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Little Coconut Cream Pies
It’s funny, growing up I didn’t realize that it wasn’t normal to have six or seven pies at a holiday dinner for nine or ten people. Pies were just part of the deal. And of course, everyone has their favorite pie…and you HAVE to have pumpkin. And a fruit pie (or two). And chocolate. And pecan…you get the picture. It wasn’t until I married my husband and he started attending our big holiday meals that I realized that it was uncommon to have a 1:1 people-to-pie ratio. …
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Tiny Chocolate Tortes
Ok, so I have a confession to make. While cleaning up after hosting brunch this morning for Mother’s Day, I may have picked up one of these babies with my bare hands, plopped a big helping of fresh whipped cream on top and shoved almost the whole thing in my mouth. It took less than ten seconds, but it was undoubtedly ten of the best seconds of my life. These are fantastic. You should probably drop everything you’re doing and go make these, right now.…
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Chocolate Macarons with Espresso Ganache Filling
Welcome to my most intimidating moment in the kitchen, the macaron. I’ve been reading about these little puppies forever in foodie-land, and was SO discouraged by the directions that I put it off. But, you know what? They aren’t that hard. In fact, I’d go so far as to say they’re pretty darn easy – you just have to follow the directions. I would recommend a digital scale for these to measure the ingredients, although I just saw someone make them on the Food Network that…
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Cookies ‘n Cream Cupcakes
This was another fun cupcake that I made for a surprise birthday party this week, which is actually somewhat fitting because these cookies have a surprise in the bottom of them, half of an Oreo cookie! I’ve made these once before and they were a big hit, so I’m really hoping they go over well at the party. But really, how could they not? These are a white cake with chunks of cookie baked in the batter, and topped with a cream cheese buttercream. The…
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Tiramisu Cupcakes
This past weekend I hosted a “Girl’s Night Out” at my house for a group of my friends, which was awesome because not only did I get to spend some time with some of my girlfriends, it also gave me an excuse to bake! I’ve been eager to share several of the recipes I made for the party, but I have to start with my newest cupcake creation, the Tiramisu Cupcake. I’ve been researching different ways to make this cupcake for a while now and…
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Neapolitan Layer Cake with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
How fun is this cake? If you’ve been reading my blog, back in February I talked about my sister and her trouble making a decision for her birthday treat. She ended up choosing the Key Lime Cupcakes which turned out to be a fabulous decision because they were wonderful. This was the contender, the cake that made her decision so difficult that week. I knew I had to make this one, but needed the perfect excuse because it’s so time consuming. We celebrated Easter at…
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Lemon-Vanilla Sugar Cookies
I’m kind of in love with these cookies. They are the first sugar cookies I’ve ever made that taste like I imagine sugar cookies should. They’re soft, moist and have a slight vanilla and citrus undertone. A. Maze. Ing. In my opinion, sugar cookies should be thick and soft – and every recipe I’ve ever tried before has come out of the oven thin and crispy. Now, I realize that some of this is my fault. I probably rolled them too thin, and I probably…
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Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
I have to preface this post by noting that I don’t really care for vanilla cupcakes. They’re just ok, in my book, kind of boring. If I had to choose a cupcake, it would almost always be chocolate. That being said, I am pretty in love with this little guy. Vanilla-y, moist, and seriously, the creamiest batter you’ll ever whip up. It’s really the perfect base for any frosting you have in mind. One caveat – I think these are definitely best if eaten the…
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Peanut Butter Cookie Cupcakes
Sometimes when I’m baking, I have a general idea what I’m going to end up with but I’m never sure what the end result will be until I’m completely done. That’s what happened with these cupcakes. I knew I wanted a peanut butter cookie-type cake, but beyond that I was winging it. This cake is thicker and denser than a regular cupcake, more like a big thick peanut butter cookie, and I added peanut butter chips to give it even more of a cookie feel. I…
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Snickers Cupcakes
Every time I see a Snickers candy bar, I’m reminded of a friend of mine who used to LOVE them. But that’s not why I think of her – it’s actually the memory of HOW she ate them that’s stuck with me. She used to nibble all of the chocolate off the entire bar, then eat the nut layer, then the caramel layer, and finally the nougat layer. It took her, like, 20 minutes to eat the candy bar. I’m wondering if she would like…
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Baby Shower Cupcakes
I’m making cupcakes tomorrow for my dear sister-in-law, who’s hosting a baby shower on Friday night. I still haven’t decided what I want to make yet, so tonight I thought I’d play around with some fondant and try to get some good ideas. Instead, I came up with these. I also discovered that fondant and I don’t play well together. I think I’m going to need a lot more practice before I am good enough to make anything fancy. Plus, I totally hate the taste…
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Lemon Drop Cupcakes
So, my sister is VERY pregnant. She’s not due for another 9 days, but she’s done. I can’t hardly blame her, she works on her feet all day long, and then chases a 22 month old around all night. The girl is always on the go, and quite possibly the hardest worker I know. Except maybe my Dad, but I suppose that’s where she gets it. Since I’m just as anxious to meet my new nephew as she is, (ok, probably not AS anxious. But…
