Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes


Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
yields ~30 cupcakes

1 (18.25 oz.) package Devil's Food cake mix
1 (5.9 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips
11 crushed Oreos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper baking cups.

In a large bowl, sift together the cake and pudding mixes. Mix in sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, and water until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, and crushed Oreos, and pour batter into prepared cupcake pans. (I fill the cupcakes by using a pampered chef medium size cookie scoop)

Bake for 20-24 minutes, until tops spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cook in pans for 5 minutes before removing to a cooking rack to cool completely.
Cookies N Cream Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine softened
• 2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 8 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (about 2 LBS)
  
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
  
• Blend 10 Oreo cookies, or more to taste
  

Makes:

About 6 cups of icing.

Instructions:

(Medium Consistency)

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Snicker-doodle Cupcake

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups cake flour , sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare cupcake pans with liners. Sift together flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until combined.

Fill your prepared cupcake pans 3/4 full. Bake, rotating halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Sugar Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine softened
• 2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 8 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (about 2 LBS)
  
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, add more to taste
  

Makes:

About 6 cups of icing.

Instructions:

(Medium Consistency)

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

Major Strides in the Development of Treatments for X-Linked RP

Foundation Fighting Blindness

We got our news letter from the FFB yesterday and saw this article on the front page. It just makes you wonder, and Hope.

Barbeque Chicken Baked Potatoes

• 4-1/2 pounds bone-in chicken breast halves, skin removed
• 1 large red onion, sliced into thick rings
• 1 bottle (18 ounces) honey barbecue sauce
• 10 medium potatoes, baked
• chopped green onions, optional

Directions

• Place chicken in a greased 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker; sprinkle with garlic powder and top with onion. Combine the barbecue sauce, salad dressing, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and Liquid Smoke if desired; pour over chicken.
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender.
• When cool enough to handle, remove chicken from bones; discard bones and onion. Skim fat from cooking juices. Shred meat and return to slow cooker; heat through. Serve over potatoes with blue cheese and green onions if desired. Yield: 10 servings.

Valentine's Sugar Cookies

I used my royal icing and love sugar cookies recipes! Happy Valentine's day!

Chocolate Valentines

Chocolate Valentines

Beef stew

• 1-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 6 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon browning sauce

Directions

• Layer the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Place flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add stew meat; seal and toss to coat evenly. In a large skillet, brown meat in oil in batches. Place over vegetables.
• In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, broth, mustard, salt, pepper, thyme and browning sauce. Pour over beef. Cover and cook on high for 1-1/2 hours. Reduce heat to low; cook 7-8 hours longer or until the meat and vegetables are tender. Yield: 8 servings.