Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup
adapted from Food Network

2 to 3 tablespoons oil
1 medium shallot (diced)
3 to 4 cloves garlic (minced)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 heaping teaspoon sweet paprika
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
3 to 4 carrots (chopped)
1 quart broth (vegetable or chicken)
2 teaspoons sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until the onions begin to turn translucent.

Lower heat and add spices and saute about a minute. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, carrots, broth, sugar, salt, and pepper. Chickpeas should be covered with liquid. If level is low, add water until the chickpeas are covered.

Bring to a simmer, then lower heat and gently simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove soup from heat and stir in the spinach until wilted.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
source: Sally's Baking Addiction

1 and 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F and line two cupcake tuns with 14 cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar and eggs together until combined. Then whisk in the pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla until combined. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Spoon the batter evenly into 14 cups and bake for 17-18 minutes.

Cool completely before frosting.

Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese (room temperature)
1 stick butter (room temperature)
4–6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2–4 tablespoons water


Cream together cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until fluffy. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, adding water as needed one tablespoon at a time. Beat well until spreading consistency.

Golden Red Lentil Dal Saag

Golden Red Lentil Dal Saag

adapted from Oh She Glows

2 tablespoons oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 and 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon white sugar 

1 and 1/2 cups dried red lentils
1 (14-oz.) can coconut milk (light or regular.)
2 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 (5-oz.) package baby spinach

Add the oil in a large pot (or dutch oven) over medium heat. Add garlic and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Sautée over medium heat for 2 minutes.

Stir in the ginger and carrots and continue sautéing for a few minutes over medium heat.

Add the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and sugar and stir well. Cook for a minute, until fragrant.

Stir in the can of coconut milk, red lentils, broth, salt, and pepper.

Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered with the lid ajar, for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils and carrots are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom. Add more broth if necessary. After cooking, stir in the spinach until wilted.

*I cooked mine on low for about 45 minutes to get the lentils and carrots soft enough for my taste.  

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Adapted from Minimalist Baker

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 shallot (thinly diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 small butternut squash (equal to about six cups)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14-oz) can light coconut milk (I used full fat.)
2 cups vegetable broth (I used a 32-oz. carton.)
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add oil, shallots, and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add butternut squash and season with salt and pepper, curry powder, cinnamon, and turmeric. Stir to coat and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add coconut milk, vegetable broth, and maple syrup and bring to a low boil over medium heat.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until the butternut squash is fork tender.

Use an immersion blender, or transfer soup to a blender, and purée on high until creamy and smooth.

Continue cooking for a few more minutes over medium heat.

Pumpkin Chili with Chorizo and Sweet Potatoes

I love all things fall. It's my favorite time of year, despite the cooler temperatures. Fall brings colorful leans, crisp air, sweet apples, and pumpkins—the latter of which I also adore. When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be a hit for a chilly fall day. And I was right! The spicy chorizo paired great with the sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and spices. I also baked pumpkin cornbread, which was the perfect accompaniment. You need to whip up a batch of this chili!

Pumpkin Chili with Chorizo and Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from Tidy Mom

1 pound Mexican chorizo (casings removed)
1 pound ground turkey
2 poblano peppers (seeded and chopped)
1 medium sweet potato (peeled and chopped)
2 cans (15 oz.) fire-roasted tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can (15 oz.) white northern beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
1 large can (29 oz.) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Chili seasoning
(I made my own from chili powder, ancho chili powder, onion powder, cumin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, smoked paprika, black pepper, salt.)

Brown chorizo and turkey in a large skillet and drain grease. Add to crock pot.
Meanwhile, peel and chop the sweet potato and chop the peppers. Add to crock pot.

Add the pumpkin, tomatoes, beans, sauce, and spices and mix well.

If too thick, add a little water. 

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.

Banana Zucchini Bread

While I was on the hunt to use up some zucchini, I came across this recipe, which also uses up some overly ripe bananas I had. As a child, the green squiggles in zucchini bread were my favorite. I also adored it filled with raisins and walnuts. This bread tasted more like banana bread, but with the green squiggles from the zucchini.  

Banana Zucchini Bread

Source: Adapted from Real Housemoms via Pinterest

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas (mashed)
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup zucchini (shredded, squeezed, and patted dry)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
Beat together oil and sugar in a stand mixer.
Add the mashed banana, egg, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir on low until just combined.
Fold in the zucchini. 
Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

Zucchini Tots

Ever hear the famous line, "Lock your car doors, it's zucchini time!"? Well it is! Watch out or you will end up with a ton of it. Every year, I am given endless zucchinis from people's gardens. I love zucchini, but I'm always on the hunt for something different. These tots fit the bill. I adjusted the recipe a bit to add more cheese, and they were so cheesy and delicious that I wished I had made more.

Zucchini Tots
Source: adapted from Kirby's Cravings

1 and 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (squeezed and patted dry)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup regular bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded cheese
(I used cheddar.)
1 large egg
salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning (to taste)

Shred zucchini and squeeze and pat dry.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Add zucchini, egg, cheese, breadcrumbs, and seasonings to a large mixing bowl and mix with your hands until everything is thoroughly combined. You may need to add more breadcrumbs if your mixture is too wet, but the mixture should not be dry.
Shape mixture into tot shapes and place on the baking sheet.
Bake for about 20 minutes until bottoms are golden brown and crispy and flip over and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookie Bars

I love chocolate chip cookies, but some days I just don't feel like rolling out balls of cookie dough and waiting for pans and pans of cookies to bake. I would love to find an awesome cookie bar recipe, but unfortunately I am still on the hunt for the perfect bars: thick, chewy, and slightly crispy. These bars had so much promise, but really fell flat on flavor and texture. They were very cake-like, and the brown butter and toffee chips did not add much flavor. They were good but not what I had envisioned.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookie Bars
Source: Slightly adapted from So Tasty So Yummy

1 stick butter
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup toffee chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat until it foams up and deepens in color.
Remove butter from heat and set aside to cool. 

Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together in a large bowl. 
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars.
Add vanilla and eggs and mix well to combine.
Stir in the flour mixture.
Fold in the chocolate chips and toffee chips.
Press the batter into the prepared baking dish.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
Cool and slice into bars.

Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Bailey's Buttercream

Some days you just need cake. A deep, dark chocolate cake spiked with beer and topped with boozey icing. The combination of Guinness and Bailey's is popular near St. Patrick's Day, but I think it's a perfect flavor combo any time of the year. The bittersweet cake is a perfect complement to the sweet icing. You need to make this cake!

Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake
Source: Global Table Adventure

1 and 1/2 sticks butter

3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup Guinness Stout beer
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 and 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and line two eight-inch cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the Guinness, vanilla extract, and cocoa. Remove mixture from heat to cool.
Whisk together the sugar, flour, and baking soda.

Add the Guinness mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk in the eggs.

When the batter is shiny and smooth, pour evenly into two prepared cake pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Removed the cakes from the pans and cool on two cooling racks.

When cooled, spread Bailey's buttercream between layers and ice top and sides.

Bailey's Buttercream

2 sticks butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
2–4 tablespoons Irish cream

Cream the butter. With the mixer on low, add powdered sugar one cup at a time and Irish cream one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Continue beating until smooth and creamy.

Hasselback Chicken

Have you heard of Tasty? It's a great Internet site full of fairly simple recipe videos. Since I have discovered it, I have been using it to get out of my cooking rut. The first recipe I tried was Hasselback chicken. Surely, you know about Hasselback potatoes? They were insanely popular in the blogosphere. The chicken uses the same concept: You cut slits in the chicken, stuff it with ingredients, and bake! It's easy and delicious! The recipe lends itself to many variations as you can stuff the chicken with just about anything!

Hasselback Chicken
Source: Adapted from Tasty

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh garlic (minced)
1 cup fresh spinach (chopped)
1/4 cup roasted red peppers (chopped)
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
3 chicken breasts
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
Paprika
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a skillet over medium heat, add the oil, garlic, and spinach and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted.
Take off the heat, mix in roasted red peppers and ricotta.
Cut slits into the chicken breasts. (Do not cut the slits all the way through the chicken!)
Stuff the spinach mixture into the slits.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
Sprinkle paprika on top.
Bake on a foil-lined, greased baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes.

Ham, Pepper, & Goat Cheese Egg Cups

I'm not a huge fan of eggs, but since I need more protein in my diet, I am trying. I decided to make some egg cups to have as a morning snack everyday to replace the oatmeal or cereal I have been eating. These were easy to make and baked up quickly. I like that you can add just about any ingredient you have on hand. I decided to use ham, green peppers, and goat cheese. But sausage and spinach would be good, too! You can also top these with salsa or avocado. The only issue is that some stuck to the pan. Next time, I will make sure to grease the pan better.

Ham, Pepper, & Goat Cheese Egg Cups
Source: Adapted from Pinterest
(makes about 8)

6 eggs
1/4 milk (I didn't use because I didn't have any.)

1/8 cup chopped green pepper

1/8 cup ham (cubed)

1/8 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons goat cheese, divided

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray a cupcake tin liberally with nonstick cooking spray or line with 8 paper cupcake liners and mist with nonstick cooking spray. (Make sure you spray the wells of the pan well.)
Whisk together the eggs and milk and pour into the wells of the pan.
Divide the ham, green pepper, and shredded cheese between the wells.
Dot the goat cheese on top of each well. 
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool and either freeze or store in the refrigerator.
To heat, pop in the microwave for about one minute. 

Bourbon Butterscotch Blondies

My husband has a new fascination with whiskey and bourbon. So when he saw this recipe in a recent issue of the Food Network magazine, of course he wanted to make these blondies. They came out as promised: sweet, chewy, boozey, and delicious.

Bourbon Butterscotch Blondies
Source: Duff Bakes: Think and Bake Like a Pro at Home by Duff Goldman via Food Network

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick of butter, softened
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar 

1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray or butter it generously. (You can also line the pan with parchment paper and spray it.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a small pan, melt the butter and 1/4 cup of the butterscotch chips over medium heat until the mixture is smooth. Transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer.

Beat the brown sugar into the butter mixture and then the egg. Add the vanilla and bourbon and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup butterscotch chips.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

Raspberry White Chocolate Cupcakes

I make a lot of cupcakes. And I'm always trying to come up with new and exciting flavors. One of my favorite frostings is raspberry buttercream. It's sweet and tart and pairs well with both chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. For the base, I decided to add some melted white chocolate to my vanilla recipe and fill them with whipped white chocolate ganache. The result was a sweet and decadent cupcake sure to please a crowd.

White Chocolate Cupcakes
Source: Adapted from Melissa Bakes
1 stick butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk

1/4 white chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
Turn mixer to low and alternately add flour mixture and milk in three additions, ending with flour.

Fold in melted white chocolate.
Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 18 - 20 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack.

Raspberry Buttercream
2 sticks salted butter (room temperature)
3–4 cups powdered sugar
2–4 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves
1–2 tablespoons water or milk (or any other liquid)

Beat the butter on high speed for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Turn mixer to low-medium speed and add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add raspberry preserves and water, until desired consistency is reached. Beat well.

Whipped White Chocolate Ganache
Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon butter

Place white chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Simmer the heavy cream in a small saucepan until hot. Pour hot cream over the white chocolate chips and let sit for one minute. Add the butter and stir until silky and smooth. Cool completely. With a hand mixer, beat ganache on high speed for several minutes until light and fluffy.

Sweet Potato Chickpea Stew

I love vegetarian dishes, but it's hard to please my family with non-meat meals. I also love Indian spices, so when I saw this hearty vegetable stew, I knew I had to make it right away—even if I was the only one in my family who would eat it. I adapted recipe to my tastes and cooked it in the oven instead of on top of the stove. Well my husband surprised me because he really enjoyed this dish. He even requested it be added to the rotation. It tasted sweet and rich and is packed full of chick peas, sweet potatoes, and fire-roasted tomatoes. It's definitely a keeper!

Sweet Potato Chickpea Stew 
Adapted from Deliciously Ella

2 large sweet potatoes
1 green pepper
2 cans of fire-roasted tomatoes
1 can of coconut milk
2 cans of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons of turmeric
2 teaspoons of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped) (optional)

Chop the sweet potato and green pepper into small chunks and set aside.
In a dutch oven, add the oil and cook the garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, and spices on medium heat until fragrant.
Turn up the heat to medium-high, and add the coconut milk, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pepper, chick peas, salt, and pepper and allow it to heat until boiling.
Transfer the oven and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees until sweet potatoes are soft but not mushy. (If it's too thick, add about 1/2 cup of water.)

Serve over brown rice or quinoa, and sprinkle cilantro on top.

Recipe Remake: Enchilada Stuffed Shells

We eat a lot of Mexican dishes. I love how versatile a few basic ingredients can be. I made a version of these back in 2010. I haven't made them since and decided to revive the recipe. I made a few tweaks to incorporate cilantro, tomatoes, and green chiles. Like the first time around, they were a huge at my house.

Enchilada Stuffed Shells

Box of large shells
1.5–2 pounds of ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 can Rotel (tomatoes with green chiles) (drained)

1 can corn (drained)

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1/4 cup cilantro (chopped finely)
1 package taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
2 cans red (or green) enchilada sauce 
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Salsa and sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt), optional for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray baking dishes with nonstick cooking spray.
Boil shells according to directions on package. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Brown ground beef. Drain beef and return to pan. 
Add Rotel, corn, black beans, taco seasoning, 1/2 cup water, and half of the cilantro.
Cook 3 to 5 minutes and remove from heat.
Spoon mixture into shells and place in pan.
Top shells with enchilada sauce and cheddar cheese.
Bake about 20 minutes until cheese is melted.
Serve with cilantro, salsa, and sour cream.

Recipe Remake: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are my most requested recipe. I make them quite a few times a year—sometimes a few times a month when I have a lot of special events going on. And they always get rave reviews! I have to agree. These are pretty great, plus they are no fail. The chocolate cupcakes are bouncy, chocolately, and perfect every time. (Shh, they also happen to be vegan!) The peanut butter icing is fluffy, salty, and amazing enough to eat with a spoon. If you're looking for a cupcake to win over a crowd, try this one.

Chocolate Cupcakes 
Source: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
1 and 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (unsweetened)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 12 paper cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In another bowl, beat together oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water with a hand mixer on medium-high speed. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake about 18–22 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Salted Peanut Butter Icing
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 stick butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon regular salt)
2–3 cups powdered sugar
2–3 tablespoons milk

Beat together peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth with a mixer on medium speed. With mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time and milk one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Add more milk or powdered sugar if needed. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

Tandy Cake Cupcakes—Take 3

I get a lot of requests for peanut butter. Usually it's for chocolate peanut butter. This time I had a request for vanilla, peanut butter, and chocolate, so I decided to make a tandy cake -inspired cupcake. I used a vanilla cupcake filled with peanut butter icing and topped with chocolate icing. I topped them with a peanut butter cup since you can never have too much chocolate and peanut butter.

Banana Peanut Butter Cupcakes aka "The Vegetarian Elvis"

I make a lot of cupcakes. I love exciting flavor combinations. However, I get a lot of requests for chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. While I love this flavor combination, it can get boring. So when my friend Wendy requested banana cupcakes for her birthday, I was excited to make something different. I decided to top them with peanut butter (think of an Elvis without the bacon: "The Vegetarian Elvis") and drizzle melted chocolate over the tops. This combination was amazing!

Banana Cupcakes

Source: slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

1 and 1/2 cups flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter (melted and slightly cooled)
1 and 1/2 cups mashed bananas (I used 2.5 large ripe bananas.)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in banana mixture. Using hands, incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full, and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. (Mine baked in 20 minutes, so watch them!). Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Salted Peanut Butter Icing
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 stick butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon regular salt)
2–3 cups powdered sugar
2–3 tablespoons milk

Beat together peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth with a mixer on medium speed. With mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time and milk one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Add more milk or powdered sugar if needed. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes

It's no secret that I love cupcakes. And cookies. One of my favorite flavors is cinnamon.  I love snickerdoodle cookies. So I decided to make a cinnamon-swirl cupcake in honor of my favorite cookie. I took a basic vanilla cupcake, added a cinnamon-sugar swirl, and topped with cinnamon cream cheese. It was the perfect amount of cinnamon, and the tang from the cream cheese frosting complimented the cupcakes perfectly.

Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes
Source: adapted from Melissa Bakes

1 stick butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
Turn mixer to low and alternately add flour mixture and milk in three additions, ending with flour.
Fill the cupcake liners about 1/3 full and top with a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Top with batter until 2/3 full and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing
8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
1 stick butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3–4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2–4 tablespoons milk

Beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract on high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add cinnamon, powdered sugar one cup at a time, and milk one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Beat well.

Hummingbird Cupcakes

Coconut is one of those flavors you either love or hate. I love it! I think the people who hate it, actually hate the texture more than the flavor. When it's mixed with other flavors, such as banana and pineapple, it's heavenly—especially if it's whipped up into a frozen drink and rum is involved. These hummingbird cupcakes take all three flavors and meld them perfectly. The tangy coconut cream cheese enhances the light coconut flavor of the cupcakes.

Hummingbird Cupcakes
Source: adapted from Martha Stewart

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter (melted and cooled)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 bananas (mashed)
8 oz. crushed pineapple (drained)
1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut (I used sweetened shredded coconut.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

With a mixer, beat butter, vanilla, and sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time. Beat at medium speed until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy (about 3 minutes.)

In another medium bowl, stir together banana, pineapple, and coconut. Add to egg mixture, mixing until combined. Stir in flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown for about 25 to 28 minutes.

Cool completely on a wire rack. 

Coconut Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
1 stick butter (room temperature)1 teaspoon coconut extract
3–4 cups powdered sugar
2–4 tablespoons water (or milk)

Beat the butter, cream cheese, and coconut extract on high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time and water one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Beat well.

Coffee Stout Cupcakes

If I had one word to describe these cupcakes, it would be phenomenal. These coffee stout cupcakes were damn near perfect in every way. They were not too sweet, nor too bitter. The flavors did not compete; they complimented each other perfectly. I baked these cupcakes for me. It's very rare I bake for myself these days, but when I do, I try to come up with a flavor that encompasses all my likes. This cupcake really hit the spot because it had my three favorite flavors: chocolate, coffee, and beer. I topped them with a chocolate-covered espresso bean.

Stout Cupcakes
Source: adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

1 and 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (unsweetened)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 oz. stout beer (I used Terrapin Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Stout.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 12 paper cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In another bowl, beat together oil, vinegar, vanilla, and beer with a hand mixer on medium-high speed. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake about 18–22 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Coffee Icing

1 stick butter (room temperature)
2–3 cups powdered sugar
3–4 tablespoons very strong coffee

Beat butter until smooth and fluffy with a mixer on medium speed. With mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time and coffee one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Add more coffee or powdered sugar if needed. Beat until smooth and fluffy.