Month of Cupcakes Kickoff

Hello all,

Do you ever get hung up on making a decision?

I do. I hate making decisions. Yes, I know, terrible to admit but I positively loathe having to choose; not because I dislike being in charge (trust me, not a problem) but in reality because I love variety and never know what I want. What to have for dinner, what flavor of coffee I want, whether I want to study procrastinate on Pinterest or FoodGawker...the list goes on and on.

For example, I had decided (or so I thought) that I would do an April Cupcake Challenge here on the blog. Simple enough decision, now the only problem lay in where to obtain the recipes from. Do I go Julie and Julia on all of you and get a cupcake book? Or can I just pick my most favorite, most mouthwatering cupcake posts from some of the best baking blogs out there? OR do I just not do cupcakes at all because I can't decide between my first choice and second choice?

Now you see -  there's too much room to over-think it. Well it's your blog silly, my mind says to itself Just do you.

'But what does that even mean??' I ask my mind back. Then I realize I'm talking to myself inside my mind and it's very close to becoming talking to myself outside of my mind. Not an attractive feature while walking to class, let me tell you.

Well, just like avoiding decisions I am going to avoid that question too, for now. Right now, I am seriously in the mood for some cupcakes, and I think a whole month of them sounds just delightful.

Don't you?

I'm so glad you agree! So take this as a challenge, or just a month brimming with delicious baby cakes, but cupcakes will be the name of the game for the month of April here on Sugar Mountain.

Phew. Decision reached.

And to kick things off: Mocha Coconut Frappuccino Cupcakes! This recipe has been on my "To Bake" list for ages, and now that I've made (and eaten) an unhealthy amount of them, I can say that it was worth the wait, and that I most likely will not wait long until I make them again. They are that good.

 

During this month I'll also share links I've found with tips on cupcake baking, decorating, storing, etc.

If you want to join in on my month of cupcakes, just comment here on the post, sharing a link to your blog and letting me know if you'd like me to share your photos here on mine. That means all your posts in April must  be cupcake related, and I only ask that if you do want to get involved, to please link back to this post so that more bloggers can get involved and share their own crazy cupcake obsession.

Happy Baking!

Mocha Coconut Frappuccino Cupcakes Via How Sweet It Is 

1cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp instant coffee
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line one 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, coffee, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together egg and sugar until you reach a smooth consistency with no lumps. Beat in vanilla, coconut milk, and melted butter.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined and batter is smooth. Stir in sour cream. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to fill cupcake liners with batter. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Coconut Cream Frosting:

1cup softened butter
3 2/3 cups powdered sugar (more may be needed)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1-2  tbsp coconut milk
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

1. Beat butter until light and fluffy, then begin to beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Beat in vanilla extract and teaspoonfuls of coconut milk until desired consistency is reached. Stir in sweetened shredded coconut and beat until smooth.

1/2 cup toasted coconut (*toast for 10 minutes at 350 degrees until golden - stirring often)

Mocha Coconut Drizzle:

2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee powder
1-2 tsp coconut milk

1. Sift together sugar, cocoa powder and instant coffee in small bowl. Add coconut milk and stir. Continue to stir until thick glaze comes together, adding splashes of coconut milk if necessary.

The Lazy Blogger's Cake Mix Blondies

Hello friends,

I must apologize; I've been so terrible about keeping up with posts lately. I don't know what's come over me...No wait, I do. It's terrible books like Mrs. Dalloway that I am being forced to read, against my will, in the name of Literature.

I will not rant about how terrible it is (though I really want to) but just let you all know to scratch it off your "Must Read List", if it's even on there at all.

Anyway, this will be a quick post because I have something big in the works for April here on the blog. But I can't tell you yet, silly, since it's still March! So to be brief, I tried to think of what I could whip up easily to share with you all today and I had seen all over Pinterest this image of "Cake Batter Blondies."

With only five ingredients and 25 minutes in the oven I was sold. However, I have to tell you, just buy the funfetti cake mix. Do not use yellow cake mix and attempt to put your own sprinkles in, or you will end up with...

Exhibit A: Not so Pretty, Slightly Purple, Cake Batter Blondies

I know, not my most aesthetically pleasing post, but they are pretty darn delicious so I can't really complain. I used this recipe from Six Sister's Stuff, and I am now enjoying (as crumbs drop all over my keyboard) all the awesomeness of cake batter with the dense, chewy texture we've all come to love from brownies.

That's all for now! BUT April is sure to bring something exciting along here On Sugar Mountain, so check back on Sunday April 1st for more info!

Happy Baking!

Banana Bread Snickerdoodles

Friends,

I have found it.

The cookie to end all other cookies.

Don't laugh; I am dead serious here. It is called the Banana Bread Snickerdoodle and it has now become my most absolute favorite cookie in the entire world.

I am actually going to take a moment here to personally thank the creator of these cookies, Mrs. M.O.B. over at Mind Over Batter.

Dear Mrs. M.O.B.,

Your cookies are so amazing that I think you could end all the arguments currently happening on Earth by making just one cookie for every person on the planet.

Please let me know if you need help in doing so.

Best,

Jessica 

 

Now that that's out of my system - you NEED to make these cookies! She has you microwave the bananas and then take the juice from them and turn it into a syrup that goes BACK into the cookie dough. I know. It's that intense.

My whole kitchen smelled like a banana bread bakery during all of this. It was the best smell. ever.

A little bit more work than your average snickerdoodle I'll give you that. But it doesn't matter. If you consider yourself a lover of banana bread or snickerdoodles, you must must must make these cookies.

The recipe makes over 3 dozen, which sounds like a lot. However, see how much it makes when you are face-to-face with the delectable and dangerously delicious dough. Go ahead, I dare you; try not to eat an unhealthy-sized spoonful of it.

Enough said. Get going on making these cookies and start achieving world peace with their awesomeness.

Banana Bread Snickerdoodles By Mind Over Batter
makes roughly 4 dozen cookies

3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 medium very ripe bananas, peeled and chopped
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
 1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp banana syrup (recipe follows)

For banana syrup:

1. Place chopped bananas into large microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 2-3 minutes, or until the bananas start to let out juice.
2. Mash bananas through a fine mesh strainer, put banana mash aside.
3. Take banana juice and place in small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Heat until syrupy, about 2 minutes (it should reduce to about 2 tbsp). Allow to cool before using.

For cinnamon sugar:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Mix together with hands until well incorporated.

For cookies:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and cinnamon into a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl cream butter until fluffy, about 1 minute. beat in both sugars and the mashed bananas until fully incorporated.
3. Mix in egg, vanilla extract, and banana syrup until well combined. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredient mixture roughly one cup at a time. Be sure to chill dough at least one hour before baking.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper (or grease liberally with cooking spray).
5. Use a cookie scoop or small spoon to scoop out tablespoonfuls of dough. Roll into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place at least 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie ball slightly with the bottom of a glass.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until cookies are slightly firm. Let cool five minutes on pan before transferring to wire cooling rack.

Pop Tart Pops

Hello all,

Can you believe I'm back at college already? Where on earth did my Spring Break go?! Sigh, well, back to real life I suppose. As real as college life is anyway.

Did I ever tell you what a smash hit the homemade pop tarts were? My boss was so happy with them that he heated his up in the microwave and actually ended up burning his mouth on it in excitement. So I wasn't surprised when another supervisor mentioned to me that our boss was really in the mood for pop tarts again. 'But I already did a post on pop tarts' I thought to myself.

'But this was important' she explained 'He won't accept the cinnamon challenge unless you give him more pop tarts.'

Cinnamon challenge you may ask? It's when you ingest an entire teaspoon of cinnamon by itself and try to swallow. Yes, I know, college students have weird ideas concerning entertainment. This is one of them.

But how could I say no to seeing that happen? So I thought to myself 'how do I switch up pop tarts to make it delicious for my coworkers and still new and exciting for my readers?'

Answer: Pop Tart POPS!

Like cake pops, only more pie-ish. I decided to stick with the classic strawberry which is always a favorite, along with a few Nutella-filled Pops for those daring eaters.

I used the basic pop tart pie crust from my previous post here with the only switch of using Nutella as a filling for some along with a chocolate frosting. Can I tell you though, between us, buy the premade pie crust. Seriously, just do it. Homemade is neat and all, but it gets finicky really quickly. and the pre-made is already rolled out to the right thickness and will save you a good deal of time.

 

Needless to say they are sure to be a huge hit at my job (where I believe I may slowly be giving everyone diabetes with all these treats). If you enjoy your co-workers' company as much as I do, maybe whip a few up for them, or if not, for some hungry housemates!

Oh, and as for the cinnamon challenge? I will try my best to get a video of every exciting second of it for you all to see. I know I can't wait. :)

Happy Baking!

Pop Tart Pops

1 homemade or store bought pie crust (recipe link here)
1 jar strawberry preserves or 1 jar Nutella
Popsicle sticks
Chocolate or Vanilla Glaze

1. Roll out Pie Crust to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into equally sized small rectangles. Place rectangles on parchment-lined cookie sheet and place one Popsicle stick in the center of each.

2. Scoop one teaspoon of filling over Popsicle stick and center of pie crust rectangle. Cover with another pie crust rectangle and use a fork to crimp the edges all the way around.

3. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes or until golden.

4. Coat with frosting and sprinkles and enjoy!

Fresh Lemon and Strawberry Frosted Donuts

Hello all,

Daylight Savings Time has passed this weekend and I have to tell you, I am LOVING the extra sunlight. It just makes the days so much cheerier, granted I am currently writing to you from Florida (the Sunshine State). I am sure when I get back to NJ I will be greeted by the lovely gray, overcast weather I have come to call my own.

But while I'm still down here catching the rays, I thought I'd share these fresh fruit-frosted donuts with you!

I can't say I looked up the lemon frosting, but sadly I did discover that Strawberry Frosted Donuts, from say Dunkin Donuts, are not frosted with anything that resembles real strawberrries. Gross. 

How are we still okay with that? I mean I understand that if you use real strawberries it wont be as smooth and glossy, but I think that might very well be a sacrifice we are willing to make for real fruit frostings.

Regardless, mine utilize the wonderful fresh strawberries down here in Florida, along with some lovely fresh lemons as well.

I ran into some trouble with lighting for my photos (when does that not happen) but discovered that the sun was the perfect accompaniment to my donuts. Now if only NJ was this bright all the time I'd take all my photos outside each morning!

I've included the basic sour cream donut recipe below along with the new fruit glazes/frostings. Feel free to switch out the lemon juice for lime (key lime donuts anyone?) or use your favorite fruit in place of the strawberries. The possibilites are endless, not to mention delcious.

Happy Baking!

Sour Cream Donuts (makes about 2 dozen mini donuts)
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. In separate bowl whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients. Using a mixer on medium speed, blend until smooth.
3. Fill each cooking reservoir with about 2 tbsp of batter.
4. Bake about 4-5 minutes or until donut springs back when touched.
5. Glaze or coat with powdered or cinnamon sugar.

Fresh Lemon Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
splash of milk

1. Sift powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add lemon juice and begin to stir. Add milk slowly, until consistency is smooth but still thick.
 
Fresh Strawberry Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup strawberries
splash of milk

1. Sift powdered sugar into medium bowl. Pulse straberries in food processor until completely chopped. Scrape strawberry puree into powdered sugar and whisk until it comes together. Add splash of milk as needed to create smooth consistency.

 To frost donuts: dip donut in frosting, pull up and allow excess to drip off. Poke hole in center with finger to allow frosting to form to shape of donut. Then allow to dry on cooling rack or dip in sprinkles.