Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Cupcakes

I had some pumpkin left over from a recipe (one that failed but we won't go there) so I wanted to use it up. The boys went to Cole's best friends house to watch the football game while I did a few things around the house. I decided to bring a sweet treat with me when I picked them up, they had a large group of friends over so I had to share!\

I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Cupcakes on 3 Boys Unproccessed a while back and wanted to make them. They were very big hit with the party guest. The host who does not like pumpkin said they were so delicious and only tasted the ginger. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 and 1/2 cup whole wheat white flour 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon 
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 cup organic brown sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter or 1 stick
• 1 can pumpkin puree standard 15 oz. size
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 
• 1/4 cup yogurt I used greek
• 16 ounces full fat cream cheese for icing
• 1/2 cup organic sugar for icing
• 1 cup organic 10x sugar for icing
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon for icing
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract for icing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix together all dry ingredients including flour, leavening agents, salt, spices, and sugar. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl mix together all wet ingredients including melted butter, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, and yogurt. *Yogurt is added for extra moisture and puffiness, so I would recommend using it. 
3. Sprinkle dry ingredients over wet, mix just to combine. Batter will be thick. Divide batter into 14 lined cupcake tins and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a pick comes out clean. 
4. For cream cheese filling: Beat softened cream cheese until very smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl several times to ensure all lumps are out. Add sugar, and beat until smooth. 
5. Add powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla to finish. 
6. To assemble: Cut the top off of each cupcake (make sure they are cooled or you will end up with a mess) with a serrated knife. Pipe a layer of filling, then top with cupcake top, and pipe another layer of filling. Dust with powdered sugar to finish. 

ALEXIS NOTES: One thing I learned is this is a dense cupcake so don't do the rule of filling only 3/4 of the way before baking. Fill them to the brim so you will get a nice bit to be able to cut off the top. Also my frosting was a bit runny so I added 2 more cups of powder sugar that helped firm it up but wasn't as airy looking as her's. I had some paper straw's left over and used those as decoration.

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Pumpkin Cupcakes turned into Turkey Cupcakes

Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving?  I know crazy huh?  Cole had his pioneers meeting last night (like the boy scouts) and I always like to make a special treat for them.  Why not make cupcakes that look like turkey's?  I saw a few ideas on pintrest and kind of ran with it.  I first started with a pumpkin  cupcake recipe that I found on Taste and Tell Blog.  And then frosted with chocolate frosting and formed the little guys.

Pumpkin Cupcakes:

1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup milk
Grated zest of 1 orange
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar and the 1 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until combined.

Beat in the flour mixture in 3 parts alternately with the milk and orange zest on low speed until just combined. Add the pumpkin puree and beat until just combined.

Pour into cupcake liners and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean about 15 to 16 minutes.

Then went to the decorating of the cupcake to look like a turkey!  I saw this picture and added my look.

• Chocolate Frosting
• Candy Corn
• M&M's or Reese Pieces

Frost the cupcakes I used a knife so it wasn't the big glop of frosting I usually do.  I then added Candy corn to make the tail feathers (You can use 3 or go crazy and add 6 to 9).  Add a small round dollop of frosting for the head.  Then add two pieces of candy to be eyes and add one piece of candy corn for the beak (see the picture below for the step by step).

Tada You're done!

Have a wonderful day!  I hope to get one more Thanksgiving treat recipe up for tomorrow!

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes - Version 2

Cole's class is going to the pumpkin patch tomorrow, and I couldn't just make the Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes for Caden's class last week.  Now of course I couldn't do the same cupcakes I already did, so on to pumpkin patch cupcakes #2.  

I first started with a Pumpkin Ginger Cupcake I found on All Recipes.  This one wasn't as simple as last week's recipe but it sure did smell good and my friend tasted the batter for me and thought it was yummy (I'm still on my diet and not allowed sugar or carbs).  

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger   1 cup butter, room temperature 1 cup white sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Whisk together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, cloves, and crystallized ginger in a bowl; set aside.
2.	Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla and pumpkin puree with the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

After the cupcakes cooled (yes let them cool, I didn't at first and the icing melted right off them). I added the Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting I used last week.  

Ingredients:

Orange Sugar

Watermelon Airheads / Cut in half and shaped like a leaf

Orange Frosting Gel

Green Licorice (I found in bulk isle and cut in half)

My amazing friend helped me roll the iced cupcakes in orange sugar, add orange lines with frosting gel, top with a green licorice for the stem and we even added a green leaf made from watermelon airheads.  See the photo below for step by step directions.

My camera died half way threw so forgive me for not done cupcake and the low resolution for the pumpkin cupcakes.  Hope you have a wonderful day and you try out these yummy Cupcakes.

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

Caden and his Kindergarten class have their first field trip tomorrow to the Pumpkin Patch!  We are so excited I'm working a half day to go with them!  I wanted to do something fun for the class and since the cupcakes I just made for Cole's Class the Easy & Quick Pumpkin Cupcakes with the Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting (recipe HERE for both) just topped different!  I found Gourmet Meals for Less a Pumpkin Patch Cupcake recipe.  This was super easy!

First I made the cupcakes and I had half the frosting left over that I then frosted the cupcakes.  Then on to the decorations!

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

Serves 18-24

Ingredients:

white or brown cupcake liners

1 package chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos or a store brand version)

24 candy corn pumpkins

Green Decorating Gel

Directions:

Bake cupcakes according to directions.  Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.  Place one and a half rows of your sandwich cookies into a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs.  If they look like a pile of dirt, they are ready.  Place your cookie crumbs in a bowl. Frost each cupcake generously, forming frosting into a nice mound. Immediately roll frosting part of cupcake in cookie crumbs.  To fully cover frosting you will have to also scoop crumbs up and gently press onto cupcake.  Shake off access crumbs.  You will need to do each cupcake one at at time through this step, so frosting does not have time to harden. Top each cupcake with a candy corn pumpkin, pressing it into the crumbs and the frosting.  Decorate with Green decoration Gel to look like Vines coming off the pumpkin candy.

I think they turned out very cute!  I hope the kids love them!

Band-Aid Cupcakes

Cole has joined the Pioneers at school and Monday they will have a CPR training.  I wanted to make something fun for there snack.  On cupcake wars the other day I saw a lady do band-aid to top her cupcakes.  I thought that would be perfect for this meeting.  It was late so I wanted to make something quick and easy.  I'm also going to make cupcakes tomorrow for Caden's class going to the pumpkin patch.  So why not make pumpkin cupcakes for both!  I found this Quick and Easy Pumpkin Cupcake recipe and made that.  I then made a Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting I saw on Pinterest the other day.  And then of course topped with the band-aids.

First I stared with the cupcakes (which mind you was so simple and quick, I recommend this in a pinch).

Makes 24 cupcakes

1 package spice cake mix
1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350F. Paper-line or grease 24 muffin cups.

Blend cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, oil and water in a large mixer bowl until moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared cups, filling evenly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

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Then instead of a regular cream cheese frosting I needed something sturdy to last up the day until the meeting after school.

 Makes 5 Cups
1 (8oz) package reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract

2 cups Heavy Cream

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a couple of times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak.

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For the band-aids I just made this one up and it turned out pretty cool if I must say so!

6 Graham Crackers (broke into fourths)
Frosting (white)
1 tube Red Frosting Gel

Break your graham crackers in fourths to look like a rectangle (band-aid).  Add a small square of white frosting in the middle (to look like the gauze on a band-aid).  Add a drop of red frosting Gel (to resemble blood).

Step by Step:

First Frost the Cupcakes

Then top with the Band-Aid

Not bad for a quick one (took me less then an hour).

I hope these are a hit!