Caramel Crunch Cupcakes

These caramel cupcakes were based on Starbucks' new Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino. My boyfriend tried it the other day and loved it, and I thought it would be a great idea for a cupcake. These delicious sweets have a caramel cake, a thin layer of caramel frosting, and whipped cream drizzled with caramel and Heath toffee pieces.

Here's what you'll need to make these yummies:
-flour
-baking powder
-salt
-brown sugar (dark for a stronger taste)
-sugar
-butter
-eggs
-vanilla extract
-milk
-heavy cream
-powdered sugar
-toffee pieces
-caramel drizzle

Now that you've got the shopping list taken care of, here's how to make the cupcake:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Fill your baking tray with baking cups.

1 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of brown sugar (light or dark, I used light)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of milk

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-size bowl. In a large mixing bowl, mix softened butter and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Pour in the flour mixture a cup at a time. After that is mixed, stir in milk. Fill the baking cups 2/3 of the way. Drizzle caramel on top of each cupcake before baking. Put in the oven to bake for 22-23 minutes.
Allow the cupcakes to cool for half an hour to an hour. Makes 13 to 15 cupcakes--depends on whether or not you scrape the sides of the bowl.

To make the frosting, you'll need:

1/2 cup of butter
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1/3 cup of heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of powdered sugar

In a separate bowl, mix powdered sugar and salt. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low-medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and heavy cream until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is a dark brown color. Let the mixture bubble for 3 minutes. Then remove from heat and let it cool for 15-20 minutes. Mix in the flour and salt mixture until the frosting is caramel colored.

*recipe for cake and frosting derived from Sally's Baking Addiction

To make the whipped cream, you'll need:

1 cup of heavy cream
2 teaspoons of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix the three ingredients together until light and fluffy.

Put a thin layer of the caramel icing on the cupcake and put the whipped cream on top of that. Use a piping bag to make it look pretty (I'm not that great with a piping bag, so don't feel bad if it's tricky for you!) Drizzle the caramel on top of the whipped cream and sprinkle the toffee pieces on top.

Remember to keep the cupcakes refrigerated, or eat them right away.

Enjoy! (:

Brownie Cookies *Gluten Free

These flourless chocolate cookies look pretty and have a great taste. I made them two days in a row because they were gone so fast.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the ingredients in the order they are listed below.

3 cups of powdered sugar (icing sugar, as some say)
3/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 egg whites
1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2/3 cup (plus a little extra) of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spoon the dough onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Each cookie should be about teaspoon sized. Bake for 12-14 minutes. After taking them out of the oven, let them sit for 5 minutes. The cookies will be gooey inside, so don't rely on the toothpick test to see if they're done. When finished, expect them to be a bit chewy.

To lessen the chewiness, add a few tablespoons of flour (or rice flour, if gluten free) after powdered sugar.

This recipe makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!(:

Lemon Cupcakes

This is, by far, the BEST lemon cupcake recipe I've found. My sister got the Betty Crocker Big Book of Cupcakes for a birthday present and I have to admit, I use it way more than she does. This is one of the many [awesome] recipes in there, and it's one of my favorites. I altered it a bit just to make it special. Here we go:

2 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of butter, softened
1 1/4 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1 lemon for grated zest (about 2 1/2 tablespoons worth)
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2/3 cup of milk

To begin, heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and set up your cupcake pan with baking cups.  *if you don't have baking cups, grease and flour the pan
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate medium-size bowl and put to the side.
In your large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 30-60 seconds. Gradually pour in the sugar.
Beat for 3 minutes and  then add the eggs, one at a time. Let each egg mix in before adding the next.
After that's all mixed in, add the vanilla and the lemon zest.
Alternately add the flour mix and the milk a little bit at a time.

When everything's finished mixing, fill the baking cups up 2/3 of the way with batter.

Bake for 21-23 minutes (regular-size baking cups)
Bake for 12 minutes (little baking cups)

Stick a toothpick in the center of the cupcakes to see if they're finished.

When the cake is all done, it's time to pick your decoration technique. Yup, that's the icing. Or no icing, if you prefer. I think these cupcakes are super yummy with just a little bit of powdered sugar sprinkled on the top. But here are some icing options!

Vanilla Buttercream:
6 cups of powdered sugar
2/3 cup of butter, softened
1 1/2  tablespoon of vanilla
4 tablespoons of milk

This makes plenty of icing, so feel free to cut the recipe in half.
Mix the powdered sugar and butter in your large mixing bowl. Then, mix in the vanilla and milk.
If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more milk. If the frosting is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.

Lemon Buttercream:
6 cups of powdered sugar
2/3 cup of butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons of lemon juice

This makes plenty of icing, too.
Mix the powdered sugar and butter in your large mixing bowl. Then, mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice. If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more lemon juice. If the frosting is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.

Happy Baking (: