last day of school mini funfetti cupcakes!

so here we are the end of the school year once again.. it sure goes by fast! all 3 of my kids had pool parties to go to so I baked up 3 dozen of these mini funfetti cupcakes for each of them to bring to share with their buddies. I was so happy to see how well received these were by all the kids. topped with a sweet buttercream frosting, these are certainly hard to resist and look how cute they are!

mini funfetti cupcakes
makes about 36 mini cupcakes

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp cake flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp veg oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 egg whites
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sprinkles

preheat oven to 350 degress

whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a med bowl and set aside
cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffly, 3-5 min
slowly add the egg whites and beat until smooth
add the veg oil and vanilla and mix on low until incorporated
add the flour mixture in 3 additions alternating with the milk in 2 additions just until combined.
fold in the sprinkles

bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean.

s'more chocolate chip cookies

my 2 favorite treats combined into one! graham crackers and mini marshmallows are mixed into my best chocolate chip cookie recipe. we made these for the kids to bring in to their teachers today. my goodness... they were soooo good!

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 c butter

1/4 c sugar

3/4 c light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c crushed graham crackers

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c mini marshmallows

1 cup mini chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside.
beat together butter and sugar.
add eggs and vanilla beat until well combined.
add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until well incorporated and a dough starts to come together.
stir in the marshmallows and chocolate chips.
drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

father's day chocolate chip cookie cake

Just in time for Father's Day!  Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies?! I know they are my husbands favorite!! I had to test out my new oven so I baked some jumbo chocolate chip cookies and decided to stack them into a little cake. Layered it with vanilla frosting and topped it with a little mound of chocolate chips. The best part is you can make as many layers as you want. This was the perfect size for us!

jumbo chocolate chip cookies
makes 12 jumbo cookies

ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup milk chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. Combine butter, sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture, until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks. Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown.

easy chocolate buttercream frosting

It's hard to imagine this is only my 3rd time making chocolate buttercream! The last time I made it, I used butter and cream cheese as my base for the frosting. This time I made it with all butter and I must say it was the best tasting chocolate buttercream ever! My kids and my husband loved it, and trust me they are a hard bunch to please!!

easy chocolate buttercream frosting

makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes

2 3/4 cups confectioners sugar

6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tbsp unsalted butter

5 tbsp whole milk

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

sift together the confectioners sugar, cocoa and salt

beat butter until smooth, gradually add in the sugar mixture

add vanilla & milk and beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes

patriotic ice cream cone cupcakes!

Seriously? How cute are these!? When I saw these cute ceramic ice cream cones in the store, I had to have them and of course I had to bake something with them immediately! I was afraid to bake inside the cup, so I just baked some chocolate cupcakes and put them into the cones. A sweet treat to share this Fourth of July!

lemon cream cake

A special cake for a special man.. My Dad! For his birthday this year he requested a simple vanilla lemon cake. That's just what I did! I used my favorite vanilla cake recipe and added some fresh lemon zest and a tiny bit of lemon extract. Filled it with a lemon-y cream cheese mousse filling. It was a HUGE hit with my Dad and everyone else who ate it! I'm sure I'll be making it again next year for his birthday!

oreo cookie fudge filled birthday cake!

When my daughter asked me to bake her an Oreo cookie cake for her birthday.. I was over the moon with excitement! I used mega stuffed oreos and chopped them up into quarters and added them to my favorite yellow cake recipe. They baked up perfectly in the cake! (I strongly recommend using double stuffed Oreos or even better MEGA stuffed Oreos!) I baked 3- 6 inch cakes and used milk chocolate ganache as a filling. Covered it with pink cream cheese frosting. It was by far the best mini cake I've ever baked and it was a huge hit with my kids and family!