Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes!!

Hi my name is Cathy and I'm a cereal addict. I think it all started when I was 2. I was in my car seat and my mom handed me a ziplock bag of Cheerios. I was hooked. My addiction quickly spiraled out of control and my family could do nothing to stop it. I would throw tantrums just to get my hands on another bag...

But every story has a happy ending and this one ends with cupcakes. Cinnamon Toast Crunch cupcakes!

Servings: 22 cupcakes  Time: 50 minutes

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar (I prefer Sugar in the Raw for this recipe)

3 large eggs

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/3 cups whole milk

2 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, smashed into crumbs

Frosting ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp

3 cups confectioners/powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp whole milk or heavy whipping cream (optional)

1 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal for garnish

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (F) and line cupcake tins.

2. Mix together butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the eggs. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cinnamon and mix until combined. Add the milk and flour and mix until smooth. Finally, stir in the cereal bits with a spatula.

3. Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 of the way with batter. Bake for 22-25 minutes until the cupcakes are golden brown.

4. While cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Mix together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Stir in the cinnamon and vanilla. If the frosting is too thick, add in milk or cream to thin it out.

5. Frost the cupcakes, sprinkle extra cereal on top for garnish and enjoy!

All Pumpkin Everything: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

"Climbin in yo windows, snatchin yo pumpkin cookies up"

I haven't written a post on here in months, and for that, I am sorry. Hopefully this will make up for it...

Despite this recipe being a near carbon copy to my Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, it's worth a try.

Servings: 24 cookies   Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar (Sugar in the Raw preferred)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup applesauce

2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cup flour

pinch of salt

6oz milk chocolate chips (or 3oz milk choco chips & 3oz dark choco chips if you wanna be fancy)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon until smooth. Stir in flour and salt. Add chocolate chips.

3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and drop large spoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart.

4. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until edges start to brown.

Nutella Cookies. 'Nough said.

Dear Nutella Cookies,

You look amazing and I have had a thing for you for a while now. I think about you all the time and I wanted to say, "Nutella Cookies, you complete me."

xoxo,
Cathy

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup Nutella
2 tablespoon chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in eggs, chocolate syrup and vanilla. 

3. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-11 minutes.
5. I also highly recommend watching this video while cookies are in the oven:

Chocolate + Bacon = Awesome

I once heard on the Food Network that baking has trends. Well let me tell you something Food Network: there are two ingredients that never go out of style...BACON and CHOCOLATE. Put them together and you have the best darned cupcake on the planet.

Servings: 12 cupcakes  Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
8-10 pieces of crumbled bacon, divided
1 dark chocolate or devil's food cake mix*, prepared as per the instructions on back of the box with exception of substituting chilled coffee for water
3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
9oz dark chocolate chips, divided

Directions:
Explained in the video

*I like using Betty Crocker's or Pillsbury's Dark Chocolate or Devil's Food Cake mix for this recipe

Schmoes' Popcorn Brittle and Popcorn Cupcakes

POPCORN BRITTLE

Servings: 10 Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
6 cups of unsalted popped popcorn (approx. 1 bag)

1 1/2 cup of sugar

6 Tbsp light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

3 Tbsp molasses

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Spray

Directions:
1. Put popcorn in a ziplock bag, seal and crush the popcorn.

2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.

3. Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly (about 1-2 minutes). Stir in molasses and butter. Stir for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Stir in popcorn, quickly and coat all popcorn. Immediately pour mixture onto the lined baking sheet.

4. Spread until thickness is even, about 1/3 inch thick.

5. Let cool completely and break into large pieces.

POPCORN CUPCAKES

Servings: 12 Time: 80 minutes

Ingredients:
12 baked vanilla cupcakes

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tbsp whipping cream

3 cups mini marshmallows

Yellow food coloring

1 Tbsp water

Directions:
1. Combine sugar and butter in small mixing bowl. Mix in whipping cream and vanilla extract. Set aside.
2. (Optional) Print and cut out Popcorn decoration. Attach with tape.  CLICK ME FOR PRINTABLE

3. Frost cupcakes

4. Cut marshmallows into halves. Top cupcakes with cut up 'mallows.

5. Combine food coloring and water in small bowl. Take paintbrush or clean finger and dip into coloring mixture. Gently dab onto marshmallows.

Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry for Dummies

Stir-fry is really cool because it's so easy that even if you can't cook, it still tastes like you bought it at Beni-freaking-hana.

Ninja chef or not, here's the recipe...

Servings: 4 Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
1 cup of broccoli florets
1/2 cup of red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 baby eggplant or japanese eggplant, cut into chunks
1 cup yellow squash, cut into chunks
2/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup bok choy, sliced
16 oz grilled chicken breast, diced
1 cup snow peas
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Directions:
1. Cut all vegetables, grill and dice chicken, measure ingredients so they are ready to go. Once you begin adding things to the stir-fry it goes really fast.
2. In a large skillet or wok, heat the canola oil over high heat. Add peppers, onion and broccoli while stirring constantly.
3. Continue to stir and add in garlic, eggplant, squash and teriyaki sauce. Keep stirring for 2 minutes and add in sprouts, bok choy, chicken, snow peas, salt and pepper. Stir another 2-4 minutes or until crisp/tender.
4. Open sesame oil (lol). Stir in sesame oil and remove from heat. Serve immediately.



WARNING: Although this recipe may cause you to think you are a skilled hibachi chef, remember that YOU ARE NOT A SKILLED HIBACHI CHEF. Leave the knife throwing and onion volcanos to the pros.

It's been a while... Well I'm back with Mini Oreo Cupcakes

Many times when people take something great and make a spinoff or a sequel, it ends up failing miserably. (Take note, people involved in the making of Star Wars: Episode XII)

But this. This is not the case. Today, we're going to take an Oreo and transform it into something magical. This is the stuff that makes your tastebuds happy.

And the frosting. Don't get me started on the frosting. It tastes like the center of an Oreo...and that's because it's actually made out of the center of an Oreo. Hungry yet? Good.

Servings: 36 mini cupcakes Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup hot water

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup butter (divided)

2 large eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract (divided)

1 package of mini Oreos

Cream center from 1 package of Double Stuf Oreos

1 box of powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly stir in water. Add eggs and 2 tsp of vanilla extract. Stir in 1/2 cup of butter.

3. Line mini cupcake tin and place a mini Oreo at the bottom of each liner. Pour cupcake mix into tin, about 3/4 of the way up. Bake for 9-12 minutes.

4. Combine cream center of Double Stuf Oreos and 1 cup of room temperature butter. Mix in 1 tsp of vanilla extract and salt. Slowly stir in box of powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

5. After cupcakes have cooled, frost and decorate with remaining mini Oreos or left over cookie bits from the package of Double Stuf.