Brenda's Birthday Coconut Cupcakes

Hello friends! I am celebrating my 48th birthday by sharing my favorite cupcake recipe. This Coconut Cupcake recipe has been in my recipe book for at least 10 years and I believe it was originally one of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa’s, recipes! I love coconut and these cupcakes are truly delicious!

If you find yourself with a few extra minutes, it really is worth it to make your cupcakes from scratch! They really are extra special!

COCONUT CUPCAKES:

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

5 large eggs

450 grams of shredded sweetened coconut

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

2 cups of sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Heat over to 350.

Sift dry ingredients together. Break the eggs into their own bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (approx 3-5 minutes).

With mixer running on low, carefully add the eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Mix in the sifted flour mixture and buttermilk by alternating 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup buttermilk—start and end with the flour. Add HALF of the shredded coconut and mix until incorporated.

Fill cupcake liners with 1/4 cup scoop of batter or until the liner is nearly full. Bake 25-30 min and let cupcakes briefly cool in pan before moving to a wire rack to cool.

While cupcakes cool, make the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

1 cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Place cream cheese in mixing bowl of stand mixer. Gradually add butter and use a spatula to scrape down the sides. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Mix in vanilla.

Ice your cupcakes and sprinkle with remaining shredded coconut! When I made these for my Birthday Cupcakes & Cards class I even sprinkled some edible glitter on top! Enjoy!

No Bake Mini Egg Cheesecake

Happy Easter friends and family! For the past few Easters my kids have been requesting a Mini Egg cheesecake so I thought I would share the recipe that I have modified from a few Pinterest searches into the one my kids really love!

I use a 9.5 inch springform pan for mine, but you could really make this in any size (obviously the depth of the cheesecake would differ) or even in a basic rectangular cake pan. Because it isn’t cooked/baked I think the vessel in which you create it in is a little forgiving. And it will taste so good it won’t matter in the end!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Oreo Baking Crumbs (you can also blend up full sized cookies in a food processor)

2/3 cup butter, melted

1 2/3 cup Mini Eggs, chopped into small bits

2 1/3 cup whipped cream

3/4 powdered sugar

2 x 250 gram cream cheese (full fat)

juice of half a lemon

Directions:

Mix the Oreo crumbs and melted butter together and press firmly into the base of your pan.

Whip the cream and then add in the icing sugar (if you have a sifter you can use it as it will help the sugar incorporate easier), cream cheese (I like to cut it into chunks as it makes blending it in easier) and lemon juice until nice and light.

Fold in by hand the Mini Eggs.

Add this mixture to the top of your crust and finish into a smooth surface. Chill for 3 hours or overrnight.

Topping:

1 1/4 cup of Mini Eggs

1 cup whip cream, whipped as garnish on side

I like to add Mini Eggs to the top and after cutting each slice add some whip cream to the side.

I hope your family enjoys this easy No Bake Cheesecake recipe!

Lemon Meltaway Cookies

Recently I hosted a fun stamping class where we made some cards using the Sweet Citrus Bundle—this was a Cookies & Cards class that I host once or twice a month. Because it was a citrus themed class I decided to try out a new recipe and its definitely a keeper! If you are a lemon lover you will really enjoy these simple and easy lemon cookies!

LEMON MELTAWAY COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 cup butter softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 lemon, zest of

2 cups of flour

1/2 tsp baking powderr

1/2 tsp salt

Lemon Cookie Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp heavy cream

1/8 tsp salt

Instructions:

Cream the butter and sugar together. Mix in egg until well incorporated and add in lemon zest. Mix.

Add 1/2 cup of flour, baking powder and salt to the creamed mixture and combine. Continuing adding flour at 1/2 cup increments and it is all completely combined.

Use a small cookie scoop (I love the Pampered Chef scoops!) or tablespoon to measure dough and then form into balls and place on a cookie sheet with parchement paper. You can slightly flatten them with the palm of your hand.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes until the center is set. The cookies will not brown at the edges and will remain light in color. Let them sit for a couple of minutes on the sheet and then transfer to cool on a wire rack. You will be icing the cookies on this rack so you can place paper towel beneath to catch any drips.

It is important that the cookies are completely cool before you add the glaze.

To make the Lemon Cookie Glaze:

Whisk the powdered sugar with the cream, lemon juice and salt until smooth. Use a spoon to add a teaspoon or more of the glaze to each cooled cookie. Let the glaze set before you transfer the cookies to a container. They taste great at room temperature but even better straight from the fridge!

I was able to make 24 cookies from this recipe! I hope you enjoy!

And for fun, here is the lemon card we created that inspired my cookie recipe!

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

This is another cookie recipe that I have been making for years! I think I got it from a Martha Stewart magazine. Today Summer helped me make a double batch of these! I have been getting my kids involved in baking since they could wield a wooden spoon!

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

1/2 c peanut butter

1/4 c butter, room temp

1 c brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 c sugar (spread on a plate)

mini peanut butter cups

Using an electric mixer, cream the peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until incorporated. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. With mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture in two batches.

Scoop dough by tablespoon and roll into balls. Roll balls into sugar and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake until the cookies begin to puff in a 350 degree oven, approx 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and place a peanut butter cup in the center. Return to over and bake another 6-7 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.