Despicable Me Minion Cupcakes

What You Will Need for Despicable Me Minion Cupcakes:

• Twinkies, halved. If you are making a dozen you’ll need six Twinkies
• There are several ways to make the eyes:  Smarties with a black frosting dot, Wilton Decorator Eyes or all frosting.
• Black icing tube for details
• Blue (or whatever color you want) frosting or icing. Color with food coloring.

• Bake and frost your cupcakes as usual. (Recipe below...courtesy of bhg.com)
• Cut Twinkies in half and lay on the flat side on a plate.  It will be easier to decorate this way.
• Squeeze two circles of icing/frosting on the Twinkies in the place where you will put the Smarties glasses.
• Press the Smarties into the icing/frosting and some of it will smoosh out and make it look like the glasses are rimmed. Make two dots for the eyes in the glasses.
• Draw lines for the sides of the glasses. Draw a mouth and stick chocolate jimmies into the top of the Twinkies for hair. Gently press the Twinkie into the frosted cupcake. And done!

Simple White Cupcakes with Creamy Frosting

Creamy Frosting

Old-Fashioned Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Cherry Clafoutis

Cherry Clafoutis

1 1/4 cups milk

2/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon l.c. finns Vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

3 cups cherries, pitted

powdered sugar, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a blender, combine milk, 1/3 cup of sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour, and blend. Lightly butter an 8-cup baking dish, and pour a 1/4-inch layer of blended mixture into the bottom. Set remaining batter aside. Bake about 7-10 minutes, until a film of batter sets in the pan, but mixture is not baked through. Remove from oven (don't turn off the oven). Distribute cherries over the set batter, then sprinkle with remaining sugar. Pour the remaining batter over the cherries and sugar. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the clafouti is puffed and brown, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie

These Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies use fresh cranberries along with other complimentary ingredients to create something flavorful and delicious. Get creative with your fresh cranberries by making these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies.

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon l.c. finns Vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup raisins

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon orange zest

12 ounces white chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to the butter mixture. Stir in oats, raisins, cranberries and orange zest. Fold in chocolate chips, if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Cool completely on wire racks.

Pineapple Upsidedown Cake

Pineapple Upsidedown Cake is a sweet way to enjoy your pineapple during the spring. A classic dessert, your Pineapple Upsidedown Cake will be tastier than ever with our flavor-packed pineapples.

1/2 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, eyes removed and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (about 4 or 5 slices)

3/4 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

14 pecan halves

1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons l.c. finns Vanilla extract

1 tablespoon dark rum

4 fresh cherries, halved and pits removed (optional)

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the sugar mixture is bubbly (about 2 minutes). Arrange pineapple slices in the skillet in a pleasing pattern and continue to cook for 2 minutes or until the sugar mixture turns an amber color. Turn the pineapple slices over and remove the pan from heat. (The mixture will continue to cook even though the heat is off.) Arrange the pecan halves in the spaces between the rings. Set aside to cool slightly. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing until just incorporated. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the vanilla and rum. Spoon the batter evenly over the pineapple slices in the skillet. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean (about 35-40 minutes). Cool the cake in the skilled on a wire rack for 4 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and, wearing oven mitts and working quickly, invert the cake onto a cake plate, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Carefully lift the skillet off cake and replace any fruit stuck to the bottom of the skillet, if necessary. Arrange the cherry halves, if desired, cut side down, into the top of the cake, in the center of the pineapple rings. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

Creamy Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is a quick and tasty dessert that kids love! It’s a great way to use up that all that extra white or brown rice from homemade stir or Chinese take-out.

• 3/4 c – Uncooked rice (or 1-1/2 c cooked rice)
• 2 c – Milk, divided into 1-1/2 c & 1/2 c
• 1/3 c – Sugar
• 1/4 tsp – Salt
• 1 – Egg, beaten
• 2/3 c – Golden Raisins
• 1 tbsp – Butter
• 1/2 tsp – l.c. finns Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp – l.c. finns Cinnamon extract or Cardamom extract

1. In medium saucepan, bring 1-1/2 c water to boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.

2. In another saucepan, combine 1-1/2 c of cooked rice and 1-1/2 c milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, approximately 15-20 minutes.

3. Stir in remaining 1/2 c milk, beaten egg and raisins. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.

4. Remove from heat, stir in butter and Vanilla and Cinnamon/Cardamom Extracts.

5. Serve warm.

Hot Mocha

Hibiscus Frosting

Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies

This recipe comes from a friend, Jen Van Buren. It yields about 3 dz cookies.

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus some to roll out cookies
1/2 cup pure pumpkin (canned pumpkin works well too)
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon l.c. finns Vanilla extract
2 tsp l.c. finns Ginger extract

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon or l.c. finns Cinnamon extract
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and smooth.  Add the pumpkin, molasses, egg, ginger and vanilla extract.  Mix until combined.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.  Add to wet ingredients and mix until combined.  Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.  The dough can be chilled for up to 3 days.

3. When you are ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 350.  LIne a baking sheet with a slipmat or parchment paper.  Place sugar in a small bowl.  Roll Tablespoon-sized balls of dough in sugar until well coated.  Place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies looked cracked and set at the edges.  The cookies will be soft.  Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 2-3 minutes after removing them from the oven, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.