Recipe | Thin Mint Truffles (OMG)

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Last week, the Girl Scout Cookies came in at work. I swear to you,the afternoon was a solid 4 hours of the battle of self control. Somehow, I managed to make it home with a full box of Thin Mints. I knew they wouldn't last long if I left them out...

But then a tiny voice in my head whispered... truffles. Any sort of truffle or cake pop seems to be the way to go lately. Nothing pleases a crowd more than a truffle made using one of their favorite ingredients.

Don't believe me? Try Oreo Truffles, Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles, Carrot Cake Pops, or 60 calorie cake pops.

Recipe | Frangelico Nutella Cupcakes

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What's so awesome about liquor-infused desserts? I remember, as a kid, being told that the delicious truffles on the Christmas buffet table at a family party were "Rum balls."  WHAT?! There's ALCOHOL in there? I couldn't taste it. Alcohol was gross, right? So how were the desserts so good?!

This year, my ex-babysitter-turned-friend, Marianne, dropped by our house on Christmas and brought with her a bottle of Frangelico for my parents. The syrupy, hazelnutty flavor of Frangelico is not just good in coffee (though it is, truly, quite good in coffee...). It's also delicious in... you guessed it... desserts!

So into a cupcake it went! But what kind of frosting would "deliver" on a Frangelico cupcake? Hmm. Hazelnut goes with... hazelnut? Nut...ella? Nutella? Nutella? Eh? Eh? Eh? Ah, yes. After adapting my peanut butter frosting recipe for use on these Nutella Cookie Dough cupcakes, I was confident in its ability to "deliver."

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Easy, Clean Frosting Tutorial

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OMG. <--Yes, that "OMG" is warranted.

I'm a huge mess maker when it comes to frosting cupcakes. I always rip the parchment bag or go into a frenzy trying to get the icing tip out of the bag and make a huge mess. To put a messy story short: I hate cleaning up.

...that is, until I stumbled onto an amazing tutorial video for how to get th frosting into and out of the bag without making a mess.

Thank you to Karen from Karen's Cookies.
Dear Karen,
1. You are a genius.
2. You have made my life so much easier.
3. My manfriend can ease up on doing the dishes. Thus, you have made his life easier too.

Wanna know what's got me so in luv' with Karen? Check it out...

Mousse-filled Edible Chocolate Cups

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They had edible chocolate bowls at my High School prom. I remember my mind being blown. It seemed so gourmet. So fancy. So... difficult to make

Go figure... it's not all that difficult. It takes about 15 minutes and a package of balloons! But don't tell your friends how easy it was ;-)

For this recipe, I filled the edible white chocolate cups with dark chocolate mousse. Don't let that box you in! Get creative with this one. Instead of mousse, here are some other fun options for filling: 

• berries (or cooled off balsamic honey berries, using this method)
• mint-flavored-whipped cream (use the whipped frosting recipe from this York Peppermint Patty Cupcake Recipe)
• banana ice cream
• pie filling
• whipped cream (and sliced strawberries, a la this post!)

Anyone else have some good ideas for filling consideration?!

Prep time: 15
Ingredients:

• 1 pack Almond Bark (white) or White Chocolate
• 1 pack Balloons
• 1 box Jello Chocolate Mousse Mix
• 1 cup Skim Milk

'Cooking' Directions:

1. Blow up small balloons and set aside.
2. Heat almond bark or white chocolate in the microwave for 90 seconds. Stir, then continue to heat in 15 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate seems almost melted. Take it out and stir until it is smooth.
3. Carefully, dip balloons in chocolate and slowly move around to get a clean line of chocolate. Remove and set on a sheet of parchment paper. Continue until chocolate has been used up.
4. Set chocolate covered balloons aside.
5. Combine chocolate mousse mix with 1 cup of skim milk and mix, using an electric mixer, on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 4 minutes.
6. Set mousse in the fridge to cool for 2 hours.
7. Using a fork or toothpick, pop the balloons. This is the fun part, people! Stab those things! Most of the balloons will lift right out after being popped, but some need a bit more finesse. Be gentle with them!
8. Spoon or pipe chocolate mousse into edible chocolate cups.

Cake In A Jar

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If you're anything like me, one of the ways you show people you love them is by feeding them. Ha! Okay, baking for them. Birthdays? Check. Accomplishments? Check. Just want a freaking cake? Check.

But what about when the people you love are (in a galaxy) far, far away... like at college or serving in the military? Aha, eureka, ladies and gentleman. Cake. In. A. Jar. BOOM!

Yield: 4 Jars
Ingredients:

• 1 box Devil's Food Cake
• 1 can La Croix (only if substituting for Oil/Eggs)
• 3 Eggs (or follow package instructions)
• 2/3 Cup Oil (or follow package instructions)
• 1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 8 ounces Cream Cheese (low fat)
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• Food Coloring
• 4 Mason Jars
• 5 miniature (or 2 large) Snickers Bars

Cooking Directions:

1. Combine cake mix and either 1 can of La Croix (or any sparkling water) or eggs and oil, as stated in package directions. Mix well and place into cupcake liners, filling about 1/2 way.
2. Bake according to package directions, take out, and let cool.
3. Cut snickers bars into small pieces (about 1/4 inch wide).
4. In a clean bowl, combine powdered sugar, cream cheese, and butter, and mix on medium for 2 minutes, then high for 2 minutes. Depending on how many colors you'd like to use for icing, divide the mixture (I was using 3 colors, so I divided it into 3 sections). Leave one batch in the bowl and set the others aside.
5. Swirl food coloring into the icing, then beat on medium, scraping the sides, until the color is well mixed and you have reached your desired color intensity.
6. Using a fork, lower one cupcake into each mason jar. If there is room around the side, place a few Snickers pieces to secure the cupcake.
7. Using a plastic bag or icing piping bag, add one layer of frosting on top of each cupcake. Set that color icing aside and prepare your next color.
8. After adding another cupcake to the mason jar, and securing it with Snickers pieces, add the next layer of frosting.
9. Continue until you have reached the top of the jar. Add your last layer of icing, a few Snickers pieces, and close before shipping!