Triple the Funfetti Cupcakes!

Soooo.. remember how I am a crazy person and said I do not really like cakes/cupcakes?

Well, that hasn't changed. But, here's the loophole, I love cupcake batter. And when I say cupcake batter I mean Funfetti cupcake batter.

Or, ya know, vanilla. But seriously, I love it. From my understanding, a lot of people love Funfetti cupcakes.

So this cupcake was born.

A boxed Funfetti cupcake, with a vanilla Funfetti pudding surprise in the center, and Funfetti cake batter frosting!

Yes, I said Funfetti cake batter frosting. Yes, it is delicious.

Oh and my wonderful testers (my boyfriend, the girls at the gym, my stepdad, my neighbor, my roommate, and my roommate's friend) all loved this cupcake. Really, with all of that proof can you turn down this recipe? I didn't think so. :)

Triple the Funfetti Cupcakes

(Funfetti Cupcakes w/ a Vanilla Funfetti Pudding Center and Funfetti Cake Batter Frosting!)

Funfetti Cupcakes w/ Funfetti Vanilla Pudding Center

*Make your pudding beforehand

Ingredients: 

1 box Funfetti cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 box instant vanilla pudding

2 cups cold milk

Funfetti sprinkles (or whatever sprinkles you prefer)

Funfetti Cake Batter Frosting

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Funfetti cake mix (so buy 1 box Funfetti cake mix)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup butter


Cupcake directions:
1. Follow directions on the back of your instant pudding box. Set in refrigerator to set up and cool. I left  mine in for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350º F. Make cupcake batter according to the back of the box.
3. Once your pudding is ready, mix in sprinkles.
4. Fill your cupcake liners about 1/4 of the way full then drop a scoop of pudding into the center of the batter. Fill the rest of the liners up, covering the top and sides of the pudding (about 3/4ths of the way full.)
5. Bake according to box (18-22 minutes) or cupcakes spring back at touch (remember, if you do the toothpick test it will not come out clean due to the pudding center.) Let cool completely before icing!

Frosting directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Cream in cake mix. Mix in milk and vanilla extract. Frost your cupcakes and enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Covered Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles!

You know when you're making chocolate chip cookies and you can't help but sample the dough?

Again. And Again. And Again.

Yeah, so do I. So I gave you something a little better to munch on. Peanut Butter Covered Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles a.k.a the longest name you'll probably ever see. (Anyone have a better name?)

And there is no baking! Which is good for where I live considering tomorrow is the first day of spring! Except, for the past couple weeks, the weather has been perfectly springy here. Whatever the case, if you don't want to turn on the oven, this recipe is for you! No baking, just melting and mixing :)

Step 2... you could also just eat it in this step, I wouldn't wait either :)

Peanut Butter Covered Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles


Ingredients:
3/4 cup salted butter (room temperature)
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 half banana (mashed)
1 1/4 cup flour
1 half bag of semi sweet chocolate chips


For Covering:
2 bags of Reese's peanut butter chips
3-4 tablespoons of Crisco shortening


1. In a large bowl, cream together brown sugar and butter. Mix in flour, milk, vanilla, and banana. Fold in half a bag of chocolate chips.
2. Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for an hour or more. 
3. After an hour or more, melt your peanut butter chips in a double boiler (or in a microwave but a double boiler works better.) Add in two tablespoons of Crisco shortening to make the consistency runnier.
4. Line a separate cookie tray with parchment paper. Once the peanut butter chips are melted, remove from heat and start to cover balls by using a toothpick or fork. Once you are halfway through the tray, you may want to add another tablespoon of shortening in so your coating is not too thick. Same applies when 1/4 of the tray is left (use your own judgement.) Place coated truffles on the parchment tray. Once all are coated, put the tray in the fridge to cool. When ready, remove and enjoy!

Biscoff No-Bake Cookies!

Remember Liz?

Liz whose birthday was on Sunday?

If you don't see the post directly below this one.

Well, Liz has a peanut allergy. Actually, she has a nut allergy. Can you imagine? I would not be able to survive without peanut butter.

No, really. I wouldn't.

Don't even get me started on almonds... actually just kidding I already talked about almonds here.

Anyway, Liz's nut allergy provoked me to share the joy of Biscoff spread with her. By the way, the first time I tried Biscoff spread I bought it only to "try" it but... I wound up eating the entire jar over the span of a couple days.

But you know what's better than Biscoff spread?

....Biscoff No-Bake Cookies!

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I'm not kidding, I like these cookies so much better than the spread.

They taste like a bowl of oatmeal...

...probably because there are oats in them.

Regardless, I'm not the only one who agrees - Liz does too! These are downright delicious so I suggest you try them :)

Biscoff No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup Biscoff spread

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1. In a large saucepan, add the butter, milk, and sugar. Bring to a roiling boil and let boil for 1 minute without stirring! 

2. Remove from heat and stir in Biscoff spread and vanilla. Fold in your oats. 

3. On a wax or parchment paper lined cookie sheet, drop spoonfuls of your treat onto the tray (I used a cookie dough scooper.) Let cool until your cookies are set and enjoy!

(From Browneyedbaker.com)

S'mores Cupcakes

Happy Birthday Liz!

As you may have noticed, it is Liz's birthday.

Remember when I said that a bunch of my friends requested cupcakes? Well, Liz was one of them. So I waited until her birthday to make... S'mores Cupcakes!

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And now you know why the cupcake has a giant "Liz" on it. I'm not crazy enough to name my cupcakes.. yet. I mean, I did make them, they are a product of me, just like a child..

I'm just kidding. I am not going to name my cupcakes. I promise.

Anyway, I had many, many ideas for this cupcake so if this particular one isn't your style, rest assured that another variation is to come :)

But for my S'mores Cupcakes, I used a chocolate cupcake (from Hershey's) with TWO frosting - marshmallow/graham cracker buttercream and chocolate/graham cracker buttercream.

I hope you enjoy it but most importantly, I hope Liz enjoys it!

S'mores Cupcakes

About 24 cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• 
  
• 1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Line your cupcake pans with liners. 
• 2. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat for approximately 2 minutes. Mix in boiling water.
• 3. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.
• 
  
• 
  
• Marshmallow/Graham Cracker Buttercream
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 4 graham crackers (crumbs/food processed)

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1 tablespoon & 2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar. Cream in marshmallow fluff. Mix in vanilla and milk. Mix in graham cracker crumbs (ground in the food processor.)


Chocolate/Graham Cracker Buttercream

Ingredients:
5 graham crackers (crumbs/food processed)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup melted milk chocolate
1 & 1/2 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter & sugar. Mix in melted milk chocolate. Mix in milk & vanilla. Lastly, mix in crushed graham crackers (ground in food processor.)

Butterscotch Cookies!

Butterscotch is tricky flavor. Some people like it while others don't. Personally, I kind of like it (shocking, right?) But I don't like it to the extent where I'll go out and buy it or that I'll ever crave it.

But for those who do, this one's for you.

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And for those who don't, this one's for you too!

Huhhh?

Yep. For all the impartial butterscotchers like me, this cookie doesn't scream "BUTTERSCOTCH!" at you.

Yes, the butterscotch flavor is there but not enough for you to care :)

Did you like that rhyme? I'll do it more often.

On to the recipe!

Butterscotch Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (room temp.)

1 cup granulated (white) sugar

1 package butterscotch pudding

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 & 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (AP flour)

2 eggs

Bag of butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray your pan with nonsticking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix butter and flour together. Mix in eggs.
3. Mix in sugar, baking soda, pudding mix, and vanilla extract.
4. Fold in your butterscotch chips (I used half a bag, feel free to use a whole bag or half.)
5. Bake your cookies for 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in airtight container.

Black Raspberry-Vanilla Cupcakes w/ Black Raspberry-Vanilla Frosting!

I've made these cupcakes once before after a long night of baking. I decided that hey, who needs cupcake liners? So I just sprayed the pan but apparently not enough.

The bottoms of my cupcakes stuck right to the pan :(

And then I improvised!

How. Awesome.

But don't worry, I made them again. This time with a little help:

Please notice the black raspberry ice cream on his snout.

I love him so much.

Anyway, these cupcakes have a little surprise in the middle...

Yep. I picked these up at Target around Valentine's Day. 

Step 3!

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Oooohh... ahhhh...

Recipe time!

Black Raspberry-Vanilla Cupcakes

About 24 cupcakes

1 box vanilla cake mix

2 cups melted black raspberry ice cream

3 large eggs

Hershey's Raspberry Hugs

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.

2. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix and melted ice cream. Beat in eggs one at a time.

3. Fill cupcake liners about halfway full then insert a hug in the center (tip down.)

4. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Black Raspberry-Vanilla Frosting

(adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

5 tablespoons flour

1 cup melted black raspberry ice cream

1 cup granulated (white) sugar - not powdered sugar

1 cup butter (room temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk flour and black raspberry ice cream. Whisk constantly until batter becomes very thick (similar to brownie batter, "chunks" are okay.) Once mixture is thick, let cool to room temperature. (I let it cool a little on the container then put it in the fridge for a little.)

2. While your mixture is cooling, in a large bowl cream together sugar and butter. You want to beat it until it is no longer grainy.

3. Once your flour mixture is at room temperature, mix it in with the sugar and butter. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

4. Frost your cooled cupcakes and enjoy!