Cupcakes!

My kids love cupcakes. In a very big way.

So naturally for Mother's day Paige wants to make me cupcakes for a special dessert. She whips out her favorite cookbook, finds the recipe she's been begging to try, and she makes them (with Daddy's help, of course!).

I've had good cupcakes, and I've had bad cupcakes. These were GREAT cupcakes!

Fast forward a couple weeks, and Nate's craving cupcakes. He pulls out the recipe, and begs for them. I tell him that I would love to make them for him, and maybe change them up a little bit so they're a different flavor. He's not too sure about it, but he goes along with it, cause hey, Mom's makin cupcakes!

Fast forward to 4:30 that afternoon - Pete has Paige and Nate at piano lessons. I'm frantically trying to figure out what's for dinner when the cupboards are getting bare, the kitchen's a disaster, Ry's underfoot, and baby L is fussing. The last thing I need is to make cupcakes. But I promised, and this Mommy doesn't go back on her promises.

I'm so glad I didn't, cause the finished product was definitely worth it! I put baby L in her high chair with some crackers, gave Ry the job of getting things out of the fridge for me, and got to work.

Here's the recipe for Zoe's vanilla cupcakes with pink frosting, adapted from the cookbook 'C is for Cooking: Recipes from the Street', now entitled:

Mom's Vanilla Cupcakes with Cookies 'n Cream Butter cream Frosting

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt (I didn't put it in)
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened (used margarine)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c (8 oz) low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well mixed.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in the vanilla. Pour the batter evenly into the lined muffin cups.

Bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool completely.

Cookies 'n Cream Butter cream Frosting:
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened
2 1/2 c confectioner's sugar
1 t vanilla
1/4 - 1/3 c crushed Oreo cookie crumbs (not sure how much I put in!)
18 mini Oreo cookies

In a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, cream the butter until it is pale and fluffy. Add the confectioner's sugar, 1/2 c at a time on low speed, until well blended. Mix in the vanilla. Stir in the crushed Oreos.

Spread the frosting over the cool cupcakes, and place a mini Oreo in the center of each cupcake. Enjoy!!!

Now, I would be lying if I said I followed the ingredients step by step, but I didn't have the time or the patience. I mixed all the wet ingredients together for the cupcakes, then dumped all the dry ones in on top then mixed. I couldn't tell the difference in texture!

The original frosting recipe calls for 4 hulled and cut up strawberries instead of the Oreos, and it makes a wonderfully pink and fruity frosting! It also called for 1/4 c. half and half, but the frosting ran everywhere, so it was more of a very thin glaze. I omitted it for the second try, and I don't think it needed to be in there. Paige also used strawberry yogurt instead of the plain, and it was phenomenal!

I think this recipe is going to become a fast favorite for us, and it really took no more time to make than a boxed mix. We're looking forward to trying other variations, and maybe I'll even get a picture of them before they disappear next time...maybe :)