My Fourth of July Cupcakes!!


Click here and below to see"My All American Cupcakes: Red, White and Blue!" Cupcakes that I've created.

Red, White and Blue: 4th of July Cupcakes

On flickr: here.



On flickr: here.



Or, to try these to try these "burgers," click here!

Have a great 4th!

CQ

Martha Stewart's Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and Jelly


Layla is very interested in these peanut butter cupakes...but no, she got a doggie treat instead!



Just bought Martha Stewart's book called Cupcakes....and was inspired to make her Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and Jelly for my brother, Jim,...symbolically really, because he is in the hospital right now in Spokane, WA, with bacterial pneumonia.



This is how they looked when they came out of the oven....pretty gorgeous, huh? They smelled great, too.



It was fun frosting them and putting the strawberry jelly on top...so far everyone's loved them!



I found these cool plastic containers online and I love them. I ordered both the 1/2-doz and dozen containers. They work great!

This is how they looked on the way out the door!

This is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 18
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Frosting
Strawberry jam, for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Mix sour cream and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients to mixture. Scrape sides of bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.

Once cupcakes are cool, frost tops with peanut butter frosting. Place a dollop of jam in center of frosting. Decorated cupcakes will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days.

Peanut Butter Frosting and Jelly

Ingredients

Makes about 3 cups
6 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar with a mixer on medium speed. Add salt, then peanut butter, then vanilla. Whisk cream until soft peaks form, and then fold into peanut butter mixture. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. (Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)

Hope you like them and...have a great week!

CQ

Anne McDonough's Turner Hall Decorate Your Own Cupcake Birthday Party!


The first Monday of each month we have a birthday party for our colleagues born in that month...this month Anne McDonough (smiley person on far left) was the only birthday person! Margaret and I decided it would be fun to make it an interactive birthday party and have everyone decorate their own cupcakes!


We each made two dozen cupcakes...vanilla and chocolate...and brought in canned frosting...vanilla and chocolate....and toppings galore...and little doodads like toppers, funny cupcake things and the like.



The party was a huge success...the men were a bit intimated by the hubbub...but they eventually came in an grabbed an unadorned cupcake to eat!


The decorators were so creative....








In case you can't tell: this is called "Ode to Kitty Litter"....Everything is better when it's sparkly!




This party was so much fun and everyone was chatting away...and eating cupcakes! Happy Birthday, Anne!

CQ will be visiting France next week....ooh lala! We'll see what kind of cupcakes we find there!

Rock On!