If you need friends, make cookies.

Bake sales seemed to be the most popular way to raise funds when I was in high school, although I doubt it’s still allowed in schools today.  These Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip cookies were my specialty back then, and actually gained me one life-long friend.  The secret is not really in the recipe, but in the chocolate chips…Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips.  They’re huge and yummy.  Nowadays I rely more on the BBFCCC (Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies), which has some notoriety on the web. But my friend graduated this past week-

So I re-visted this old-time favorite for his graduation gift. 

continue for recipe…

Just one more…

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes & Cupcake tips (as in piping)

After a week filled with cupcake related posts, I have to admit that I’m just a little tired of the subject. But,  I made these yummy pink lemonade cupcakes this weekend, and I took the time to take these pictures, so by golly they are getting posted.  So bear with me for just one more little (well, not really so little) cupcake post before we move on to some fun party ideas this week.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

 Yummy.  These cupcake were delicious on the first day.  They were still yummy the second day, but the icing seemed to be a bit more tart.  So, if you’re planning on making these….eat them all at once. Just like the Margarita Cupcakes and the Coconut Cupcakes, these are based off of white cake mix, which makes them perfect for parties.

You can find the recipe here, at Confections of a Foodie Bride.

I decided to try to make this batch look a little more professional than my previous ziploc baggie look (see the margarita cupcakes).  So I took a little trip to Michael’s to pick up the essentials:  a 16″ featherweight decorating bag, large coupler, a couple of tips, and a cute little dishwasher bag for the tips.

 After doing some research, I chose 5 different tips that I wanted to experiment with. Unfortunately, Michael’s only carried two of those. The 1M and 2D, seemed to be the most commonly used, so I figured this would be a good start.  Maybe I’ll try to order the others online later, if I get around to it.  For the most part, these two tips gave a very similar effect.  A person with a discerning eye could definitely tell the difference, but I think most of my family scarfed down these cupcakes without even noticing.

Here’s the difference side-by-side.  Not the best piping job, but you get the idea.

Coconut Cupcakes

Okay, so this isn’t really a recipe.  I just needed to make another batch of cupcakes since my hubby didn’t like the margarita cupcakes.  Him:  “but what about meee???”  Of course, Of course. 

White or Yellow cake mix, coconut extract, can of icing, and coconut.  That’s it.  Put quite a few drops of extract in cake mix and icing (to taste).  Believe it or not, these little babies went just as fast as the margarita cupcakes.  I guess it’s not really surprising, given my family’s Islander heritage-I already had that in mind when I made them.  Coconut makes everything yummier, we put it in everything. seriously.  If I hadn’t been in such a hurry, I would have added coconut milk as well.

Margarita Cupcakes

First up on my list of doctored cake mixes, are Margarita Cupcakes.  There are a few different recipes out there in the blogosphere, including a vegan version.  I chose this version from Confections of a Foodie Bride based solely on alcohol content.  I made them for Cinco de Mayo (of course), with a reappearance on Mother’s day.  Everyone except for my picky hubby loved them.

Margarita Cupcakes
9 oz Margarita mix
3 oz tequila
3/4 oz Grand Marnier (or other orange liqueur)
White cake mix (No-pudding mix works best)
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp lime zest
1 recipe Lime Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)

Cupcakes

Some people might say that the cupcake is so last year (or two years ago), but cupcakes are classic. Here are three reasons why these little beauties will be part of my dessert repertoire for years to come.

Number 1: Transportability. I never could figure out the art of transporting a fully decorated cake, inevitably my perfect frosting rubs off on the side of the box, or bag, or whatever carrier I’ve chosen for the occasion. Okay, so I’m not the most coordinated person; this is exactly why I love the cupcakes. All I need is my cupcake courier and it’s a done deal.