Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy Jif peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons milk, or as needed
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

Happy 4th of July

Margarita Cupcakes

cake:

3 Tbsp. tequila

1 Tbsp. Cointreau or other orange liqueur

1/4 cup lime juice

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. grated lime zest

frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 Tbsp. grated lime zest

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 lb (about 4 cups) powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. tequila

1 Tbsp. Cointreau

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1/4 cup half-and-half or milk

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners. Makes 12 cupcakes


Combine the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and 1/4 cup water and set aside.  In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to combine in between.  Beat in the lime zest.  Alternate adding the flour mixture and the lime juice mixture in three additions each, with the mixer (or your arm) on.  Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes, or until set and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.  Remove and cool on a rack.


For the frosting:  Combine the butter and lime zest in a bowl and beat with a mixer until fluffy and combined, 1-2 minutes.  Combine the tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice in a small bowl or measuring cup and slowly add to the butter, alternating with the powdered sugar, with the mixer running.  Add in the half-and-half or milk and continue beating for 3-5 minutes or until creamy and your desired stiffness.  Spread or pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes.

Cupcake Creamsicle’s

Cupcake Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
7 Tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup self-rising flour 
2 teaspoon orange flavoring, orange oil, or orange liquor
(May use 1/2 teaspoon almond extract instead of the suggested 1 tsp.vanilla extract.)

2-3 Tablespoons milk

Directions :

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (I bake them at 375* F) Line a 12 cup muffin tin with baking paper cups. Put all the ingredients except for the milk into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Pulse while adding the milk down the funnel to make for a soft consistency.It doesn't seem like enough batter, but it will all work out, scrape every bit from the bowl and try to fill each cup equally. Bake for 15-20 or until they are golden on top. (These are perfectly baked in 14 to 15 minutes @ 375* in my oven) It's best to start checking them at 12 minutes.

Orange Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter softened

8 oz softened Cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp orange flavoring, orange oil, or orange liquor

Combine the room temperature butter and cream cheese together in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Slowly add the sugar 1/4 cup at a time and add the orange flavoring at the end. For the easiest results put the icing in piping bag with the tip of your choice and pipe onto cupcakes.

Basic Muffin Recipe ~ Sweet

INGREDIENTS:

Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg About 1/3 cup milk  or buttermilk 1 cup of additions fruit, nuts, etc.

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup brown or white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2.	Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in fruit, nuts or whatever. Fill muffin cups with a 4 tablespoon ice cream scoop, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3.	To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar or brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4.	Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Challenges

I spend a lot of time watching food shows on television and one of my favorites is a show called "Chopped." Contestants, who are from a variety of culinary backgrounds, are given a basket of ingredients and are challenged to come up with a better dish than the rest of the contestants. There three rounds ~ Appetizers, Entree, & Dessert ~ one contestant is eliminated in each round.

I like this show because when the ingredients in the baskets are announced I run through ideas in my head and it gets me thinking about what flavors combinations I would add to come up with a winning dish.

Building on the Chopped theme I give myself a monthly technique challenge and this month's is to nail the Southern style biscuit. Today, I am patiently wait for my delivery from King Arthur's Flour Company because in order to make a light fluffy biscuit instead of one like a hockey puck I'll need certain flour milled from Winter Wheat grown in the south.

This is the recipe I'll use for my first batch ~ Bakewell Cream Biscuits

My Inner Cook...

My inner cook has escaped again. I virtually abandoned this little blog project of mine back last September. Do to a series of unfortunate economic events beyond my families control we had to downsize our lives and move to a new city. 


The downsizing part stunted my cooking aspiration because I was now working with a kitchen 1/4 the size of my old one and less than half the kitchen equipment and tools. I have to admit it was the best, most freeing move we have ever made ~ we have just what we need, are living well under our current means, and avoided having to file bankruptcy by centimeters.


Last month my cooking and baking desires once again became over whelming and I gave in and baked a few dozen cookies. Then, inspired by the following picture I dug out my cupcake pan and now I have fired my bread machine back up. My inner cook has come back out and I am well on my way back to cooking and baking everything from scratch. Even in a kitchen the size of most walk in closets.


I look forward to post here once again.