Hot Pink Spring Nest Cupcakes

We have not one, not two but three girls!  They are 4 years and younger so of course they love bright colors and pink.  So when I spotted this bright pink edible grass at Target I knew I'd be making classic nest cupcakes.  The cupcakes turn out so cute and are the perfect addition to a spring party, Easter, a rainy day, a monday, whenever

Ingredients
Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose four
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter or fleischmann's unsalted margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg beater type product, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature or 2/3 rice milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice
edible grass
chocolate egg candies

Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or fleischmann's unsalted margarine, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup whole milk or rice milk
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe adapted from 

This recipe comes from squidoo

Click Here for Recipe

Frosting Recipe

1. Beat margarine until creamy
2. On low speed add powdered sugar
3. Add vanilla then slowly add milk until desired consistency

Cupcake Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line a cupcake pan with wrappers.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together
3. Beat margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until blended.  Sometimes the margarine will separate, mix a bit longer
5. Alternate adding flour and milk.  End with milk
6. Fill cups 2/3 full and bake 20-24 minutes.  Remove from pan after cooling for 1 minute and place on wire rack.
7. Frost cupcakes, add decorative grass and chocolate egg candies

Original Recipe Modifications

• used flieschmann's unsalted margarine instead of butter
• used real eggs from Costco (like eggbeaters) instead of eggs so the girls can safely sample the batter
• used rice milk instead of whole milk with a tablespoon of lemon
• used vanilla instead of vanilla paste

Decorate Your Own Sugar Cookie

One of my favorite sugar cookie recipes is from cooking light.  I don't feel nearly as bad when I cover it in frosting and decorations!  My girls love to help bake and I almost always let them help.  Sugar cookies can be messy and they always try to eat the decorations and frosting.  So I decided to not fight it, just go with it.  They each got their own cookie, frosting and decorations.  I let them decorate however they wanted and double dip in their personal pots after tastes.  They ended up with beautiful half eaten cookies and I managed to get all the rest pretty while they were busy.  This will be a fun activity for a playdate, maybe an outdoor playdate where the ants can eat the crumbs!

Recipe Modifications

• used pastuerized egg product
• used fleischmann's unsalted margarine
• used rice milk
• we made these for St Patrick's day not easter.  Any cookie cutter or cup will work

Ingredients

Cookies:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 1/2 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons fat-free milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Food coloring (optional) 

Recipe

This recipe comes from one of my favorite sites cooking light

Click Here for Recipe

Raspberry Frosted Vanilla Mini Cupcakes

I picked up a subscription to Food and Wine magazine recently for my daughter's school fundraiser.  I have already found several great recipes.  This cupcake just looked pretty and I knew it would have to be yummy too.  I tweaked the recipe from strawberry to raspberry and eliminated the milk products.  Instead of regular cupcakes we made mini ones.  I would guess you could use any type of berry jam.  Be careful to not add too much the frosting will get soft.  These were the perfect sweet treat to bring our dinner club and so pretty.

Recipe Modifications

• used fleischmann's unsalted margarine
• used vanilla rice milk
• you can use your favorite white or cream cheese frosting recipe and just add jam to taste.  I added raspberry jam and topped with fresh raspberries instead of strawberry
• made mini cupcakes instead of regular ones
• frosting was a bit soft so popped in the fridge before traveling with them

Cupcake Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

Recipe

This recipe comes from Food and Wine

Click Here for Recipe

Dark Chocolate Sprinkled Rice Krispie Pops

These are so easy and yummy that I will be making them again and again!  Rice Krispie treats are something most of us don't outgrow.  Add rich dark chocolate, sprinkles and a stick to keep your hands clean and you have the perfect treat.  These are also great for the little helpers in your life.  My 2 year old was able to dip in the chocolate and sprinkles herself.  She did try to eat them as she made them though ;-)  You could easily change this up by dipping in nuts, seasonal sprinkles, changing the color of the chocolate, making the treats different sizes, chocolate then mini marshmallows than carmel then chocolate again...I could go on forever.  Now I want one, and of course they'be been eaten up!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
- OR -
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
1 bag dark chocolate chips
sprinkles
popsicle sticks
ribbons to decorate if you'd like

Recipe

1. Make rice Krispies according to recipe on the box, allow to completely cool.  I used an 8x8 pan and made sure they were pressed evenly in the pan
2. Cut treats into popsicle sized bars
3. Melt chips in microwave in 30 second increments on 50% power, stirring thoroughly after each increment
4. Place sprinkles in bowl
5. Stick a popsicle stick into each treat and dip in chocolate, then dip into sprinkles
6. Place in fridge to set and then server at room temperature

This recipe found at Twig and Thistle blog

Click Here for Recipe

Valentines Ice Cream Cake Pops

I am a huge believer in finding the joy in life.  Valentines Day is so much more fun now that we have children! We went all out this year and tried out this super cute cake pop recipe.  The girls got to make home-made valentines and treats for their neighborhood friends.  This recipe is less healthy and less homemade than the majority of our cooking but that's alright it's fun to have a special treat now and then ;-)  And everyone loved the pops so if you are looking for a cute birthday idea these are sure to please and can be decorated for any holiday or celebration

Recipe Modifications

• I used a cookie scooper to scoop the cake balls.  They look just like mini ice-cream scoops
• I found my balls too big to dip in the chocolate without falling apart.  So I dipped cone in chocolate, put the cake ball on and then used a spoon and poured over the balls.
• I bought plastic wine glasses from the dollar store and used a beer six pack to transport the pops.  Worked perfectly!

Ingredients

1 9x13 cake mix (homemade or box)

1.5 to 2 cups cream cheese frosting 

Sugar cones

Chocolate candy melts (I used Wilton)

Sprinkles

Sweet Hearts candy

Serrated knife

Styrofoam

Lollipop sticks

Recipe

This recipe comes from cakepopsgalore

Click Here for Recipe

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

These muffins have great banana flavor, a hint of sweet, nice bite and bake very pretty.  The girls love to eat them as a snack or for breakfast.  My favorite way is warm with a tiny bit of butter or margarine.  We "healthed" up the basic banana muffin recipe to make a more filling snack.  You could go even further and substitute 1/3 cup applesauce for the oil.  Hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 egg or 1/4 cup pasteurized egg product

3/4 cup coconut milk (almond or skim plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice would work too)

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 medium mashed bananas, around 1 and 1/4 cups

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine dry ingredients flour through nutmeg and whisk together.
3. In a large bowl thoroughly mix the egg, oil, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas.  Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined.  Do not over mix the muffins will be tough
4. Pour batter into lined or oiled muffin tins.  Fill 3/4 full.  This recipe makes 12 muffins in my square pan and enough left over batter for 10 mini muffins.  We like a light sprinkle of cinnamon and brown sugar on top before they bake.
5. Mini muffins bake for 10-12 minutes.  Regular muffins bake for 12-15 minutes.  These bake fast, be careful not to over bake.  Remove from pan after they have cooled for 2 minutes

Dark Chocolate & Tart Cherry Granola Bars

I saw this recipe and thought what a great idea and then completely forgot about it!  Thanks to the magic of Facebook and Pinterest, I rediscovered the recipe.  Homemade healthy granola bars that my girls and I would love and are easy to throw in my purse to eat when you need a snack.  What could be better!  After reading the reviews I made some tweaks and came out with a healthy, yummy, chewy, chunky and portable granola bar.  I will definitely be trying my hand at granola bars again.  I'm thinking of doing a cinnamon maple oat one next.  These are seriously so easy to make and you'll get a more nutritious bar for much less bank.

Recipe Modifications

• used 1/4 cup canola and 1/4 cup olive oil
• used 1/3 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped dried tart cherries
• cooked in glass dish and bars were about 2.5 inches thick instead of 1.  made 20 bars
• cooked for 20 minutes and let cool hour.  They crumbled when cut so baked additional 25 minutes. smushed down when I got them out of the oven to really compact.  Then cooled for 30 minutes.  Then put in fridge until they were cold.  After that they cut great!  Next time just bake for 40, smash to compact and cool in fridge before cutting

Ingredients

4 Cups Old Fashioned Oats

1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 Cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup Chocolate Chips*

1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 Cup Canola Oil

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Honey

Recipe

This recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs weelicious

Click Here for Recipe