How cute are these...

cupcakes!

My friend, Lynette, made them for my son's 4th birthday party.

Thanks so much, Lynette. They were the cutest cupcakes ever! You did a great job!

Homemade ding dongs

From time to time I get invited to try out recipes in progress from a website. Here's their latest creation and it's worth posting.

Bon Appetite!

Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp instant coffee or espresso
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
6 Tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Pinches salt
2 1/2 cups marshmallow creme (2 jars of Kraft Jet-Puffed marshmallow cream)

Glaze:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1. Make the batter: Preheat oven to 325. Grease 12-cup muffin tin. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk water, cocoa, chocolate, and coffee in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla and mix until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until incorporated. Divide batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few dry crumbs attached 18-22 minutes. Cool in tin 10 minutes, then turn out cupcakes onto rack and cool completely.

2. Prepare filling: Combine water and gelatin in large bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave until mixture is bubbling around edges and gelatin dissolves, about 1 minute. Stir in butter, vanilla, and salt until combined. Let mixture cool until just warm to the touch, about 5 minutes, then whisk in marshmallow creme until smooth; refrigerate until set, about 45 minutes. Reserve 1/3 cup filling for decorating cupcakes and use remaining for filling cupcakes.

3. Fill cupcakes: with a knife held at a 45 degree angle, cut out a cone shape from the top of cupcake. Cut off the "point" of the cone, leaving about 1/4 inch of the top then hollow out the cupcake. Fill cupcake with creme then replace the top of cupcake.

4. Finish: microwave chocolate and butter for the glaze in a small bowl. Glaze top of cupcakes then take the remaining creme and place in a plastic bag. Cut off a corner of the bag and pipe the creme on top of cupcake in a connected loop pattern.