Minion Cupcakes, Never Again

t8r3dMPgU4Htc3zv.jpg

Let me preface this by saying, I love my niece. I love being the one that bakes her cupcakes every year for her birthday, even though I’m really not a fan of decorating cupcakes. Every year my sister picks an awesome theme and they go all out. This year, it was Despicable Me, and she had minion everything.

Ashley pinned a picture of a twinkie topped cupcake, and asked if I could do it. I say…yes. Thankfully I got help from my baking guru friend Diem. I could not have done it without her!

q4YelAAPOjvMn5XO.jpg

We made funfetti cupcakes topped with a blue buttercream. I ordered Wilton Candy Eyeballs which I used to decorate the twinkies. We used black gel icing for the details, and chocolate jimmies for the spiky hair.

WGK3wstHPKfKdXHI.jpg

AFnornInjPwzHyIQ.jpg

It’s a pretty simple thing to do, but since we made 48 it was a long and tedious process. First we cut the twinkies in half, then with a little frosting, stick one or two eyes on them.

sZpOT4HW2A4JkWKH.jpg

After that, I poked holes into the top of the twinkies (which are now hard by the way from sitting out of the package) and inserted chocolate jimmies for spiky hair.

PJLOztdpQtxC0NJ8.jpg

amBv3so5qHTU1Qcv.jpg

Using a small tip and black piping gel, I outlined the eyes to make goggles and finish their face.

RXdocN6Oh1rIr7SO.jpg

After that we frosted the cupcakes, and pressed the twinkies on top! I personally don’t like eating twinkies, but everyone seemed to enjoy them!

Fall is Here! Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

NviAGN9CEJ7Sf3tm.jpg

Well. Maybe tomorrow. But I’m excited. Time for comfort foods. And pumpkin EVERYTHING. Surprisingly, I have not had a pumpkin spice latte yet. I am boycotting them this year because Starbucks rolled it out too early. To get the pumpkin spice fix, I made pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Can I tell you a secret though? I didn’t use a cupcake recipe. It was for whoopie pies. Whoopie pies look too much like macarons, and I am still on hiatus, so I instead of scooping them into cookies, I just stuck it in a cupcake pan and called it a day.

9nD96BqjUOLwPfmz.jpg

2kndjstBtKmZsheR.jpg

Spice up your life.

AcvF9DKCXJqGBDor.jpg

Pumpkin, brown sugar and butter.

cKnlcC8x67qSRKGv.jpg

kRRiD7714jYwBdxv.jpg

JTqaE2zm8OSuUSOy.jpg

I added some cinnamon to this recipe.

So Quiet?

October has been really busy! Doctors, dentists, work, LIFE. It is cold so now I have an even harder time getting up. The days are shorter so I get sleepy so early. I fill my schedule with friends and food, and though I’m taking pictures and thinking “I should blog about this”…I don’t. I know. I am a mess.  But here’s what I’ve been up to.

Baked chocolate bacon cupcakes, with salted caramel buttercream frosting topped with candied bacon. The cake was too thick. It was brownie like. I must try again.

I made “Cocktail Cupcakes” where I turned Ashley’s favorite cocktail into a cupcake. For her birthday I made “amaretto sours”. It was a amaretto cupcake with lemon whipped frosting topped with a cherry. Just like the drink!

So many birthdays! For my big brother’s birthday I made him, bacon egg toast cups for brunch. These are definitely a hit. I always overcook the egg though. I need to put it in for less time I guess. I like it medium.

My aunt and uncle are moving soon, and I am trying to get some time in with them before they leave.

It’s definitely been busy filled with eating, cooking and enjoying my friends and family. Oh and guess what, I am still going to the gym!! No more cardboard box diet updates for me though. I think I’ve gotten to the point where I am getting into the groove myself.

 

Oh and did I mention I contributed to the recent issue of Sage Magazine? Check out my piece on french comfort food. NOMMMMMM. Another busy weekend ahead of me. Isn’t fall great? What have you been up to?!