Surprise! Cupcakes

Ok, I know I've been gone awhile, but really. This kid is sapping my energy like you wouldn't believe! I forgot how hard it was to grow one of these things. Anyways. We find out what we're having next month, and I wanted to have a cute little gender reveal party like I see on Pinterest all the time. The idea for the reveal came from a Polka Dot Cake recipe I saw. This is essentially the same thing, except cupcake sized! YIPPEE! This recipe is so easy, you don't even need a recipe! My secret to my test batch (for valentines day, of course!) used box mixes for both layers of cake, and store bought frosting. Super simple, and super easy! 

Step A: Make some cake balls! I have a nifty little cake ball maker that just does it on my stove top (it's like a waffle iron almost, except it makes little balls of goodness!). I just used that for the first layer. Do whatever color/flavor/WHATEVER you want! My test batch used a Funfetti cake mix that I used some pink gel food coloring to turn SUPER pink! SQUEE! Make the box. Or half a box. Or whatever. Just keep in mind that you'll be using about 2-3x the amount of the outer cake batter that you use for cake balls. If you want to go for old school cake balls, you know, the "I'd like a little cake with my frosting" cake balls, by all means, do it! Just keep in mind that it may lose it's shape a bit when baking because the frosting could melt. Also, be sure to not over bake them, they'll be baked again! It's perfectly acceptable in this case to have slightly under baked cake balls. 

Step B: Prepare your outer cake batter. For mine, I used red velvet. Line a cupcake pan with the liners you desire. Put a small amount of your second batter on the bottom. Don't go overboard! It'll bake up, and push your cake ball up through the top of the pan. You just want to hide the bottom of the cake ball is all. Press a cake ball into the batter. Cover the cake ball with batter! Don't fill the cups too full though, remember, the batter will rise up. Bake about 2/3 what the box or recipe says to, then check to see if they are done by inserting a toothpick near the EDGE of the cupcake. Your cake balls in the center are already done, so you're just testing the batter around them. When the toothpick comes out clean, they're done! Take them out, let them cool, and then frost however you like. Mine, I put a pretty little swirl of cream cheese frosting on top. 

Want to see the insides? It's pretty cool! Also, I promise that the insides were far more pink than my camera shows. 

I figure that for the gender reveal party, I'll do my Lemon cupcake (yellow is nice and neutral, and who doesn't like lemon?!) with a blue or pink cake ball inside! Alright folks. Tell me how you plan to make this work for you! Chocolate cake ball in a butter cake? Neon green mint inside a chocolate cupcake? 

Blackberry Cupcakes

Here in the great Northwest, it's the tail end of blackberry season. Being a baker known for stockpiling goodies to use in her freezer, I have amassed quite a few gallon bags of blackberries in my freezer. The frozen ones from the store are okay, but really, they're SO much better when they're local and you freeze them yourself! No extra preservatives or treatments, and local always tastes better! I've learned recently how to use a boxed mix to make some awesome treats. Why not use blackberries to spice it up? Oh, and some citrus that you've got laying around? 

Ingredients:

CAKE:
1 box of Betty Crocker white cake mix
1 stick of butter, melted
3 eggs (whole eggs)
1 3/4 fresh or frozen blackberries
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

FROSTING:
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange (about 1/2 - 1tsp)
1-2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
2-5 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. 

Combine cake mix, butter and eggs. Microwave blackberries for 2 minutes, mash. Add milk to make 1 1/4 cups total blackberry milk mixture. Add to cake mix. Divide between muffin cups. This made 20 for me, though the box says that it should have made 24. Boxes lie. Never trust a box. Just saying. Anyways, bake for 18-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

While the cupcakes are cooling, whip together the butter, extracts and orange bits for the frosting. Add powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes once they've cooled. Then? DIG IN! 

I thought I'd try out a rose piping style tonight for these. It turned out pretty well, I'd say, and was a LOT easier than I thought it'd be. Just start from a dollop in the center and work your way out! 

And yes, I realize that the cupcakes look chocolate in these pictures, however, I assure you, they are a deep royal purple and the frosting is a gorgeous off-white on top. GORGEOUS! 

Lemon cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate, lemon and salted caramel.. What better compliment to smoked ribs? Yeah, that's what I thought. None. This is all what happens when the "fun committee" at work is comprised of "foodies"! These cupcakes need ZERO introduction really. I mean, just look at them! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
Zest of 2 lemons (about 1-2 tbsp)
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2c buttermilk
Yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. 

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside. 

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy and pale. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fluffy after each. Beat in zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture in alternating batches with buttermilk and lemon juice, beating until just combined after each addition. Add yellow food coloring until desired shade is reached (optional). 

Divide batter evenly among mini-muffin cups. Bake for 15-18 mins, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature before frosting.

Frosting:
Beat 4oz softened cream cheese and 4oz softened butter until well combined and fluffy. Add 1tsp vanilla, zest and juice of 1 lemon, mix well. Add 2-3 cups powdered sugar and 1-2tbsp heavy cream until desired consistency is reached.

Mississippi Mud Cupcakes

Being on the fun committee at work has it's perks. Like, I get to bake and test out new recipes, and the company pays for the ingredients. Could it get any better? I think not. I was tasked with making a variety of mini cupcakes for the BBQ potluck we had recently. I'm a few days late in the posting of it, but I was recovering from the baking hangover I had. We had Salted Caramel cupakes, Lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting, and Mississippi Mud (with a few that the nuts and such were left out of for the chocolate but not nutty lovers). Did I mention the baking hangover? So. Cupcakes. Chocolate. Goodness. They went over well. 

Ingredients: 

1cup butter (2 sticks)

4oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

2cups sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4tsp salt

1/2-1cup chopped/crushed walnuts or pecans, divided (optional)

1/2 cup Mallow Bits (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Place nuts in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until toasted. Set aside.

Heat butter and semi-sweet chocolate together until melted and smooth, either in a double boiler or microwave, stirring often. 

Whisk everything else into chocolate mixture except nuts until well mixed. Fold in mallow bits and all but 2 tbsp of the nuts. Spoon evenly into mini-muffin cups. You can do this in regular muffin cups, but I can't guarantee the result. The mini's turned out perfect. 

Bake for 16-20 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting, finish by sprinkling remaining toasted nuts over fresh frosting. I used a chocolate cream cheese frosting for mine (4oz softened cream cheese, 4oz softened butter, 1tsp vanilla, 3/4c cocoa powder, 2-3c powdered sugar, and 1-3tbsp heavy cream). 

Cupcakes For Two - Brown Sugar Vanilla

Ever get that late-night craving for cupcakes, but you don't want to make a whole batch? I have your solution!! I love brown sugar.. and I kind of wanted cupcakes.. but we have a birthday party tomorrow for my daughter, and there will be lots of goodies while there and leftover. Solution? Small batch cupcakes!! The original inspiration I found was for two cupcakes, which would have been perfect for hubby and I since the kidlets are in bed, however, we have an extra mouth tonight, so I decided to go the mini route. I love mini cupcakes. They're perfectly sized, and I got exactly what I wanted with just one. No need to over-do it! Hence, the birth of the small-batch brown sugar vanilla cupcake. If I had them, I would have also added some vanilla bean, but alas, I do not. If I would have thought about it, I would have also browned the butter before hand too. Someday, I will try these again with said modifications. For the moment though, they were a perfect fix. I think next time, I will also make some caramel whipped cream for the topping. 

Ingredients:


1 egg white
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla 
1/4 cup flour
1/4 heaping tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream


Directions:


Preheat oven to 325º. Fill an oven-safe container (I just used a cake pan) with about an inch of water, place on bottom rack.


In a bowl, whip egg white and brown sugar until frothy. Add butter and vanilla, mix well. Add flour, baking powder and salt, mix until just incorporated. Add cream and combine. 


Divide batter between 2 regular size cupcake liners or 9 mini liners. Your regular sized cupcakes make actually make 3, depending on how much you fluffed up your egg. Bake minis for 12-16 minutes, regulars for 15-20. Baking times may vary by oven.

I had some cookies n cream frosting left in my fridge from a recent batch of Chocolate Cheesecakes that I had used an Oreo crust on, so I just used that, but honestly, it would have been much better with just plain vanilla, or as discussed above, a caramel whipped cream frosting. MMM..

Bacon Maple Cupcakes

I'm a bacon kinda gal. And it shows. More than it should. Needless to say, I hopped on the bacon craze train once it came rolling through with no hesitation. I won't go down the bacon booze road, and bacon mints make me gag (I worked for the company that made them for a Christmas season right after high school, and I spent a few hours tagging them one day.. I smelled like bacon and mint forEVER afterwards..). Give me a good piece of bacon though, and I'm a happy camper.. Unless you've got more and you're not sharing.. 


Okay, enough with my trying to stop myself from rambling about how much I love bacon.. These cupcakes are not traditional cupcake. They're actually closer to a sweet muffin. But I'm okay with that. Mostly because there's bacon involved. Bacon makes everything better. 

Ingredients:


Cupcakes:
4 1/2 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tbsp solidified bacon grease
1 egg
5 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4-1/2 cup bacon crumbles


Maple Glaze:

1 c powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla



Frosting:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 tbsp maple syrup
2 c powdered sugar


Directions:


I'm going to paste the original directions here. They're better than I could ever give you, folks.


What you’ll do–
* 1) Cook some bacon in a fry pan (about 6 thick strips). Reserve the drippings and place in the fridge to solidify. Mince 1/4 a cup of the bacon. The chef should eat whatever is left to assure that the bacon is tasty.
* 2) Beat the crud out of the butter and solidified bacon fat ’till light and creamy. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and beat well until combined.
* 3) Add the egg and beat until incorporated.
* 4) Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and powder together.
* 5) Add some of the flour and mix, then some of the milk, then continue to alternate the dry and wet ingredients, ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in the bacon. Taste and add more maple syrup, flour, or milk if needed for desired taste. Keep in mind the maple frosting is very sweet, and to add in very small increments for alterations as maple syrup in large amounts can break a cake batter.
* 6) Scoop into cupcake papers and bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes for even baking.

Now for my part:


For the glaze, mix glaze ingredients together in a bowl. Dip cooled cupcakes in glaze, let excess drip off, let set for an hour or so.

For the frosting, cream butter and vanilla. Add powdered sugar and maple syrup, beat to desired consistency. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes. Garnish with bacon pieces and/or coarse sugar.

Boozy Zebra Cupcakes

I'm not a boxed mix kind of person. I much prefer to make things from scratch. Once in awhile though, I just want to do it from a box. Especially if I know something else in the process might take awhile, like this one. I also like to jazz the mix up a bit. Hence, the boozy part of these cupcakes. Now, they're not boozy in the sense that you feel drunk after eating them. They've just got booze for flavoring in them. I used whipped cream vodka to make the white cake a bit creamier tasting, and I used Kahlua and coffee for the Devil's Food cake. 


Zebra cakes are pretty intensive to make. Well.. Maybe not intense, just time consuming. And if you're anything like me, messy. They're worth the effort though. They turn out looking AWESOME. 

Look at the beauty! Check out the frosting too towards the end of the post. A zebra won't lose it's stripes! 


Ingredients:


1 box Pillsbury Moist Supreme White Cake Mix
1 box Pillsbury Moist Supreme Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/4 cup whipped cream vodka
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup oil
6 eggs, divided
1/4 cup Kahlua
1/4 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350º. 


In a medium bowl, mix together white cake mix, vodka, 3/4 cup water, 1/3 cup oil and 3 eggs until well combined. 


In another bowl, mix together devils food cake mix, Kahlua, coffee, 1/2 cup oil, 1 cup water, and the remaining 3 eggs until well combined. 


Line muffin tins with cupcake liners. I used both mini and regular sized for this recipe. It will make 24 regular cupcakes and 44 minis. Be prepared to share! 


Layer 1/2 tsp at a time in liners, alternating between chocolate and white cakes. The end product should look something like this:

They don't have to be perfect, by any means, but the stripes are best if you place each layer on top of the last. They'll spread out on their own from the weight of the layer above it. 


Bake the minis for 12-15 mins, regulars for 15-20. Let cool for 20-30 mins.




For the frosting, I used canned frosting. A shame, I know, but I really wanted to just make this easier. I did use a new technique I've been wanting to try out though - dual color/flavored frosting! I used a can of classic white frosting and chocolate fudge. This takes a total of 3 piping bags. 1 piping bag for each color, inserted into another bag. Make sure that the tips are down evenly in the outer bag, I learned that one the hard way. Finished product will look like:

(translation: cute)

If you wanted to make these even boozier, you could TOTALLY do a generic buttercream frosting for each color, using whipped cream vodka instead of milk in the white frosting and Kahlua in the brown!

Coca Cola Cupcakes

My husband's latest obsession is Coca Cola. It's the only thing he'll drink lately besides plain old water. I do have to say that it's pretty tasty with a little lime and some tequila, but really. I can't do it plain. Not out of a bottle/can at least. Of course I went perusing the internet for other ways to enjoy this bubbly beverage with him. And I found this. YUM. Although she mentioned it being in memorandum of Whitney Houston, I can forgive her for that bit for the taste. They're heavenly. I even made a Coca Cola frosting to go on top, though it's not much of a Coke taste. 

This is another case where you are NOT allowed to make fun of my blossoming piping skills.. Just kidding. I laughed myself when I was done. I definitely need some practice. I do at least have tools other than a ziploc bag now. Notice the lovely ridges? I even figured out how to attach the coupler and tip to the bag without the instructions (because my kids undoubtedly walked off with them). The minis (see above picture) turned out okay, but the bigger ones.. Well.. It's a work in progress. The good news is they taste better than my piping job looks. 


Ingredients:


Cupcake:
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup Coca Cola
Maraschino Cherries (optional)


Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp Coca Cola


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350º.


Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, combine until well mixed. 


In another bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add alternately with Coca Cola to the wet ingredients until all is incorporated. 


Evenly distribute the batter between lined muffin cups. This recipe made 12 regular cupcakes and 8 minis. If you choose, press a maraschino cherry into each cupcake at this time. For the minis, maybe a half or quarter cherry will suffice. Bake minis for 13-16 minutes, regular size for 20-25 minutes. 


In a large bowl, cream butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and Coke alternately until the right consistency is reached. You can add more powdered sugar to make it stiffer, or more Coke to go the opposite way. 


When cupcakes have cooled at least 20-30 minutes, spread or pipe frosting on. This recipe makes slightly more than I needed to pipe it onto all of my cupcakes. You can use more, or save the rest for later. Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles, if desired. 

These have a very cakey texture, and the Coke adds a strange note that most people wouldn't be able to pick out until you told them what it was. Then the light bulb goes on. It's fun to watch!

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

Tomorrow, I say goodbye (at least for awhile) to a friend. It's funny how close you can get with people in such a short amount of time. The good news is, the internet is a magical thing. Along with phones. Plus she is keeping her house on the coast, so she's already said she's going to strategically plan her trips back up from Arizona to Washington so that they coincide with when I'm making something good. Funny how food draws people together. She gave me blueberries (which are in the frosting for these cupcakes!) and a decorator's sugar and food coloring set, and I have given her lots of cheesecakes, muffins, cupcakes, etc. And sarcasm. I think that one went both ways pretty heavily though. She'll definitely be missed. 


Okay. Enough of the sentimental crap. Onto to the cupcakes! Lemon cupcakes with a gorgeous blueberry buttercream frosting. Hello, delicious! I didn't used to be a blueberry person, and I'm still not when it comes to eating them by themselves, but I've decided in the last few years that they're not bad baked into things. They're actually quite delicious! And lemon. I've always been a citrus person. Lemon and lime especially. Lemon cupcakes are always so fresh and light tasting. Did I mention that she gave me a food coloring set? The good kind. With "golden egg yellow". Which I might add is a bit more yellow that I thought it might be. I think that food should look like it tastes. These cupcakes look like a gorgeous yellow lemon. In hind sight, knowing how strong the coloring is, I will use less. It is at least a nice contrast to the pretty purple/blue of the frosting. Add purple and yellow decorator's sugar, and it's PERFECT. 

Ingredients:


Cupcakes:
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
Zest of 2-3 lemons, finely grated
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Yellow food coloring (optional)
Whole blueberries (optional)


Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup blueberries, pureed
4 1/2 to 5 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tbsp whipping cream


Directions:


Preheat oven to 325º.


Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. 


Cream sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated. Add zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add flour in three additions, alternating with two additions of buttermilk. Pour into lined muffin tins. If you'd like, add one whole blueberry to the top of each mini muffin cup, or three to regular size, and press down gently until about 1/2 to 3/4 submerged in batter. When baked, they will look like this and be easily covered with frosting for a lovely surprise!

Bake regular sized cupcakes for 20-25 mins, mini's for 15-20 mins. If you put blueberries in them, leave them in for an extra minute or two, the batter directly around the blueberry will need it to finish. 


For the frosting, cream butter, vanilla and cinnamon until creamy. Add blueberries, mix well. Add the powdered sugar and whipping cream until desired consistency is reached. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with decorator sugar if desired.

My husband gives the "blueberry surprise" ones a 10 of 10. His only complaint was that my frosting was too soft because it was warm. Which is pretty impressive, because he's usually got more to pick at when he tries my new recipes. More to come after tomorrow's festivities!

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Salted caramel. Most people either love or hate it. I, for one, love it. And so does one of my good friends at work. Her birthday happened to be this week, and so being the good friend I am, I made her a batch of salted caramel cupcakes for her to do what she pleased with. They were GORGEOUS. And mighty tasty! 


I've been staring at this recipe for weeks now. I have a thing about cooking sugar. I'm terrified of it. Almost as terrified of it as I am of opossums and the dark (laugh it up now, just wait until they take over!). I finally braved it though. For a good cause. I'm not going to lie, there was at least one messed up batch, and quite a few expletives, but definitely a good cause. Caramel-making is not for wusses. 

(Forgive me for the awful piping job. My piping skills are still a work in progress, and would probably be more easily honed had I a decorator's set instead of a ziplock bag.)





Ingredients:


Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt (it really does make a difference!)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick, softened)
1 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk


Salted Caramel:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp salted butter, cubed
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla


Frosting:
2 sticks salted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 - 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
Salted Caramel




Directions:


Preheat oven to 325º. Line a muffin tin with baking cups.


Combine flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. 


Cream sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined after each. Add vanilla, combine. Add flour in three batches, alternating with two batches of buttermilk, combining well after each addition. Divide batter evenly between 12 cups. Bake for 25-30 mins or until a toothpick/knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.


In a medium to large sized sauce pan, melt sugar for caramel. Whisk the sugar as it melts until it becomes deep amber in color. Add butter, whisk until melted, then add cream, slowly (watch out for the foam, it will get you if you're not careful!). Whisk until sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 


Cut a small round piece out of the top of each cupcake and fill with 1 tsp caramel, then replace cupcake piece. (See below for demonstration)

(credit to Sprinkles Bakes)

After filling the cupcakes, you should have some caramel left over if you only used the 1 tsp per cupcake. Use the rest of this caramel for the frosting. 

Beat the butter, vanilla and salt together until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, mix until well combined. Add the caramel (you can save a smidge for drizzling over the tops if you choose, but they're still pretty good without. You can also just make another batch to drizzle over the cupcakes.. and maybe some vanilla bean ice cream. YUM. Beat the frosting until light, fluffy and airy. Start with the 1 1/2 cups, adding more if you desire a stiffer consistency. I used about 2 1/2 cups because it was pretty hot and humid the day I made them and my frosting wouldn't have held up otherwise. 

Pipe (or spread) the frosting onto your cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a caramel drizzle, coarse sugar, whatever your little heart desires. You can also visit the original site for a recipe for caramel rounds to decorate, as seen in the picture above. 

The frosting is creamy, smooth, and the perfect balance of sweet and salty. The brown sugar cupcake adds to the caramel goodness, and then there's the sweet surprise in the middle. I was informed that these tasted like a cupcake shop cupcake, only better! What praise! 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some more cupcakes to make! Next round is lemon blueberry cupcakes, post to come soon!

Berry Breakfast Muffins

Summer is coming. I love berries. There is no better combination I think than brown sugar, cinnamon and BERRIES. I recently made some cranberry orange muffins from a box mix (I despise box mixes, but occasionally they're necessary in a pinch..). I had been avoiding it because I realized after I got home that the box said it only made 11 muffins.. Not 12.. I have an aversion to odd numbers like that. I could handle 8. Or even 10. But not 11. I just can't do it. Being the brilliant person I am, I realized as I was staring at it for the two hundredth time that I had some blueberries in my freezer. Just enough to make up for a missing muffin. YES! So I added them. And it turned out wonderfully. All twelve of them!

*GENIUS*

So. Having an aversion to intentionally uneven numbers and boxed mixes, I set out to find my own. And they turned out HEAVENLY.

YYYUUUMMMM-OOOO!

Okay. Ready?

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup regular flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup orange juice
2 eggs, beaten
6 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup frozen blueberries (can also use fresh if available)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.

Soak cranberries in orange juice at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl (everything up to the cinnamon on the ingredients list). Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until just mixed. If you're using fresh blueberries instead of frozen, you may want to fold them in at the very end after everything else is mixed so that they stay whole.

Scoop 1 tbsp of batter into lined (or very well greased) mini muffin cups or 1/4 cup into lined (or very well greased) regular muffin cups. Bake mini muffins for 12-16 minutes, regular size for 23-28 minutes, until a knife/toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


If you want these to have more of an orange flavor, you can also add some orange zest, 1tsp to 1tbsp, depending on how much orange you want in it.