Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

     When we were in Maine, my son took school a little serious. He has always found school easy. Why? It is because he is very competitive. If his sister could do it, then he was going to make sure he could do it. He would try to help her with her homework in which she would get really angry about. She didn't need his help because he is two grades lower than her. Is he any smarter than her? No but boy he really likes to win. In school, he was fortunate to have teachers who would push him. If he found a subject easy, they seemed to make his learning a little more challenging. When we moved to North Carolina, he did slack. Before, he had never even missed a spelling word. Now, he was missing a lot of words. Did he still make honors? Of course but the effort was not there. I've told my kids that what is important is there effort and not the grades. They really need to work as hard as they can. I really feel that is what makes someone go far in life. Well, my son is taking his school a little more serious again. Maybe it is because his sister really does? Whatever the reason, I am glad.
     Now to these cupcakes-my daughter loved them. I think she ate the majority of them. My two guys liked them too. It could have been the peanut butter frosting I used. I did try placing a mini peanut butter cup in a few of the cupcakes. Don't do it. The peanut butter cup sank to the bottom and burned. The guys didn't care since they just peeled the peanut butter cup away and ate the rest. Good thing I only had done it to a couple.These are some dark cupcakes. They are as dark as an October night!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes aka Dark, very dark Cupcakes
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside. 
3. Heat the milk for 1 minute until warm. 
4. Mix the milk with the dark cocoa powder. Set aside. 
5. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. 
6. Add the vanilla and the eggs to the butter mixture. 
7. Stir in the dark cocoa powder mixture.
8. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until incorporated. 
9. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
10. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

Two years ago...................................I made Apple Crisp.
Three years ago.................................I made Mace Crumb Muffins.
Four years ago...................................I made Cheesy Basil Stuffed Chicken.

Did you already know........................
-The darkest time of the night is half way between dusk to dawn. 
-In October, the constellations Aquarius and Pegasus are easy to view.
-Before dawn tomorrow, Jupiter and Venus can be viewed above the moon.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes plus a giveaway

Last year, I was preparing to move from Maine to North Carolina. What a hectic time! I was nervous about changing locations. I was sad to leave my friends and family. I was thankful my husband was ready to move. Also, my kids didn't complain much. They did like the warmer weather. We had to pack up a whole household in a crazy amount of time. Even with the move, we have seen our family often. We keep in touch with our friends back home. We still like the weather here.

To celebrate my daughters birthday, I made her some peanut butter cupcakes. They are moist and my husband loved them. My daughter requested chocolate frosting for the peanut butter cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanut powder
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
4. Add the honey. Mix until well incorporated.
5. Add the 2 eggs and mix until incorporated.
6. Add the baking soda, salt, peanut powder, and flour. Mix until just incorporated.
7. Add the milk and mix until incorporated.
8. Evenly distribute the batter between the dozen muffin tins. 
9. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago................................I made Almond Chocolate Tart.
Two years ago.............................I made  Green Smoothies.
Three years ago...........................I made Peanut Butter Brownies.

Did you already know....................
-The average person moves eleven times in their life.
-Less than fifty percent of moves occur during the summer.
-A typical household move weighs about 6,000 lbs.

Contest closed.

Pop-tart Cupcakes

My son wanted us to make Pop-tart cupcakes. Yes, you read it right! Pop-tart cupcakes! So, we did. Why Pop-tarts? I actually have no idea. When he is given a choice for a quick break, he picks a breakfast bar. I really didn't know what to expect. I actually was surprised. The Pop-tart seemed to melt while baking but it did leave a red line for the strawberry filling. My son liked adding a corner of the Pop-tart in the frosting for decoration. If you know someone that loves Pop-tarts, then they would love the novelty of these cupcakes. The kids loved these cupcakes. My husband thought our son was pretty creative. Now, if you have any extra Pop-tarts then I suggest make some cupcakes.

Pop-tart Cupcakes
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy.
5. Add one egg and mix before adding the second egg.
6. Add the vanilla and mix.
7. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture alternating with 1/8 cup of milk. 
8. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture followed by another 1/8 cup of milk. 
9. Then add the remaining flour mixture with the remaining milk.
10. Mix until just combined. 
11. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with crumbs.
12. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
13. Allow to cool completely. 

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine Volume 8, Number 4.

One year ago...................................I made Blue Cheese Dressing.
Two years ago.................................I made Graduation Cap Cupcakes.
Three years ago..............................I made Texas Pralines.

Do you like my creations?

Did you already know........................
-In 1964, Kellogg's debuted Pop-tarts in four flavors.
-The initial Pop-tarts weren't frosted.
-The early Pop-tarts had a diagonal line down the middle so it can be cut into half before consuming.

Marble Cupcakes

Recently, I purchased a magazine for the Amazing Cupcakes! My son agreed to make some cupcakes with me. He elected zebra cupcakes. He told me I needed to swirl some chocolate batter into the vanilla. (I'm sure there is a better way which I will try another time.) Also, my son only agreed to make these cupcakes if I would make his concoction later. I agreed. So, my next post will be my son's creation. This cupcake is moist. I should have allowed it to cool a little longer before frosting.

Marble Cupcakes:
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
4 oz. milk chocolate, chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy.
5. Add one egg and mix before adding the second egg.
6. Add the vanilla and mix.
7. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture alternating with 1/8 cup of milk. 
8. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture followed by another 1/8 cup of milk. 
9. Then add the remaining flour mixture with the remaining milk.
10. Mix until just combined. 
11. Remove 1/3 of the batter. 
12. Microwave the chocolate for 45 seconds. 
13. Allow to rest for 1 minute. 
14. Mix well. If the chocolate isn't thoroughly melted, microwave for another15 minutes and stir. 
15. Mix the melted chocolate with the 1/3 batter to create the chocolate batter.
16. Evenly distribute the vanilla batter between the cupcake liners. 
17. Add a little of the chocolate batter.
18. Swirl gently with a knife to create a marble look
19. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with crumbs.
20. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
21. Allow to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine Volume 8, Number 4.

One year ago................................I made Flourless Cookies.
Two years ago..............................I made Spicy Honey Chicken Wrap.
Three years ago...........................I made Taco Seasoning.

Did you already know.............................
-Each zebra's stripes are unique.
-Zebras have black skin under their white coats.
-Zebras can run up to 45 miles per an hour.

Apple Cupcakes

If you guessed apples, you were right! The kids thought these apples are the best kind. They are sweet and bright. They are messy. Next time, I am going to skip the mini doughnut and just make rounded tops. I think it would be easier just to cut out a little in the top to make the apple shape. It probably didn't help that my husband ate the glazed mini doughnuts and I had to settle for the powdered doughnuts. They weren't as easy to frost. I'm thinking he was pulling an April Fool's prank on me. I hope you have a great April Fool's Day with only fun pranks.

Apple Cupcakes
12 spicy apple cupcakes with red cupcake liners
6 mini glaze doughnuts, cut in half horizontally if using
1 cup white frosting
6 drops of red food dye
1 small package of fruit roll ups
6 tootsie rolls, cut in half vertically
gummy worms as suggested by my kids

Directions:

1. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before assembling. 
2. Cut out a small section on top of the cupcakes to place the doughnuts.
3. Cover the cupcakes with a thin layer of frosting to seal in place.  
4. Heat the remaining frosting in the microwave for 45 seconds.
5. Mix the white frosting with the drops of red food dye to the preferred color.
6. Carefully dip the cupcakes into the red frosting. Allow the excess frosting to drip off.
7. Shape half of the tootsie roll into a stem.
8. In the center of the doughnut, place the tootsie roll stem.
9. Cut out leaf shapes from the fruit roll ups.
10. Pinch one end of the fruit roll up leaf to gather it.
11. Next to the tootsie roll stem, place the pinched end of the leaf.
12. Decorate with gummie worms if desired.

Recipe adapted from Hello, Cupcake! cookbook.

One year ago.............................I made Hamburger cookies.
Two years ago...........................I made Candy Eggs.
Three years ago.........................I made Spaghetti and Meatball cupcakes.

No green fruit roll ups so blue and purple had to do!

Did you already know..............
-Tootsie rolls were created by Austrian immigrant Leo Hirshfield.
-Mr. Hirshfield had a candy store in New York city.
-In 1896, he named the candy after his daughter Clara's nickname.

Spicy Apple Cupcakes

Alright, this post is a hint for the April Fools post for Wednesday. Maybe it has something to do with the Fall? Spices? Apples? Red items? My kids picked the post for Wednesday. I will say these cupcakes are so delicious. I will be making these cupcakes again. I offered a cupcake to my kids unfrosted, they thought they were muffins. They tried very hard to eat them for breakfast. I didn't give in even though I wanted one too.

Spicy Apple Cupcakes
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 small apples, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
5. Add the vanilla and mix for a minute.
6. Add the egg and combine until incorporated.
7. Add the flour mixture with the buttermilk. Mix until incorporated.
8. Fold in the shredded apples. 
9. Evenly distribute the batter between the cupcake liners.
10. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (My cupcakes took 25 minutes.)
11. Allow to cool completely if frosting.

Recipe adapted from The Chow.

One year ago.......................I made Vanilla Wafer Cookies.
Three years ago...................I made Chicken Spaghetti.

Did you already know............
-In the color spectrum, red has the longest wavelengths.
-In a rainbow, red is the top color.
-About 6% of the male population have deuteranopia. They are unable to see red-green.

Yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting

To honor my mother-in-law, we made her favorite cupcakes. She loved yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting. She would have loved this recipe. We miss her a lot. The cupcakes are moist and delicious. The frosting was good but I think there are other better ones so I'm only going to post the cupcake recipe only.

Yellow Cupcakes
2 cups cake flour
1 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup (8 0z.) butter, softened
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt. 
4. Slowly, add the butter, an oz. at a time, until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
5. Add one egg at a time and mix until just incorporated. 
6. Slowly, add the milk and vanilla. Mix until combined. 
7. Mix until the batter is smooth.
8.  Evenly distribute the batter between the cupcake liners.
9. Bake the cupcakes for at least 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
10. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.

One year ago..............................I made Gnocchi with roasted vegetables.
Two years ago............................I made Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies with pb cups.
Three years ago..........................I made Tropical Carrot Cupcakes.

Did you already know.................
-Dr. Seuss was born in March.
-Chuck Norris turned 75 years old on March 10.
-On March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein was born.

R, W, and B Cupcakes

I wanted to try making a two color swirl on some cupcakes. The only cupcake wrappers I could find to match the theme were these amazing spider-man liners. My son thought it was awesome. I should have waited to make these cupcakes after my husband had turned on the air condition but it all taste the same. I did use some red, white, and blue jimmies in my white cupcake batter to add a splash more of color.

Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes
1 cup of red frosting
1 cup of blue frosting
12 cupcakes cooled

Directions:

1. Place the red frosting in a piping bag. Set aside.
2. Place the blue frosting into a different piping bag.
3. In a large freezer bag, place the red and blue piping bags angled with the tips at the same corner. 
4. Cut a hole larger enough to fit both tips through the freezer bag.
5. Bring the tips through the freezer bag hole to create one large piping bag.
6. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

One year ago.............................I made Strawberry Shortcake Whoppie Pies.
Two years ago...........................I made Bacon and Cheddar Scones.

Did you already know.......................
-On July 4th, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence.
-In 1941, 4th of July was declared a national holiday.
-President Obama's oldest daughter Malia Obama was born on the 4th of July.

Paint Splatter Cupcakes

Did you have a nice weekend? Anything exciting happen? My sister and I made these cupcakes for my nieces birthday party. My niece requested these cupcakes. These were a lot of fun to make. It was like having a food fight. We were really surprised we didn't hit each other since we were on opposite sides of the table. Since I knew we would be the ones cleaning up, I placed newspaper down on the table before we started flinging the frosting. We made a lot of cupcakes.

Paint Splatter Cupcakes
24 cupcakes cooled
3 cups of white frosting
black and other color food dye

Directions:

1. Place the cupcakes onto a cookie tray.
2. Microwave 1 cup of frosting for 20 seconds. Stir and microwave for another 10 seconds.
3. Separate half of the frosting into a separate bowl.
4. Add black food dye to one of the bowls and stir well.
5. Dip the cupcakes into either the heated white or black frosting.
6. Set the dipped cupcakes onto the cookie tray to allow the frosting to set for 30 minutes.
7. Once the frosting has set, microwave the rest of the frosting as before.
8. Separate the frosting equally into other bowls for the different desired splatter colors. 
9. Add several drops of dye to one bowl of frosting to create several different colors.
10. Using a different butter knife for each bowl, dip the knife into the bowl and fling the frosting onto the cupcakes. 
11. Alternate colors to create the splatter look.
12. Allow the frosting to harden before serving.

Recipe inspired by Coco Jo Cake Design.

One year ago.............................I made Flag Cookies.
Two years ago...........................I made Sweet Cakes.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful niece!

Did you already know.....................
-Janet Sobel was one of the first artist to create drip painting.
-Jackson Pollock influenced the American artist Jackson Pollock.
-Last year, Jackson Pollock's No. 9, 1948 sold for over $58 million dollars. 

Pinwheel Cupcakes

For Mother's Day brunch, I wanted to make my Mom some flower cupcakes. I've been places where a real flower was stuck in the middle of a straw and then stuck into a cupcake. When I started researching which plants were poisonous, it became apparent that maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to use real flowers. The petals of a flower may not be poisonous but the stalk or leaves could be. Since there were going to be children present, I wouldn't be able to observe if they were eating the flowers. Most likely, it would have been my son so I figured I would have to substitute the flower with something safer. Since I remembered how my grandmother had pinwheels, I thought it would be a nice connection with her too. The pinwheels worked great. Plus the kids thought it was wonderful to blow on them. My wonderful sister gave me a grass decorating tip which made frosting the cupcakes easier. Also, none of the kids tried eating the pinwheel.

Photo taken by my son!

Pinwheel cupcakes
12 chocolate cupcakes
1 cup green frosting
12 pinwheels

Directions:

1. Using a multi-opening decorating tip, pipe the green frosting onto the cupcakes to resemble grass. (My sister gave me a Wilton Decorating Tip #233).
2. Cut the pinwheel stick in half.
3. Clean the pinwheel stick before inserting in the middle of the cupcake. 

Enjoy!

One year ago.........................................................I made Abstract Art Sugar Cookies.
Two years ago.......................................................I made Seven Cheese Bread.

Did you already know.............
-In 2003, Omikami Amaterasu became the oldest mother when she gave birth to a son.
-More babies are delivered in the month of August.
-By age of 44 years old, 81% of women have given birth.

Happy Mother's Day!

Disappearing Bunnies Cupcakes

My sister makes cupcakes for her girl's classroom. No wonder my sister is very popular at her girl's school. A few children have even put in request for the next type of cupcakes my sister should make. The best part about my sister making cupcakes for her girl's class is that she always brings a few over for us. Aren't these cupcakes so cute. My daughter could not wait to have one.

Disappearing Bunnies 
Cupcakes
Frosting
Food coloring
Oreo cookies, crushed
miniature marshmallows
candy melts


Directions:

1. Dye 3/4 of the cupcakes green and the remaining frosting brown.
2. Set a few cupcakes aside.
3. The remaining cupcakes pipe the green frosting onto the cupcakes using a 233 tip.Set aside.
4. Roll the remaining cupcakes in the crushed Oreo cookies.
5. In the center of the Oreo cupcakes, insert a miniature marshmallow for the bunny tail.
6. On a piece of parchment paper, draw the outline of the bunny's foot like a figure 8.
7. Melt the candy melts and pipe the melted candy melts in the outline of the bunny's foot. 
8. Once the candy has set, stick the candy melt feet onto the Oreo cupcake one on each side of the marshmallow to space out the feet. If needed, stick a little frosting on the bottom so the candy melt feet stick.
9. On top of each candy melt feet, pipe one large circle on the side closest to the marshmallow. On the other side of the candy melt feet, pipe 2 smaller circles to make the paw pads.

Recipe adapted from Hello, Cupcake! cookbook by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.  

One year ago.......................................I made Fried Cheese Sticks.
Two years ago.....................................I made Burritos.

Did you already know........................
-Baby rabbits are called kit.
-A rabbit's front teeth never stop growing.
-Never pick up a bunny by it's ears.

Happy Easter!

Egg Cupcakes

My sister brought me over a carton of eggs. These aren't ordinary eggs. These eggs are cupcakes. Aren't they so cute! My sister made them for her daughter's class for April Fool's Day and she made us a carton too. My husband couldn't wait to crack into them. So, he handed me the carton with the expiration date facing me. I didn't realize he was trying to trick me. I told him that if the eggs were old then he should just throw them out. He told me that I should take them and I said alright. Before I could throw them away, he told me that my sister had brought the eggs over to me. Since I had already talked to my sister, I knew they were cupcakes. He wasn't going to trick me. My husband had thought I would open them and ask why my sister would give me broken hard boiled eggs. I know my sister doesn't like hard boiled eggs and she would not have boiled the eggs just to bring them to me. He has been trying all week to try to trick me. I guess it must mean that it's April Fool's week? Month? Don't worry I've already gotten him once on April Fool's Day and he is just trying to get me back. I will have to think up of a couple more tricks to play on him now.

Egg Cupcakes
12 miniature white frosted vanilla cupcakes
2 cups white candy melts
1/4 cup lemon curd
2 drops of yellow food dye

Directions: 

1. In the microwave, melt the white candy melt. Stir often.
2. Pour the melted candy melts into plastic Easter eggs. Fill some eggs with a lot of candy melts so it looks like a whole egg and some lightly coated for some cracked eggs.
3. Refrigerate the plastic eggs until the candy melts harde.
4. Carefully, squeeze the sides of the eggs to remove the candy melt egg molds.
5. Top the egg molds on top of the cupcakes. 

Recipe adapted from What's New Cupcake? cookbook by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. 

One year ago.............................................I made Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Two years ago...........................................I made Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert.

Did you already know..........................
-Eggs should be used within three weeks of purchase.
-After cooking, hard boiled eggs should be eaten within a week. (Candy ones won't even last that long.)
-Frozen, shelled eggs should be used within a year.

Doggie Cupcakes

My sister makes these great cupcakes and sends them into niece's classroom. She also shares with us. Isn't she so nice? My sister even let me share them with you. My son thought these were great because he thought it gave him an excuse to play with his dessert. He didn't play with them long before gobbling them up.

Doggie Cupcakes
12 cooled cupcakes
1 can of frosting
food dye
12 large marshmallows
12 red jelly beans
miniature chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Dye the frosting the desired color. Set aside.
2. Take a marshmallow and cut off 1/4 inch thick off.
3. Cut the 1/4 inch into half. Set aside for the muzzle.
4. Cut the other half into 4 pieces. Shape the pieces into the shape of ears.
5. Frost the cupcake or pipe the frosting onto the cupcake for a more hairy look.
6. Cover the nose section with frosting and place onto the cupcake.
7. While the nose sets, frost the ear pieces and place the ears onto the cupcakes near the edge and above the muzzle piece.
8. With some frosting or chocolate chips, create two eyes. 
9. Place a red jelly bean or a miniature chocolate chip for the nose.

Recipe adapted from Hello, Cupcake! cookbook.

One year ago...........................I made Peanut Butter Cookies.
Two years ago.........................I made Onion Dip.

Did you already know................
-A dog's muzzle is also a snout.
-The most popular registered breed of dog is the Labrador.
-Dogs sweat glands are located near their foot pads.

Vanilla Cupcakes

I really enjoy blogging. It is like my recipe journal online. It is a great way for me to find a recipe we like. It is also a great way for my family to make a recipe I've made for them. The best part of blogging is to see how much my children have changed. My little girl is almost (I am stressing almost) taller than me. I know this time next year I may be the shortest person in the house. For my youngest daughter birthday party, I made her cupcakes. They were a big hit and were all gone before the party was over. I had made extra.

Vanilla Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
5. Add the eggs to the butter mixture and blend.
6. In a small bowl, add the milk and vanilla. Whisk lightly.
7. Alternating between the flour mixture and the milk mixture add to the butter mixture. Combine until incorporated.
8. Fill the cupcake liners slightly over half full.
9. Bake the cupcakes for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10. Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.
*These cupcakes will not have a high dome top which makes it easier to frost. One year ago............................Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Cookies.

Happy Birthday Beautiful!

Did you already know...............
-The vanilla plant is an orchid.
-Vanilla is native to Mexico.
-Madagascar is the largest producer of vanilla.