A Blueberry Muffin for breakfast

If you have never had a hot fresh blueberry muffin made from scratch in your own kitchen you just have to do this some day. Melt a little bit of butter on top and it is pure heaven. If you need a recipe then here is
Magnolia Bakery Blueberry Muffins a really good one. Enjoy!

The best cupcakes ever!

This is not my picture. Aren't they cute though?
These cupcakes are the best! Yeah I know, that is what every one says, but seriously, these are wonderful! I have tried many cake mixes(store mixes)in my day and most the time was not impressed. I think the only time I was impressed was the year my aunt made lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I believe the mix was Pilsbury. Even though these mixes have gone on sale for .50 cents to $1.00 over the holidays I can NOT bring myself to buy something, no matter how cheap, laden with trans fat!

SO this means I need to find delicious recipes for mixes on my own. As I posted earlier in my Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes blog, I was inspired by Chocolatechic's and Zsuzsanna's cupcake stands. They were so cute I had to get my own! Then I went in search of the perfect recipe to go along with them. I found it while searching for cookie recipes.

Like I said before they are tender, light, fluffy, moist, everything you would want in a cupcake. I do recommend using real butter though. I used real vanilla extract as well but I am sure artificial vanilla would be fine. I even calculated last nite how much it cost me to make these.

Now here is a small adjustment, they say 6-8 cups of sugar for the frosting of 2 dozen cupcakes. But I have found when smearing the frosting on top that is double what I need. Now maybe when I get into fancy swirls and what not, maybe I will need that much frosting? *Shrugs*. The only thing I did not add up was the vanilla, but if you are using artificial it would add what a penny or so? lol


I buy real butter at Smart N Final, it is $5.65 for 3 lbs. I buy confectioners sugar there to and that is $2.55 for 4 lbs, eggs at Lonq's are always $1.20, sugar I catch sales sometimes but more often than not it is $2.99, the self rising flour was 1.69 for 5 lbs, the all-purpose flour was $1.50, milk is $6.59 for 2 gallons.

Anyhow, when I added this up it was $4.78 for 2 dozen cupcakes the way the recipe is written(with all the frosting). That is less than .20 cents a cupcake. If you are making this recipe for the first time I would follow it closely and use 7-8 cups of sugar. The price for the cupcakes with halfing the frosting recipe is $3.52 or less than .15 cents per cupcake.

So you see you can use expensive ingredients(real butter) and still save money. Mixes in the store are generally $2.00 and frosting is like $2.50! I don't know if that makes 1 or 2 dozen cause I haven't used a store mix in ages. And then they still want you to add stuff like eggs, milk, oil, etc. I will have to price those out later. Anyhow these are very delicious and were a big hit over the holidays here.

This is definately going to be one of my main recipes for cupcakes. I did not use any whole wheat what so ever. It would probably ruin them. hahahahahah

In my last blog I realized I forgot to post the recipe and I kind of felt bad when Zsuzsanna stopped by that blog and said she needed to make cupcakes every day to get good use of it! Those children need cupcakes and Zsuzsanna needs more recipes. How can I disappoint that wonderful family? I can't, so here you go. lol Don't forget, you can also put blueberry muffins and brownies on the stand. :)
CLick link for the recipe for Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Magnolia’s Vanilla Cupcakes

Everyone is always asking us which is the most popular cupcake at the bakery. Most people are surprised that it is what we call the vanilla vanilla - the vanilla cupcake with the vanilla icing (and the most popular color for the icing is pink).

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes (depending on the size of your cupcake papers and muffin tins)

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CUPCAKES:
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1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
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1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
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2 cups sugar
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4 large eggs, at room temperature
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1 cup milk
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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ICING:
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Vanilla Buttercream (recipe follows) or Chocolate Buttercream

1.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
3.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
4.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
5.

Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. At the bakery we ice the cupcakes with either Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Buttercream.

Note: If you would like to make a layer cake instead of cupcakes, divide the batter between two 9-inch round cake pans and bake the layers for 30-40 minutes.

What is your favorite cupcake recipe?

Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes

Well I made the vanilla cupcakes twice now. If you are interested in the story behind these cupcakes, read my Peanut Butter Cookie's thread. WOW! They are tender, light, fluffy, moist. They are perfect! The second time I even got the frosting right. They are awesome. Last time we added 6 cups of powdered sugar, too runny. It says between 6-8. This time I was on the phone and lost track of how many cups I put in. So I am not sure if I used 7 or 8 but the frosting looked great and this time I could tell it was done! Hooray! I made violet and green cupcakes with sprinkles.

My two aunts tried them and my cousin and they all said they were really good. My one aunt thought they were REALLY good and said she was going to bring two for the next day and some for grandma. We are also seeing them again on Tuesday and she said I needed to make more for that party! She wanted the recipe and took some extras home for her son and dh.

MMMMMMMMM.....Yummy!! You have got to try these!

The picture is from my cousins house of the cupcakes. After seeing pictures of Chocolatechic's and Zsuzsanna's cupcake stands, I just had to get one too! I seen one online at Bed Bath and Beyond for $20.00, used my 15% off coupon and got it for $17.00 with the birthday $20.00 my Grandma sent me. Next on the agenda will be perfecting decorating them.

I stopped at Michael's and got a 12 pack of icing colors. We have a cake decorating kit but I am not too handy with it. Don't forget to use real grade aa butter, I am sure that makes a difference. What kind of cup cakes do you like to make?

Magnolia Bakery Blueberry Muffins

Well I found online about 7 of the Magnolia Bakery recipes. That is the bakery in New York City where people line up down the block for an hour or longer sometimes just to buy a cupcake. lol Joe was baking with me yesterday and we also tried the vanilla, vanilla cupcakes. I will review those later. These muffins are very good. I used half whole wheat/half all purpose flour. Usually any muffins I do, if I do all whole wheat they come out pretty wheaty tasting.

I am trying to get some baking done now and out of the way for two Christmas parties we have coming up. Blueberry muffins freeze well so that is where they are. I doubled this recipe and already baked 24 and I still have batter left over that I froze. If you like blueberry muffins these are very yummy. Nice and tender too. I will be doing this recipe again.

MAGNOLIA BAKERY BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Source: The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes From New York's Sweetest Bakery by Jennifer Appel, Allysa Torey

3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups blueberries, lightly coated with flour
1 tablespoon sugar (for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease well a 12 cup muffin pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, making a well in the center. Stir in the liquid ingredients until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Batter may be lumpy. Gently fold in the blueberries into the batter.

Fill the muffin cups about three-quarters full. Lightly sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Bake for 20 - 22 minutes until lightly golden or a cake taster inserted into center of muffin comes out with moist crumbs attached. Do not overbake.

Does your family like blueberry muffins? If not what kind do they like?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips Cookies

Who ever heard of peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips in them? Not me. Not until I found a new blog yesterday. I just love finding new blogs full of yummy recipes.

Smitten Kitchen

She got this recipe from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes From New York's Sweetest Bakery

Now if that wasn't interesting enough, the New York Times has even written an article about this bakery and several other offshoots and I guess they are all battling it out in court. It was a pretty interesting read if you have the time.

An excerpt from Adam Sternbergh at New York Magazine:

Together, [Jennifer] Appel and a high-school friend, Allysa Torey, begat Magnolia Bakery in 1996. When their partnership, and friendship, dissolved in 1999, Magnolia begat Buttercup. In 2003, Magnolia begat Billy’s, a bakery in Chelsea, opened by a former Magnolia manager, and Buttercup begat Sugar Sweet Sunshine, started by two former Buttercup employees. Now there are at least a half-dozen similar bakeries throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, with such jolly names as Baked, Happy Happy Happy, Polka Dot Cake Studio, and Cupcake Caboose (an all-cupcake catering company), each serving up cupcakes topped with dollops of sugary frosting swirled artfully like beehive hairdos.

So much fuss over cupcakes and cookies. Bake these and taste for yourself what all the fuss is about. ;)

Anyhow here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

The brilliance of these cookies is that they have include two different formats for peanuts–three if you use chunky peanut butter. They’re crisp on the outside, and almost cakey on the inside. Bake a batch and then hide the results in the furthest and most forgettable reaches of your kitchen. You’ll thank me later.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth is what we used, but I am pretty sure they use chunky at the bakery)
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling) sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup peanut butter chips
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crissscross pattern (I used the back of a palette knife to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely

Now I am normally not a peanut butter cookie lover. But WOW! I fell head over heels for these! I seen the recipe, we have plenty of peanut butter, so I just had to try it. Joey loved them too and he is normally not big on peanut butter cookies either but he said he HAS to have these cookies now. haha They are THAT good. Of course the kids loved them and Chris pitched a fit when he seen Joe take a bowl of them to work to share with co workers. lol

Here is the link to Smitten Kitchen, the blog I got it from. I am definately going to have to go over there more often. I did use half whole wheat and half all purpose flour in this recipe. Do you like peanut butter cookies?