Champagne Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling and Champagne Buttercream

I had a beautiful bottle of Veuve Clicquot to drink, and I decided that I could use a little bit to make a new cupcake! It was my good friend’s housewarming this weekend (congrats Lu & Lindsay!) so it was the perfect opportunity to make a new dessert.

Cupcake Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup salted butter, room temp.
1 3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup champagne (more sweet than dry)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 egg whites
1 can raspberry pastry filling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Line 24 cupcake wells with liners.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, blend butter and sugar with a hand mixer.
In a small bowl combine champagne and vanilla.
Add flour and champagne to the butter and sugar mixture in 5 intervals: flour, champagne, flour, champagne, flour.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the rest.
Drop batter into cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool thoroughly.
After the cupcakes have cooked, core a center out of the middle of each cupcake and spoon a small amount of raspberry filling into the middle.

Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup salted butter, room temp
3-4 cups powdered sugar
3 T champagne
Directions:
Using a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
Next, add powdered sugar and mix until incorporated.
Finally, add champagne and mix.
Pipe frosting on to filled cupcakes and decorate!

Coconut Cake Balls

A ridiculously simple recipe that I made for a cookie swap this past weekend.

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
Ingredients called for on the box
14 oz. bag sweetened, shredded coconut
1 container cream cheese frosting
Dark chocolate melts
Extra shredded coconut

Directions:
Bake the cake according to directions on the box.
Once cake is cooled, break it up into a large bowl, add coconut and frosting and mix thoroughly until doughy.
On a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, roll out balls of the dough.
(Grease your hands, scoop a ball of dough with a cookie scoop, and roll until smooth between hands).
Freeze the cake balls for one hour.
Melt the chocolate and dip the cake balls half way into the chocolate and then dip in shredded coconut.
Keep refrigerated until served.
Recipe yields over 5 dozen.

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!
Here is a Paleo friendly dessert for your table.

Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 egg
Filling:
15 oz. canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a food processor, pulse almond flour.
Add egg and coconut oil and pulse until a ball forms.
Press crust into a pie dish on the bottom and up the sides.
Poke crust with fork all over.
In a food processor, combine pumpkin and eggs.
Then, add coconut milk, honey, and pumpkin pie spice and pulse to combine.
Pour filling into pie crust, and bake for 45 minutes.
Let cool, and then allow pie to set in fridge for at least 2 hours.

Tiramisu

My first shot at one of my favorite desserts! I have made these Tiramisu Cupcakes , but this was the real thing. I would definitely like to give it a second try (because it was delicious) but also because I was a little short on Lady Fingers so it was a little runnier than I wanted.

Ingredients:
24 small lady fingers
8 oz. Mascarpone
3 eggs (separated)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup strong, black coffee
2 tablespoons Kahlua

Directions:
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and Kahlua together in a bowl.
Add the mascarpone and whisk again.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
Gently fold egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.
Dip each lady finger into the cooled coffee quickly.
Line the first layer of a small square pan with the dipped lady fingers.
Top with half of the mascarpone mixture.
Repeat.
Dust with cocoa powder, and let sit in the fridge overnight!

Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cakies

It’s finally November! Don’t get me wrong; I love October. It’s my birthday month and we have Halloween, but I love November for…you guessed it, Thanksgiving. I love pumpkin everything. So, I decided to make some of favorite cookies, the Paleo Banana Chocolate Chip Cakies . I make them constantly when I’m craving sweets, but this time, I replaced the banana with pumpkin purée.

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin purée
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Beat together pumpkin, almond butter, baking soda, vanilla, and salt until well blended.
Add almond flour and blend.
Finally, fold in chocolate chips with a spoon.
I drop my dough onto the parchment covered baking sheet with a teaspoon sized dough scoop to many more, tiny cookies.
Makes about 34 cookies.
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. (Will have to do on two cookie sheets).
Let cool, and remove from baking sheet!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

One of my favorite, newfound desserts is tiramisu! Although, lady fingers are expensive to buy, so I thought about a tiramisu cupcake!
I found a recipe for them from http://www.yourcupofcake.com

It is a delicious, moist, vanilla & coffee cake with a marscapone & coffee filling, topped with a light cream cheese & whipped cream topping!

Ingredients:
Cupcake-
1 box white cake mix
2 egg whites
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup strong coffee
Filling-
8 oz. marscapone
1 tablespoon strong coffee
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Frosting-
8 oz. cream cheese softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pint heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Line 24 cupcake wells with liners.
In a large bowl whisk egg whites, eggs, oil, buttermilk, sour cream, and vanilla gently.
Stir cake mix into wet ingredients.
Use half of the batter and fill the liners 1/3 of the way full.
Add the strong coffee to the remaining batter, and mix.
Drop one tablespoon of the coffee mixture on to the top of each batter-filled liner.
Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back.
Combine all filling ingredients with a spoon.
Beat cream cheese and sugar for the frosting until blended. Add the vanilla and heavy cream and beat until fluffy.
Once cupcakes are cool…
To assemble, cut a small cone shape out of each cupcake and fill with a teaspoon of filling.
Pipe whipped cream on to the top of the filled cupcakes.
Dust with a little cocoa powder & enjoy!

Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

Well, this was the perfect blend of two classic desserts: a chocolate chip cookie and a vanilla cupcake. I was pressed for time, so I took a shortcut with the vanilla cupcake and the cookie decoration, but feel free to use your own cupcake & chocolate chip recipe.

Ingredients:
1 box super moist yellow cake mix + all the ingredients needed to make it
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tblsp. milk
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
Optional: mini chocolate chips & mini chocolate chip cookie dough squares

Directions:
Bake mini chocolate chip cookies according to directions on package and let cool.
Bake cupcakes according to package directions and let cool.
Once cool, cut out the middle of each cupcake.
In a medium bowl beat butter and sugar.
Add vanilla and combine.
Add the flour and salt until incorporated.
Add the milk to get the cookie dough texture.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon cookie dough into holes of the cupcakes.
In a large bowl, beat heavy cream and dry pudding mix until fluffy.
Pipe whipped topping on top of cookie dough filled cupcakes.
Top with mini chocolate chips and a mini cookie!

Cannoli Cupcakes

This recipe was one of the best I have made in a long time! Last night, we celebrated out Crossfit coach’s birthday: Happy Birthday Mikey! So, clearly, my friend LuAnn and I decided to collaborate our baking minds and bake a delicious Cannoli inspired cupcake. The result was mind blowing.
While we doubled the recipe to make 48 cupcakes, I will leave the recipe for 24. (Although you may want to follow in our footsteps and double because they went fast!)
*To Mikey & Dan: Thanks for a great party! Hope you liked the cupcakes!
*We adapted this recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:
Vanilla Cupcakes-
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cream-
16 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese (strained in a cheesecloth overnight)
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Fresh Whipped Cream-
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 package white chocolate or dark chocolate pudding mix
Garnishes-
Mini chocolate chips
Cannoli shells, crushed & broken
Dark chocolate chips, melted

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350.
Line regular sized cupcake pans with 24 liners.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the lol and vanilla; mix until incorporated.
Add the sour cream; mix until incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well blended.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter and bake 18 minutes.
Cool completely.

While cupcakes are baking, make cannoli cream: Beat ricotta, confectioners sugar, and vanilla in a bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips.

For the whipped cream: Beat the cream and pudding mix together until the cream is whipped.
*Thanks for the awesome tip of the pudding mix Lu!

To assemble: Using a small knife (I used a cupcake corer, if you have one,) cut on an angle directly into the top of the cupcake in a circle to remove a small cylinder from the inside of the cupcake.
Using a small spoon or scoop, (I used a small piping bag,) fill the inside with the Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cream.
Pipe the whipped cream on top and garnish with either mini chocolate chips or crushed cannoli shells.
If you want to, break apart pieces of remaining cannoli shells and dip in dark chocolate.
Use those as a decoration!

Coconut, Oatmeal, Almond Joy Cookies

Poll Winner!! These coconut, oatmeal, almond joy cookies are amazing! The smell of coconut and chocolate as they came out of the oven was incredible! Thanks Cody for helping me chop the Almond Joys, and for eating some 😉

This recipe is from: http://www.sweettreatsmore.com

You voted, so here it is:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
8 fun size almond joy bars, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil and sugars.
Add egg and vanilla and mix.
In a medium bowl add flour, oats, and baking soda.
Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
Add chocolate chips and chopped almond joys.
Drop my tablespoon onto parchment.
Mine made about 24 small cookies.

Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie

This smoothie tastes exactly like an oatmeal cookie, and it’s healthy! I’m drinking it as I type before I head off to Crossfit.

Ingredients:
1 banana
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 almond milk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
5 ice cubes

Directions:
Place all ingredients in blender and liquefy until all ice is broken down and smoothie is blended completely.
Pour into a large glass & enjoy!