I don’t know about where you are, but here in Upstate New York this week has been a scorcher, which is why I wasn’t sure if the world was ready for pumpkin quite yet. Yes, it’s September. Yes, pumpkin beer and pumpkin lattes have already been rolled out at most retail locations. It just seems a little weird eating pumpkin-and-cinnamon-flavored treats when it’s a hot and hazy 93 degrees outside. Nevertheless, pumpkin is just too good to put off any longer, so here they are!

I’ve posted the original pumpkin cupcake recipe again after the jump. You’ll also find my improved frosting recipe – this time, a cinnamon buttercream instead of that brown sugar monstrosity from last year. If it wasn’t my first post, I’d delete it. Why did you guys eat those things?!

These are much more adorable:

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
splash heavy cream (optional)
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream sugars and butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add in eggs one at a team, beating well after each addition.
4. Slowly add flour mixture and mix on low speed until smooth. Add splash of heavy cream if desired.
5. Whisk in pumpkin puree until everything is well blended.
6. Line cupcake pan with paper liners, and fill each liner up a little more than halfway full of batter.  Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk, vanilla and cinnamon. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is thick enough to be of good consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar (note: I ended up using 6 cups of sugar for this recipe.)
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon for garnish, if desired.
   
4. Store at room temperature or else icing will set. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days.

Red velvet cake always reminds me of the holidays when my great aunt would bring an aaaaaa-mazing red velvet cake to Christmas dinner. It’s such a comfort food! The rich texture, the treacly-sweet frosting…so good. Even though it’s summer (just barely anymore!), red velvet cake instantly brings me back.

This is my second attempt, and everyone has their own version of the red velvet cupcake. Although, I want to vent about something that I encountered a lot while looking for recipes: people bitching about the red food dye. They wanted something “natural” and “healthier”. Dude…you’re making cupcakes. They’re not exactly beacons of health.

Anyway, let’s ooh and ahh over cupcakes. I made these with cream cheese frosting, and I’ve found it absolutely necessary to mix in the cream cheese while it’s cold (not softened like many recipes call for). Warm cream cheese is runny and gross, so keep it cold!

This recipe is mildly adapted from Joy the Baker‘s website, who got it from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

1 stick butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons red food dye
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
2. Add eggs and beat until well incorporated.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, vanilla and red food coloring to make a thick paste.  Add to the batter, mixing thoroughly until completely combined.
4. Slowly add half of the buttermilk.  Add half of the flour and mix until combined.  Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour, mixing until combined.
5. Add baking soda, white vinegar, and salt and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
6. Spoon batter into a paper lined cupcake baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center cupcake comes out clean.
7. Allow cupcakes to sit in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and place onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
(from AllRecipes)

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cold and cubed
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and and sugar.
2. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually mix in the cream cheese cubes.
3. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

When I came up with this recipe, I tried to think about what makes French toast, French toast: cinnamon, egg, and maple syrup. I added an extra yolk to the cupcake batter, and maple extract to the super-decadent mascarpone frosting, since most stuffed French toast is filled with mascarpone or cream cheese. Okay, the mascarpone frosting didn’t work out, so I adapted the famous Magnolia buttercream to taste like maple syrup!

And these cupcakes taste exactly like French toast. It’s almost a little weird.

But, that means they count as breakfast, right?

Recipe after the jump.

French Toast Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs plus one egg yolk, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple extract

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. Line two muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flours and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs (including extra yolk), 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk, vanilla, and maple extract. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
6. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Maple Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 to 1 teaspoon maple extract to taste

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and maple. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is thick enough to be of good consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar (note: I ended up using 8 cups of sugar for this recipe.)
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon for garnish, if desired.
   
4. Store at room temperature or else icing will set. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days.

I’ve since learned that white chocolate can be a lot classier than that.

Most cookies that call for chocolate chips (white or otherwise) usually suggest adding 1 to 1 1/2 cups, but I always add the entire 12-ounce bag no matter what. Who like cookies with stingy add-ins? No one, that’s who. Maybe Quakers or something.

I could have sworn that Magnolia Bakery had a recipe that I used, but I couldn’t find it. Instead, I used the Magnolia Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan cookie base with a 12-ounce bag of white chocolate chips and 1 cup of macadamia nuts.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1  cup macadamia nuts
1 12-ounce bag white chocolate chips

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the egg, cream, and vanilla, and beat well.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Stir in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Apologies for the distant photograph; was enjoying the Fourth of July party far too much to take pictures. Sparklers are from a local party store, and sugar lime cookies courtesy of my wonderful friend Ashley, who accompanied me on my baking and Fourth of July journeys this year. It was wonderful having her back in town, if only for a few days! No one (other than my mom) appreciates baking in the kitchen watching good movies more than her.

Embarrassingly enough, on my first attempt making these cupcakes that night, I dropped an entire egg into the batter, and my beloved KitchenAid mixer dutifully chopped the eggshell into bits within seconds. I tried picking out the bits of shell, but soon admitted defeat and started over again. Such is life.

I’ve posted the Magnolia vanilla cupcake recipe previously (when I made my Super Bowl cupcakes earlier this year), but I’m posting the recipe after the jump for convenience. Hopefully Ashley will do a guest post and provide the recipe for her awesome sugar lime cookies!

Magnolia’s Vanilla Cupcakes
(courtesy Magnolia Bakery)

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. Line two muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
6. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Magnolia’s Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
(thanks again Magnolia!)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is thick enough to be of good consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar (note: I usually end up using about 5 cups. You want to make sure it’s stiff, but too much sugar and it’s too sweet. I’ve also tried cutting it with a teaspoon of flour, beating very well after addition of course).
3. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired. Store at room temperature or else icing will set. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days.

They’ve been referred to as “crack cupcakes” due to their overwhelming deliciousness. They are perhaps even better than Reese’s cupcakes. They rarely make it to the end of any party, never mind a normal work day at the office. And I will be making the most epic version of this classic cupcake for Independence Day.

Stay tuned!

Since I’ve been short on time lately, I’ve opted for cookies. I adore baking cupcakes, but they are multi-step treats: bake cupcakes, make icing, wait for cupcakes to cool, rewhip icing because it went flat, pipe icing onto cupcakes, try again because it looks like crap, give up and use a frosting spreader.

Yea, cookies are easy.

Personally, I am not the hugest fan of chocolate. Sure, I like candy (especially Reese’s and Cadbury mini eggs), but I’m more of a vanilla girl. But when mixed with peanut butter, chocolate becomes intoxicating.

I swear, I do bake things that aren’t made of chocolate and peanut butter! Well, sometimes.

The base for this cookie is adapted from Magnolia Bakery’s Chocolate Drop Cookie, but with chocolate and peanut butter chips added because why not!

Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3  cups (2 2/3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth; about 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract.
4. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly.
5. Stir in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches in between for expansion.
7. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, cool cookies on the sheet. Remove the cookies after 1 minute and cool on wire rack.

When I first bought my Magnolia cookbook, this was the recipe I tried out right away and have been perfecting ever since. While they were always amazing, I recently discovered the key to making this cookie outrageous: heavy cream instead of milk. Never mind that the reason I had to use cream was because I didn’t have any milk in the house; this is the kind of serendipitous feat that doesn’t need an enlightening back story.

While the milk makes these cookies insanely smooth, the heavy cream makes them even more unbelievable.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
(lovingly adapted from Magnolia Bakery)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the egg, cream, and vanilla, and beat well.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Stir in the pecans, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

You could use the Magnolia chocolate cupcake recipe (the old standby), but I instead used a devil’s food cake recipe that made for some awesomely fluffy cupcakes. Frosting is simple and completely foolproof, and I crumbled up some peanut butter cups for garnish. I suppose you could use Reese’s Pieces as well, but let’s be serious. Peanut butter cups are way better.

Am I right?

Devil’s Food Cake Cupcakes
(adapted from Martha Stewart‘s recipe)

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20 minutes

1. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth.
2. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated.
5. Add the vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low.
6. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream.
7. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool for 15 minutes, then remove from tins to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Frosting

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
crushed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (for garnish)

1. Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work.
2. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.
3. Continue to add confectioners’ sugar until desired consistency is reached (you may not use all the sugar).
4. Pipe or spread icing onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle on peanut butter cups.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I really don’t give a crap about football.  Never really been my thing.  For me, the best thing about football was having people over so I could cook and bake.  But the Superbowl is a different story.  It’s football, but it’s also commercials AND snacks AND beer all rolled up into one delicious evening.  I didn’t mind the Superbowl this year since I knew I’d be whipping up some kind of baked good.

I am pretty shocked that the original Magnolia cupcake recipe hasn’t turned up on this blog yet.  I beg of you, if you have never had a vanilla Magnolia cupcake, go have one.  Like, now.  No seriously.  A-maz-ing.  The fluffiest, most flavorful cupcake you can make.  Plus they’re the perfect canvas for all kinds of frosting!

Magnolia’s Vanilla Cupcakes
(courtesy Magnolia Bakery)

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. Line two muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
6. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Recipe for Magnolia’s Chocolate Buttercream Frosting