanilla extract and stir until everything is well combined.

Slowly (while mixing) add in the dry ingredients.

Finally, fold in the oats, using a spatula.

Place heaping tablespoons of dough on a cookie sheet with some space in between each (I used tin foil on top of the sheet) and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies begin to turn a golden brown color.

Enjoy!

Healthy Apple Crumble

The past few weeks I've been trying to make Michael all of the successes from the list of recipes I had experimented with during our year apart. When I made my way to the Healthy Peach Crumble I decided to substitute the peach for apple because what better way to celebrate fall than an apple crumble? Plus, we bought a bunch of beautiful apples at the farmer's market this weekend. 

This recipe is shockingly easy and amazingly delicious. The most difficult step is peeling the apples. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed. 

Ingredients

3 to 4 apples

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup oat bran (can sub with flour of your choice)

2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans (or just buy pecan pieces if you don't want to chop or use a food processor)

Directions

Mix together the rolled oats, oat bran, brown sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, and pecans in a medium bowl.

Line an 8 x 8 pan with peeled apple pieces. Dust the top with more cinnamon. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the apples are baked (soft to the touch).

Let it cool for a few minutes, add a dollop of whipped cream on top and it is ready to eat!