Dance Party

I am a firm believer in dropping everything and having a dance party.   There are certain songs that will come on the radio that get me rocking back and forth or singing as loud as I can.  You know the songs... If you have not had a real dance party or do not know what I'm talking about, you are missing out.  D introduced me to this artist/DJ called Girl Talk that remixes the most amazing songs.  Seriously.  If you are looking to get that booty off the couch, follow this link or this one.  How can you not get up and shake it?!!?  Still not working for you?  Try this one.  Okay really any of the remixes are amazing!! 

Now if I could only be back in Oliver dorm with these lovely ladies that really showed me how to have a dance party.   {LOVE YOU LADIES}

Love B

Sinfully Delicious

I was warned not to make these because they were dangerous.  Did I listen, no.  Needless to say, they were aaamazing.  I think my husband and his brother ate 10 in the first five minutes.  All you need to get is a pack of Oreos, your favorite brownie mix, and a standard muffin pan.  Just so you can see the process a little better, I have included my steps.

{Step One} Purchase your favorite Oreos - I went for double stuffed and the holiday cookies.

 {Step Two} Once you mix your brownie batter like normal - dip the Oreos in the mix

 

Make sure you get the Oreo completely covered with the batter

{Step Three} Place the brownie covered Oreos into a sprayed muffin tin

{Step Four} Bake them for 12-15 minutes, watching the first batch to see when they are completely done.  Once out of the oven, take a butter knife and smush in the sides of the brownie from the wall.  This will help to get them out of the pan.  Let them cool before removing. 

{Step Five} Try not to eat the entire batch you just made.  They are delicious warm, but even better once they have cooled off. 

LOVE baking. B

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

There is no option, you MUST try these!!!  They are probably the most delicious cupcake I have ever made.  D sent me this recipe, and because I LOVE pumpkin, I had to make them.  Minus the serious burn I gave myself by grabbing the wire oven rack, stupid I know, it was pretty painless to make.  I copied the recipe for you to try!  Enjoy!!! 

{Ingredients}

For the pumpkin pies you’ll need

1 batch of your favorite pie crust dough (Don’t have a favorite? Use pre-made refrigerated dough, it will work well too.)
1 15 oz. can pumpkin pie filling, prepared according to the can’s directions (or you can make your pie filling from scratch, you overachiever, you—either way, you’ll need enough for one pie).

For the cupcakes you’ll need

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/3 c. whole milk
2 1/2 c. flour 

For the buttercream you’ll need:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. Hershey’s cinnamon chips (or any cinnamon chips you like)
splash of whole milk 

{Directions}

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees (F).

First, prepare the pumpkin pies. Mix up the pumpkin pie mix according to the can’s directions (or make your own-fancy!). Roll out the pie crust dough and cut it into small circles that are large enough to cover the bottom and sides of mini cupcake tins (I used the opening of a small juice glass as a cutter). 

Press the dough into the lightly greased mini cupcake tins, and then fill them with the pumpkin pie mix. (Don’t go all the way to the top, the filling will expand a little while baking.)

Bake the pies for about 7 minutes at 425 degrees (F), and then turn the oven down to 350 degrees (F) and bake them for another 10 minutes or so, until the crust is brown and the filling is completely set.

After taking them out of the oven, cool them on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then take them out of the pan and allow them to cool further while you mix up the batter.

For the cupcake batter, combine the butter and the cream cheese together on medium speed for about 90 seconds—you want the ingredients to be well incorporated. Then mix in the sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then mix in the milk and the flour, alternating between the two ingredients. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, to make sure everything is getting well-mixed—beat again on med-high speed for about a minute. It should be smooth and creamy.

Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter into regular-sized, paper-lined cupcake tins. Plop a cooled pumpkin pie into the center, and press gently into the batter. GENTLY. You don’t want it to touch to the bottom of the pan. 

Cover the pies with another heaping tablespoon of batter, so the top and sides are completely covered.

Bake at 350 degrees (F) for about 25 minutes, until the cake is set and the edges and tops of the cupcakes have turned golden brown.

Allow them to cool in the cupcake tray for atleast 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack—they’ll be a little fragile at first. 

Once the cakes are cool, frost ‘em! 

To make the buttercream, melt down the cinnamon chips with a splash of whole milk. Pop ‘em in the microwave for about 45 seconds on high. Stir until all the chips are melted, and allow it to cool a bit while you whip up the rest of the frosting (you can put the bowl in the fridge, it’ll cool faster that way, and the milk will keep it from solidifying). 

Cream together the butter and cream cheese until they’re well incorporated. Then whip in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the cooled cinnamon chip “ganache” (if it’s too hot it’ll melt the buttercream and ruin it—you don’t want that). Put in about half, then stop to taste it and decide if you’d like to add more. Some like it strong, others like it milder. 

If  you have any pie crust left over, roll it out and cut smaller discs and sprinkle them with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar. Bake ‘em for about 10 minutes at 350 and look at that, a cute and tasty cupcake topper!

You can also try candied pecans or a drizzle of caramel on top. Tasty!

I absolutely love them!!  Let me know what you think. I am sure I'll make them a ton this fall and I plan to make them for our housewarming party... Whenever that happens. :o)

Love B