French toast cupcakes...

My son is in a percussion ensemble.  Each week, instead of them having to drive out to get fast food for lunch, we have themed lunch and everyone brings something to contribute.  This week's theme is breakfast for lunch.  I am making a crock pot bacon, egg, hash brown and cheese casserole for them,  However, they get a little testy if I show up without cupcakes or cookies for them.  

I was looking through all of my recipes and came across this little baby.  What could be more perfect?  French toast cupcakes topped with a brown sugar streusel and then maple frosting.

Here's the recipe:

STREUSEL TOPPING
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

 In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix the cold butter into the mixture by hand, squeezing the pieces in to mix it.

CUPCAKES
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.  In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the butter, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla and mix well, until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Get rid of any remaining flour by stirring the mixture by hand, with a spatula.  Place three tablespoons of batter in each prepared baking cup. Divide the streusel evenly among the cupcakes, and sprinkle it on each one. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean..

FROSTING
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 lb. (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the sugar until combined. Stir in the vanilla, salt, and syrup. Add the heavy cream and whisk on high for 4 minutes.

After you frost the cupcakes, shake some cinnamon and powdered sugar over the top to finish the cupcakes and add that last special touch.  

I could not help myself...I had to try one of these cupcakes.  They were calling to me..whispering sweet nothings in the wind.  I have never had very good willpower, so I caved and tried one.  Oh my goodness.....it was so delicious.  It tasted just like french toast. 

I cannot wait for the kids to try them tomorrow.  I hope they realize how spoiled they are...and loved.  

Snickerdoodles

If you have been reading my blog, Thank You, and by now you know that my husband loves cinnamon.  I am constantly looking for different cinnamon recipes to try for him. He doesn't really have a sweet tooth, but occasionally, he will indulge in a sweet treat.

I found this recipe through ohsodelicioso.com.  It's a snickerdoodle cookie, but it's like a traditional snickerdoodle and a sugar cake had a baby.  This snickerdoodle is crispy to bite into, but it is soft on the inside.  I liked these so very much, and my husband....well, he could not get enough of them.

This dough needs to be refrigerated for at least an hour before baking the cookies.  When I started making this dough, I forgot about this detail.  I usually do my baking before I go to work around noon.  I was making this dough and then got to the "refrigerate dough for an hour" part, and I was heartbroken.  Then, I had to work for 8 hours thinking about these cookies.  I immediately started baking them when I got off work.  Trust me when I tell you they were worth the wait!

Ingredients

• 1 C butter, at room temp
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 3/4 C flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugar together with electric mixer. Add eggs.
2. In separate bowl sift flour, tartar, baking soda, and salt together. Slowly combine with butter mix.
3. Chill dough in fridge for at least 15 minutes more if you can.
4. Meanwhile grease cookie sheet and make a cinnamon-sugar mix by combining 3 T sugar and 3 tsp. cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
5. When dough is chilled, take a small amount and roll into a ball about 1..5 -2 inches wide.
6. Then roll ball in cinnamon-sugar mix to coat and place on cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 400 deg. Baking time varies depend upon size of dough balls so watch them close. Cool on rack.

Snickerdoodle cake with cream cheese frosting

It was my dear husband's birthday last week.  In my house, when it's your birthday, you get to choose the flavor and the design of the cake.  I knew he would never, ever ask for anything...it's just the way he is.  I happen to know that his very favorites are cream cheese and cinnamon.  Armed with this knowledge, I went to work finding an easy cake recipe that would combine the two.

Along came the snickerdoodle cake with cream cheese frosting.  I knew he would love it.

From http://caribbeanmissionarywife.blogspot.com/

preheat oven to 325 deg fahrenheit and butter and flour 2 round pans
  (I use 9 inch but 8 inch would be just dandy)

 Whisk together

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

 In a separate bowl cream together  till they are nice and fluffy

2 sticks (softened) butter

1 3/4 cups fine sugar

1 cup sour cream

Add  to cream mixture one-at-a-time

4 large eggs at room temperature

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

1 1/4 cups whole milk (room temperature) 

Don't let this confuse you, 

 add 1/3 cup of flour mixture to cream mixture....a little milk and stir....

1/3 cup of flour mixture.....a little milk and stir.....

etc, until all the flour and milk are added

Bake until a toothpick comes clean.  Mine took a little under 30 minutes.
Cool before slicing again and frosting.

For the frosting, I used this recipe loosely and added cream cheese and cinnamon:

1/3 cup butter

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

cream cheese (I used 8 oz due to my husband's love of the stuff)

cinnamon (I used enough to sort of thinly coat the top of the bowl  - again due to my husband's love of cinnamon)

He loved the cake.  He made that OMG face and everything.  I think he had a happy birthday.  Mission accomplished.

Snicker Doodles aren't just cookies anymore!!

My husband and son are cinnamon addicts.  They go absolutely crazy for anything with cinnamon in it.  In stark contrast, my husband does not like things too sweet.  What a dilemma for someone who wants to pursue baking!  I wanted to surprise them with a cupcake packed with cinnamon, and I found this recipe on Pinterest.  Let me just tell you, they did not last more than 2 hours in my house!  My husband told me I could make these often if I wanted.  

Cinnamon is not my favorite, but I tried one of these cupcakes anyway.  Oh my…it was good. Considering you put cinnamon in the cupcake batter, brush the still warm cupcake with melted butter and dunk it into sugar and cinnamon and THEN put cinnamon in the frosting..I thought it would be cinnamon overkill.  However, it was quite the contrary.  The cake was moist and the flavor subtle.  

You can find the recipe here

I guess I’m going to have to put this in the regular rotation….only I might just have to double the recipe so they last the day!