So Sweet: Sugar Cookie Cupcakes!

For some reason, I've been thinking about sugar cookies! Maybe because Laura's mom, aka Granny, sent down some almond sugar cookie-type cookies from New York ...speaking of New York...did you hear about the New Yorker Magazine cover of Obama? All I can say is "what were they thinking???......and Granny's cookies made me think of sugar cookies...but back to cupcakes...then, of course...I connected them to sugar cookies in cupcakes and pictured these cupcakes with pink frosting. I think Layla must have been thinking about them, too! BTW: Happy Birthday, Ali!

Also, I found this sweet little Caserta Cup And Saucer at Anthropologie and I just knew it would fit in with pink cupcakes!


So, all I had to do is make the cookies and the cupcakes and frosting. I used Martha Stewart recipes for the sugar cookies and the vanilla cupcakes and Billy's (of Billy's Bakery NYC) for the vanilla, vanilla frosting. Beow are the recipes.

While I was in Vegas recently, we saw the show called "Jersey Boys"...It was awesome! Here's a mix I made online...thanks to Surcie...Marie: this is for you):

Have a great week, and remember to Rock ON!

CQ

Martha Stewart's Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
Makes about 20 (3 1/2-inch) cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
2 large eggs
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.
Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Martha Stewart's Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients
Makes 24
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl, beat in vanilla.
Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to assure the batter is thoroughly mixed. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling papers about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack of the oven until tops spring back to touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Billy's Vanilla Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients
Makes enough for 30 cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.