Spicy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Spicy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies are the first cookie ever made during "Colletta's Christmas Cookie Try-outs".  Click on the button above to see more about the Try-outs.

Before I get into the recipe, I must tell you about a kitchen gadget that I will be using for basically every cookie recipe I make.  It is the Pampered Chef Scoop. 

There are 3 different sized scoops and the smallest is absolutely perfect for cookies.

Uniform in size and oh-so-easy to scoop the cookies onto the cookie sheet.

Now on to the recipe.

Spicy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon allspice

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup flour

1 cup quick-cooking oats

3/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 egg

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Add egg and butter. 

2.  Beat on low speed or mix by hand until mixture is thoroughly blended.

3.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (or scoops!) onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 to 12 mintues.

4.  Remove from oven and let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute.  Transfer to cooling rack.  (Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen.)

Icing (Optional)

1 cup powdered sugar, divided

1-2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1.  In small bowl, combine powdered sugar with 1 Tablespoon milk and vanilla.  Stir until smooth, adding additional milk as necessary until drizzling conisistency is reached.  Drizzle over cookies and let set.

Results

I don't like raisins so I have to admit that I didn't actually eat one of these cookies.  However, oatmeal-raisin is my mom's favorite cookie so she was my taste-tester.

They passed with flying colors!

Let me know if you try this recipe and if you like it.

Linking to:

Made By You Monday

Making Your Home Sing

Homemaker Monday

Tuesdays at the Table

Raising Homemakers Link-up

Strut Your Stuff Thursday

Foodie Friday

Potluck Sunday

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Brown sugar + cinnamon + cream cheese + white chocolate = Yum!

I found this recipe at http://www.sweetebakes.blogspot.com/ .

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cupcakes

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325.  Line pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. 

Add vanilla extract to buttermilk.

Mix dry ingredients into butter/sugar mixture alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back to touch or toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.


White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz. package of cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate, melted
1 Tablespoon crisco

In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.

Slowly add sugar, whipping cream and vanilla extract.  Beat until smooth and creamy consistency is reached.

Melt white chocolate and crisco in the microwave.  Check every 30 seconds until melted.  Allow to cool slightly before adding to icing mixture.

Add melted white chocolate to frosting mixture and beat on high for a few minutes.

Place frosting in the fridge for a few minutes.  Use a ziplock to pipe frosting onto cupcakes.

Mix some sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.  Sprinkle cupcakes with sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think!

Linking up to:

Making Your Home Sing Monday

Made By You Monday

Homemaker Monday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Homemaking Link-up

Strut Your Stuff Thursday

Tasty Thursday

Foodie Friday

Potluck Sunday

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes to take to our Guardian Angel Program picnic.

The Guardian Angel Program is a program where adult church members are assigned a specific school-kid to pray for and to give special treats to for that school year.  The child's Guardian Angel is a secret until they are revealed at the yearly picnic.  It is great fun and a very special lady, Jane, is the coordinator.

I originially found this recipe at http://www.potsandpins.com/ .  I tweaked it a little, especially to make the cupcakes more "pink".

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 Tablespoons butter, softened

1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

3 Tablespoons thawed pink lemonade concentrate

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 drops red food coloring

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins.

In a large bowl combine sugar, butter, lemon zest, lemonade concentrate, food coloring and vanilla.  Beat until well blended.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients, mixing with a whisk.

Add flour misture to sugar mixture, alternating with milk.   Mix only until blended.

Spoon batter into cupcake liners (fill them fairly full) and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.  Cool completely before frosting.  Makes 24 cupcakes.

Pink Lemon/Cream Cheese Frosting

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

2 Teaspoons lemon zest

2 Teaspoons thawed pink lemonade concentrate

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 drops red food coloring

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I needed more than this.)

Pink Decorating Sugar

Combine in a bowl at high speed the butter, lemon zest, lemonade concentrate, vanilla, food coloring and cream cheese.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar at a low speed and best until well blended.  (You'll probably need additional powdered sugar to get the consistency desired.)  Chill frosting for one hour before using.  Spons into a Ziplock bag, snip one corner and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.  Sprinkle pink decorating sugar on top.

Regrigerate, loosely covered, but serve at room temperature.

I took some different colored bendy straws and cut them down to add a little bit of decoration to the top of the cupcake.  They were a hit and the kids loved picking out the straw colors.

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think!

Linking up to:

Making Your Home Sing Monday

Made By You Monday

Homemaker Monday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Homemaking Link-up

Strut Your Stuff Thursday

Tasty Thursday

Foodie Friday

Potluck Sunday

Dr. Pepper Cupcakes

These cupcakes were so moist!  They were so chocolately and fudgy and just oh so delicious!

I originally found this recipe over at http://www.christyrobbins.blogspot.com/ .

They are a must try!

Dr. Pepper Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups Dr. Pepper Soda

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 stick butter

4 Tablespoon cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

In a pan, combine Dr. Pepper, oil, butter, and cocoa.  Stir over medium heat.  When it starts to simmer, turn of stove.  Make sure it is well mixed.

Add all the dry ingredients, but don't over mix.

In a separate bowl, beat the buttermilk and eggs, then add it to the rest of the mix.  Blend together.

Place batter in cupcake liners.  (Fill the liners almost completely full.  These don't rise much).

Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes.  Don't over-bake.

Buttercream Icing Recipe

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons milk

1/2 Tablespoon water

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 stick butter

Combine sugar, milk, water and vanilla.

In a pan, melt and stir together the chocolate chips, cocoa and butter.

Add melted chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture.  Beat together until smooth and fluffy.  You may need to add a little more milk if your mixture looks to crumbly.  ( I had to add quite a bit more milk.  Just add a little at a time until you get the consistency you desire.)

I topped each cupcake with a well-drained Maraschino cherry.  It added that sweet pop of cherry flavor.  And it looked so cute!

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think!

Linking up to:

Making Your Home Sing Monday

Made By You Monday

Homemaker Monday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Homemaking Link-up

Strut Your Stuff Thursday

Tasty Thursday

Foodie Friday

Potluck Sunday

Coconut Cupcakes

I originally found this recipe over at http://www.acuppycakelife.blogspot.com/ .  I tweaked it a little to accommodate my tastes and what I had on hand.

This cupcake has a delicate coconut flavor and is like eating a little bit of summer.

Coconut Cupcakes

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

3 tsp. coconut flavoring

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin tins and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and beat until well blended.  Mix in coconut flavoring.  Add the dry ingredient mixture in thirds alternating with two additions of coconut milk.  Beat until all ingredients are well blended.

Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each cupcake liner.  Bake 13-18 minutes (more toward the 18) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for 4 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Coconut Buttercream Icing

(enough for 24 regular cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tablespoon coconut flavoring

6 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup coconut milk

In a large bowl cream shortening, salt, coconut flavoring and 2 cups of powdered sugar.  Add remaining sugar alternating with coconut milk until desired texture is reached.  You may not need all of the coconut milk.  Beat on high for 10 minutes until creamy and fluffy.

I will be linking up to:

Made By You Monday

Making Your Home Sing Mondays

Homemaker Mondays

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Homemaking Link-up

Strut Your Stuff Thursday

Tasty Thursday

Foodie Friday

Potluck Sunday

Summertime Eclairs

Since summer is just about over, I thought I better post this recipe soon. Although this would be great anytime of the year!It is super rich and super delicious. Making it was easy, easy, easy.

I found the recipe over at http://www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/.

I taste tested it and decided it was "satisfactory" for company. lol

Summertime Eclair

2 small boxes of vanilla pudding
graham crackers
2 cans of chocolate frosting
3 cups milk for the pudding
2 T milk for the frosting
8 oz. Cool Whip

Mix your pudding with 3 cups of milk. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Mix in Cool Whip.

Layer graham cracker in the bottom of a 9X13 pan.

Spread on a layer of pudding.

Mix 1 can of frosting with 1 T milk. Spread on top of pudding layer.

Make another layer of graham crackers.

Add another layer of pudding.

Add another layer of frosting mixed with 1 T milk.

Crush up some graham crackers and sprinkle on top.

Chill in fridge for at least three hours.


This is also a great recipe for the kids to help with "clean up" as you can see from the pictures below.

Yum, yum, yum...

Linking to:

Homemaking Link-up

Strut Your Stuff Thursday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Foodie Friday

Potluck Sunday

Tasty Thursday

Peppermint Patty Cupcakes

I found this recipe for Peppermint Patty Cupcakes at "A Cuppy Cake Life". I LOVE Peppermint Patties and knew right away that I had to try this concept.


I changed my version up by using a cake mix and my regular fluffy icing recipe. I didn't have the necessary ingredients for the Spong Cake used and I wanted the icing to be thicker like the actual center of a Peppermint Patty.


You can go over to A Cuppy Cake life to find the original recipe I found. Here's my quick and easy version:


Peppermint Patty Cupcakes




Cake:

Use a chocolate cake mix and follow instructions as on box. Fill the cupcake liners only 1/2 full. Bake and cool.

Icing:

1/2 cup shortening

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. Peppermint Flavoring

4 cups powdered sugar (est.)

Combine shortening, milk and peppermint flavoring. Beat. Add powdered sugar. Beat until well mixed. Continue beating until fluffy. You may have to add a little more milk/sugar to get the consistency you desire.

Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes.

Garnish with a mini Peppermint Patty.

I took these to a church picnic and they were devoured! They were really, really good. A must try.

Let me know if you give them a try and what you think.

Butter Pecan Cupcakes

I found this recipe at A Cuppy Cake Life and it was a must try. Butter Pecan Ice Cream is a favorite around here and I couldn't wait to taste one of these pecan sprinkled goodies.

I made them for a church picnic and everybody loved them. Myself included!

Butter Pecan Cupcakes
(makes approx 30 regular cupcakes)

2 2/3 cups chopped pecans
1 ¼ cups softened butter, divided
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt ¼ cup of the butter. Add the chopped pecans and toss to coat. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until nuts are toasted and fragrant, about 10-15 minutes. Do not overcook the pecans. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and remaining cup of butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add the dry mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk. Mix well after each addition. Stir in 1 1/3 cups of the toasted pecans. The remainder will be used to top the cupcakes.

Spoon ¼ cup of batter into each liner. Bake for 13-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 3 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Butter Pecan Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
8 ½ cups powdered sugar
5 ounces evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream together the butter, vanilla and 3 cups of the powdered sugar. Once well incorporated, add evaporated milk alternating with a cup of sugar at a time until all ingredients have been added. Beat on high for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Spread on cupcakes and top with remaining 1 1/3 cups toasted pecans.

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