Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Back on the first day of Fall, Jess & I went shopping at Partridge Creek and of course we had to stop at Starbucks for something warm to drink and a treat. We choose their Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and were they ever YUMMY! Then a couple of weeks ago I got a phone call from JD up at school asking me for my basic WW pumpkin muffin recipe. While giving him the simple three ingredients recipe, I got to thinking that I could Jazz them up a bit and try to recreate the Starbucks treat and this was the result! (Warning its hard to eat just one.)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Ingredients
For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Cup powdered sugar
For the topping:
1/2 Cup sugar
5 Tbsp flour
5 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the Muffins
1 Box Spice Cake Mix
15 oz Pumpkin puree (1 can)
1 Egg (Whites)
1/4 Cup Apple sause
2 Tbsp Pumpkin pie spice
1/2 Cup Water

Instructions:
To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Set aside.

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the dry cake mix, pumpkin purée, pumpkin pie spice, egg white, apple sauce, water. Stir until dry cake mix is blended.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin cup with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom. Place a a spoonful of the cream cheese into each muffin cup. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before serving.

Cherry Coke Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix

12 oz Diet Cherry Coke Soda

3 egg whites

64  Drained maraschino cherries (stem less)

Preheat over 350 Degrees F for conventional oven or 325 degrees F for a convection oven

Mix dry cake mix with the diet soda & egg whites.  Beat until almost fluffy. 

Line cupcake pans with papers & fill ½ to ¾ full.  Place one cherry on top of the batter for each cupcake. The batter should fill about 32 papers.  Bake according to recommendation on cake mix box for cupcakes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in pan . Remove and place on cooling rack.  . Pipe Frosting on to each cupcake using a #22 Star Tip.   Top with a maraschino cherry & drizzle a tad of cherry juice for a finishing touch.

To really finish the presentation, take straws and cut into1 ½ inch pieces and insert one into each cupcake.

Cherry Coke Buttercream

3/4 cup butter, softened

¼ cup shortening (Crisco)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. Diet Cherry Coke

2 Tbsp. maraschino cherry juice.

3 1/2 Cups powdered sugar

1 - 2 Tbsp. very cold heavy cream or half & half

Cream the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add Vanilla, Cherry Coke & Maraschino cherry juice

Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each cup. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold cream/half & half.  Mix on medium-high to high speed, until you reach the desired consistency

Raspberry Lemonade & Boston Cream Cupcakes

Raspberry Lemonade &

Boston Cream Pie CupCakes

I know it's been a while since I posted, but it's time to start getting creative again and right now I am having a bunch of fun experimenting with various cupcakes.

I came up with these yummy cupcakes for my little sister's 40th Birthday Party on June 16th.  They were such a hit that I made them again to take to work for my best friend's birthday and again - "A Hit"

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 Box Lemon Cake Mix

12 oz Diet Lemon Lime Soda ( I prefer sugar-free- Sierra Mist)

3 egg whites

64 washed and dried fresh raspberries (optional)

Seedless Raspberry preserves, jam or cake filling or Lemon Curd

Preheat over 350 Degrees F for conventional oven or 325 degrees F for a convection oven

Mix dry cake mix with the diet soda & egg whites.  Beat until almost fluffy. 

Line cupcake pans with papers & fill ½ to ¾ full.  If you choose to use the fresh raspberries, place one on top of the batter for each cupcake. The batter should fill about 32 papers.  Bake according to recommendation on cake mix box for cupcakes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in pan . Remove and place on cooling rack.  Using a Bismarch #230 tip pipe in the Raspberry preserves or Lemon Curd into each cupcake at this point. Pipe Raspberry Butter Cream See recipe below on to each cupcake using a #22 Star Tip.

Garnish the top each cupcake with a fresh raspberry if desired and sprinkle some decorating sugar for some extra sparkle.  To really finish the presentation, take straws and cut into1 ½ inch pieces and insert one into each cupcake.

Raspberry Buttercream

1/2 cup Seedless pureed raspberries (blended into a puree and pushed through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds)

2 stick light butter – room temperature

1/2 cup shortening

1 ½ tablespoons clear vanilla extract

1 1/2 pounds confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)

2-4 tablespoons very cold no-fat half & half (add until you reach desired consistency)

Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add extracts and raspberry puree and combine well.

Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each cup. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold half & half… one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency.

Boston Cream Pie CupCakes

Cupcakes:

1 box yellow cake mix

12 oz diet sugarfree cream soda (Jones Soda or Faygo are my favorites)

1 small box of Vanilla Pudding or Custard prepared according to directions**

Preheat over 350 Degrees F for conventional oven or 325 degrees F for a convection oven

Mix dry cake mix with the diet soda & egg whites.  Beat until almost fluffy. 

Line cupcake pans with papers & fill ½ to ¾ full.  The batter should fill about 32 papers.  Bake according to recommendation on cake mix box for cupcakes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in pan . Remove and place on cooling rack.  Using a Bismarch #230 tip pipe in the vanilla pudding or custard into each cupcake at this point. Pipe The Chocolate Buttercream Frosting on to each cupcake using a #22 Star Tip. (See recipe below on to each cupcake.)

**(Shortcut -  use a can of Thank You Brand Vanilla pudding)

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 ½ stick), softened (but not melted!)

¼ cup shortening

3 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

½ cup Ovaltine – (this is the secret ingredient)

1/2 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Cream butter and shorting  for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar, Ovaltine and cocoa powder into a separate bowl. Add the dry mixture one cup at a time on the lowest spreed until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Repeat until all dry ingredients are blended into butter/shortening.  Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk/cream 1 tablespoon at a time.

Frosting is modified from this original recipe: http://savorysweetlife.com/2011/04/chocolate-buttercream-frosting/

Toning with Kit (Lower Body) Tango - Rumors/Someone Like You Mashup

Our New Adventure and The First Recipe

On November 2, 2010 my Kenmore Flattop Electric range decided to catch fire in my kitchen.  I then had to go out and get an new range and since the kitchen was set up for either electric or gas, this was the perfect opportunity to switch to a gas range.  I choose a Whirlpool gas range.  It's it great!  

 This new range, along with some new pots & pans, new bakeware and a new mixer has renewed my interest in cooking, much to the delight of my family.    

The goal of this blog is to find, twist, turn, and/or create a new recipe each week to share with you.  Here's our first recipe.  It was a huge hit with the family (especially my now 18 year old son).


Prosciutto and Asparagus Linguine

 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pound multi grain linguine
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• crushed red pepper seed to taste
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 8 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese,  (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoons basil leaves

Preparation

• Cook the asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Cook pasta until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, Follow package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. 
• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 20 - 30 seconds. 
• Add asparagus and prosciutto to the skillet.
• Add the pasta, and then some of the reserved cooking liquid and white wine. Toss to coat. 
• Add the mozzarella and basil, and toss to combine. 
• Turn off the heat. 
• Season with salt,  pepper and crushed red pepper, to taste, and serve. 

Serving Size

6 to 8 servings. Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes.