Cream Filled Cupcakes

Last week, while I was bumbling around the kitchen making these babies,

 the most horrible thought occurred to me. 

I have never posted a recipe on Cream Filled Cupcakes. 

What kind of negligent food blogger am I? 

(You did NOT have to answer that one, I am well aware of my recent self proclaimed blog-cation) 

So I did what any logical and sane food blogger would do - I popped a cupcake in my mouth. 

And resolved to post the recipe as soon as humanly possible:

Cream Filled Cupcakes:

1 recipe Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake

1 recipe chocolate glaze

Cream Filling

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1/2 cup shortening

4 cups confectioner's sugar

1 pinch of salt

6 tablespoons milk or coffee creamer

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Prepare the chocolate cake according to instructions, and divide into 30 lined muffin cups. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely. Using an electric mixer, beat all cream filling ingredients on high, until light and fluffy. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large circle tip. ( I use a Wilton #10 or a Wilton 1M tip) Once the cupcakes have cooled, poke the tip of the frosting tip into the top of the cupcake, and squeeze for about 5 seconds, until you feel the cupcake start to "puff''. You know you filled enough filling when you see the cream start to pop back up through the hole from the top. Prepare the chocolate glaze, and gently dip the top of each cupcake, allowing it to drip back into the bowl. Allow the chocolate to set, and then have fun piping swirlies on top with leftover cream filling. Make sure to invite lots of people over to help you eat them, you may be in danger of eating all of them yourself! Not that I would know, of course.....

Summertime Snowmen

I've seen these snowmen cookies floating around some blogs way back in January, while the snow was falling sheets and the weatherman was gleefully adding up the inches like a greedy man in a bank. So somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to make these cookies quite yet. But now, after a scorcher of a week last week, I am quite ready for some winter imagery! The kids had a blast making them, and this is the kind of thing that the kids can actually make all by themselves (well mostly) and have it come out looking cute. Here's what you need:

One recipe sugar cookies, rolled and flattened into circles, baked and cooled

One recipe white royal icing

Large Marshmallows

Thin stick pretzels

Chocolate Chips

Chocolate Sprinkles

Food markers (Optional)

Fondant (Optional)

You can really go crazy with your imagination and raid your candy closet for these cookies. For the basic idea, transfer royal icing to a squeeze bottle. Squeeze a nice dollop onto the top of a sugar cookie. Grease a large dinner plate with shortening, and place marshmallows on top, spaced around an inch apart. Microwave on high for about 10-15 seconds - don't leave the microwave. Keep an eye on them, and as soon as they start to puff up, take them out of the microwave. Press a marshmallow down into the "puddle'' of royal icing and then decorate! Use leftover royal icing to attach the eyes, nose etc. 

Have fun and stay cool!