Oreo Cupcakes w/ Oreo Frosting!

As you can probably guess, I LOVE making food for people.

So I was beyond thrilled when a few friends of mine requested specific cupcakes. These cupcakes are a result of one request (there will be more to come.) My friend Elise asked for Oreo cupcakes and this is what I came up with.

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Of course, I gave some to Elise but among the other taste testers are: my boyfriend, the girls at the gym, my roommate, and my roommates' friends.

They all loved them. But more specifically, everyone RAVED about the frosting.

Hopefully that gives you a little perspective.

On to the recipe!

Oreo Cupcakes

(About 32)

1 box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix

4 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 box of Oreo pudding mix
1 & 1/3 cup water

Oreo Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup salted butter (room temperature)

Oreo creme from 15 double stuffed oreos

15 cookies worth of oreo crumbs

Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Prepare your pan by greasing or inserting cupcake liners (about 32.)
3. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 3 eggs, oil, and water. Mixing until combined.
4. Add in box of Oreo pudding mix and 1 egg (the 4th egg.) Mix until combined.
5. Fill each liner about 3/4ths of the way full. Bake for 19-22 min. or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Frosting:
In a medium to large sized bowl, cream together sugar, butter, and oreo creme until light and fluffy. In a  food processor, grind the 15 cookies that you took the oreo creme from until they become crumbs.* Add in to your frosting mix. Frost cupcakes when cool.

*Technically, you could probably food process the oreo with the creme inside then add it to your frosting but this is the way I did it.

Apple Pie Crescents!

I am SO EXCITED for the recipe I am about to bestow to you.

First, I'm going to tell you how good they are. I'm not trying to brag but my stepdad said that they are "the best thing I've ever made."

As if that wasn't good enough for me, he ate three in about two minutes.

But wait, it gets better.

My grandmother was so impressed that she asked me for the recipe. My GRANDMOTHER asked ME for the recipe. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around!?

I hope that you now understand that you need to make these RIGHT NOW.

Yeah, I know you see them. Make them!

And the best part about this post is... these aren't cupcakes!

Have you realized I've only posted cupcake recipes?

Yeah, I did, and I'm sorry. Don't worry, there will definitely be A LOT of non-cupcake recipes... I'm just a little obsessed with making them right now.

But from now on, I'm definitely going to mix up what I make, I promise.

For now, you have these :)

Step 4

Yes. The final product.

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Apple Pie Crescents

(Makes 32 crescents)

Ingredients:

4 cans of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls: Original (8 oz cans)

4 granny smith apples

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1/2 cup white (granulated) sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup AP flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Butter (room temperature)

1. Preheat oven to 375º F. 

2. Remove the skin from one apple. Dice/mince (mine was a combination of both but you wanted them small enough to fit in the crescent) the apple and put it in a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining three apples. Once two dice/minced apples are in your bowl, mix in the lemon juice. Whenever you add another apple, mix some more. 

3. In a medium sized bowl, mix your sugars, flour, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour your sugar mixture over your apples and thoroughly fold the apples until no powder is visible.

4. On an ungreased cookie tray, roll out your crescents, cut at perforations. On each triangle, spread a little bit of butter (not too little, but not too much, I'd say about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon.) Place a spoonful of the filling onto the bigger end of the triangle and roll up into a crescent. If you put too much on the triangle, the juice will spill out the sides as you're baking. This isn't bad! Just really messy. Also, as you roll your crescents, tuck the innards into the crescent and close up the sides.

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown! Enjoy :)

Tell me what you think!! 

New Product: Starburst Flavor Morphs!

I gave these to my boyfriend... he finished them in a day.

Don't worry though, I tried them too. The opinion below is a mix of both of ours.

As I said, my boyfriend ate all of these in one day. So we definitely suggest you try them.

They definitely morphed. What we noticed with the orange flavor is that it tastes alright in the beginning but once it morphs, it is completely enjoyable. I can't say that they definitely start to taste like "orange-strawberry" but their flavor DOES change and it IS good.

Now, the cherry ones are my boyfriend's favorite... and mine as well, I guess (I don't really like Starbursts.) But the cherry-flavored Starbursts are good from the start and after they morph. My boyfriend saved all the red ones (the cherry ones) for last. :) 

Have you seen these? Have you tried them? Tell me what you think about them in the comment section below! :)

Banana Cupcakes w/ Peanut Butter Frosting!

This frosting, so help me.

Seriously. I could not stop eating it. If all else fails, use this frosting. Don't get me wrong, the cupcake was good too, but the frosting was to die for. Maybe because I'm addicted to peanut butter and generally like frosting more than cake but I can't even explain how much I like this frosting.

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In the picture, the frosting looks a little runny but in reality, it is not. My frosting was starting to melt because my kitchen was really hot. So don't be worried :)

That being said, here's the recipe.

If you are making the Peanut Butter Frosting, make sure to have butter and cream cheese at room temperature.

Banana Cupcakes

About 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose (AP) flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 very ripe large bananas (Mine were just beginning to brown)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (If using salted butter, omit 1/4 teaspoon salt)

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. 

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (if not omitted) together in a medium bowl. 

3. In another medium bowl, mash bananas with a fork until smooth. Mix in vanilla and sour cream.

4. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar (with an electric mixer) until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and egg yolk, beat until combined.

5. Add in 1/3 of flour mixture then 1/2 of sour cream mixture. Alternate between the two mixtures until gone (last mixture added should be flour mixture.) After you add each, mixing until incorporated.

6. Fill baking cups about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Once finished, let cupcakes cool in pan then remove from pan and let them cool elsewhere. When the cupcakes are finally cooled, frost as desired.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 8-ounce package cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1. In a large bowl, sift powdered sugar. Add the cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. With an electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Frost cupcakes.

(From bonappetit.com)

New Product: Frosted Toast Crunch

Look at what I found in the cereal aisle!

Frosted Toast Crunch! A variation of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. As is stated on the box, "artificially flavored frosted vanilla squares dusted with cinnamon."

The first ingredient listed on the box is "whole grain wheat" which is good but I am by no means saying this cereal is considered "healthy." 

Health concerns aside, I will tell you that this cereal is apparently yummy.

I didn't try it, not a cereal I would be interested in, but my boyfriend did.

The box says that the squares are "dusted with cinnamon." My boyfriend said there wasn't a very cinnamon-y taste.

But he did say that the cereal is "pretty good."

And that he had another bowl.

And that he thinks this cereal is better than Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Based on his reaction, I'd say go for it! Give this cereal a try. Maybe it will be your new favorite!

Have you tried this cereal yet? Let me & others know what you think in the comments below!:)

Coca-Cola Cupcakes!

Let me start off by saying, even if you don't like Coca-Cola, DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM THIS CUPCAKE.

Seriously. You cannot taste the Coca-Cola in the cupcake and this recipe is my favorite chocolate cupcake ever. I love this cupcake and I don't even like cake or cupcakes.

Yep, you heard me. I do not like cake/cupcakes (told you I was a picky eater.)

But seriously, you NEED to make these.

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What you see in the picture above is not the first time I've made this recipe. That being said, I had a huge problem with frosting this time around. I strayed away from the recipe and tried making a new kind of frosting which ended up failing. So, I tried another frosting that I had never made before (the frosting you see above.) I have to say, this frosting did not wow me as I thought it would. Therefore, I'm not going to include the recipe for frosting but any standard buttercream recipe will do (or chocolate frosting, whatever works.)

Coca-Cola Cupcakes

About 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 cups all-purpose (AP) flour

1 1/2 cups small marshmallows

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup Coca-Cola

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. In a large bowl, sift sugar and flour. Add in your marshmallows. 

2. In a saucepan, mix butter, oil, cocoa, and Coca-Cola. Bring to a boil and pour over dry ingredients - blend well.

3. Just before adding to batter, dissolve baking soda in buttermilk. Add in eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well. 

4. Fill baking cups about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 21-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Rotate pan halfway through bake time.

(From The Coca-Cola Company)

New Product: Hershey's Milk Chocolate w/ Almonds Pieces

When I saw these, I immediately thought of my mom.

And myself.

When I was younger (like 3 years ago at the most) I never ate nuts. Sometimes, I'd spring for a peanut or two but really, I never ate just nuts. Peanut butter, yes. Nuts, no.

Almonds? Definitely not.

But one day my mom had "Swiss Chocolate Almond" ice cream in our freezer. The ice cream is basically just vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered almonds mixed in. I don't know how I came to taste testing it - I am, by far, one of the pickiest eaters you will ever meet. I'm so picky that I know my tastes and often won't try something because I know I won't like it. For those of you who think if I just tried it maybe I will like it, I've listened to people say that to me before... and I've tried the things they suggested - still didn't like the foods.

ANYWAY, somehow I tried this ice cream... and I LOVED IT! I never knew that I liked almonds before that day... and now I'm pretty much obsessed with them (but only partnered with chocolate.) So when I saw these "pieces" I knew I had to try them.

But I knew my mom needed to try them as well.

My mom is a huge Hershey chocolate bar fan.

In addition to Hershey's bars, she's also an almond fan. Lately she has had bags of almond M&Ms in the house so I knew these would be perfect for her. 

I tried them today and... I was not impressed. I'm not a huge fan of the regular Hershey's Milk Chocolate Pieces either... but I did say I'm a picky eater.

They are a little reminiscent of the almond M&Ms, if you have ever tried those (which I'm also not the biggest fan of.)

All in all, I would advise you to at least try them since our taste buds are definitely different. If my mom ever tries them, I'll let you know what she thinks. She's not as picky as I am.

Have you tried these pieces yet? What do you think? Let me know! Comment below :)

Brown Sugar Cupcakes w/ Cookie Dough Frosting!

Cookie dough is a weak spot for many people, myself included. Cookie dough with uncooked eggs is generally not advised. So why not help yourself to some cookie dough frosting?

It's uncooked-egg free :)

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Also, after all my cupcakes were frosted I had a considerable amount of frosting leftover so I turned them into truffles. If you want, I can make a post about those at a later date :)

Brown Sugar Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature* Remember to get your eggs out of the fridge!

1 and 1/3 cup all-purpose (AP) flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt (if you only have salted butter, omit this ingredient)

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1) Preheat oven to 350º F.

2) In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3) In a glass measuring cup, add the milk & vanilla together. Set aside.

4) Beat butter in a large bowl until soft. Add sugar, beating until fluffy.

5) Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated after each one.

6) Add 1/4 of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.

7)  Add 1/3 of the vanilla/milk mixture and beat to combine.

8) Alternate between flour mixture and vanilla/milk mixture - ending with the flour mixture.

9) Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way full and bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

10) Let cool then frost!

Cookie Dough Frosting or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup salted butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

7-8 cups sifted powdered sugar (2 lbs.)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

about 1/2 tablespoon milk

Mini chocolate chips

1) In a large bowl, cream butter & shortening together until smooth.

2) Add sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing at a relatively high speed.

3) Add milk based on consistency you like best. 

4) Add 1/2 cup flour mixing until combined.

5) Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, mixing until combined.

6) Add 1/2 cup light brown sugar, mixing until combined.

7) Again, based on your preferences of consistency, add as much milk as you see fit. Also, if you want to turn your cookie dough frosting into chocolate chip cookie dough frosting, fold in mini chocolate chips.*

*If you are folding the chips into the frosting, you may find difficulty when trying to pipe the icing onto a cupcake. If you'd rather, you can always just sprinkle the chips on top. I omitted the chips altogether.

(From cookiesandcups.com)

New Products: PB Cheerios & Dulce de Leche Cheerios!

While I was in the store the other day, I passed by the new Peanut Butter Cheerios. I had already heard of them but had not tried them yet. But to my surprise, right next to the Peanut Butter Cheerios were Dulce de Leche Cheerios! I hadn't even heard of these and I was in pretty much awe.

I forgot to take a picture while I was in the store so this picture was taken from frugallivingnw.com.

For those of you who are not aware, dulce de leche is a caramel-like, milk based spread. Generally, in my mind I associate dulce de leche with caramel. 

I have yet to try either of these brands but I know that the first one I will try is the Peanut Butter Cheerios. First of all, multi grain is good news to me. Also, I'm OBSESSED with peanut butter. I've been dying for a good peanut butter cereal (not a huge fan of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch.) Plus, I've heard great reviews from a friend of mine about the Peanut Butter Cheerios.

Has anyone tried either of these yet? What is your opinion? Let me know! Comment below :)