CCCb Muffins

Yesterday I had one of the most fun days hanging out alone in the kitchen. I have a long laundry list of recipes I want to try, but most of them had ingredients to go out and get and I just wasn't in the mood. I had these:

{Two B-A-N-A-N-A-S!}

And of course the very first recipe was a muffin recipe with Bananas, Cinnamon, and Chocolate Chips, all things I had readily available! The name is a super mouthful, so I'm calling them CCCb's! (Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Banana Muffins!) These are super easy and quick and quite delish, if I do say so myself. 

{CCCb's}
Makes 1 Dozen Scrumptious Muffins

You're gonna need:

Egg - 1

Flour - 1 1/2 cups

Milk - 3/4 cup

Milk Chocolate Chips - 1 cup

Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup (Get another 1/3 cup for crunch on top)

Banana - 1

Vegetable Oil - 1/4 cup

Baking Powder - 3 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 tsp (Get another 1 tsp for crunch on top)

Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin tins or use butter/spray to grease tin.
2. Peel and cut your banana in a bowl and use anything to smush and smash it like a fork or whisk, like I did. You can also puree it, if you have the resources available.
3. Add all the ingredients in a stand mixer or a bowl and mix on low speed. Scrape down the side of bowl as needed!
4. When ingredients are completely mixed and incorporated, scoop batter into muffin tin about 2/3 full. Mix together extra 1/3 cup Brown Sugar and extra 1 tsp Cinnamon in small bowl and sprinkle Cinnamon Sugar mixture on top of each.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched. Let cool and ENJOY!

I hope you enjoy these scrumptious muffins!! These are such a quick and yummy treat for breakfast or any time. :) Have a good Tuesday dolls. xx

Chai Tea Cupcakes.

I've been in a weird mood lately, but I'm finding anything new and exciting has been just what the doctor ordered in more than one area of my life. I've had this recipe in my pocket for awhile, waiting for the perfect time to make them. After a really long day at the main office front desk today, I traded my black lace dress and pink tights for green sweats and headed to the kitchen. I typically don't drink tea at all, but these Chai Tea scrumptious cupcakes made me fall head over heels.

Chai Tea Cupcakes (makes 2 dozen)

Ingredients

• Milk - 3/4 cup
• Black Tea - 2 tea bags
• All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
• Cake Flour - 1 cup (sifted)
• Baking Powder - 1 1/2 teaspoons
• Course Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
• Ground Pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon
• Ginger - 1/4 teaspoon
• Ground Cardamom - 1/4 teaspoon 
• Ground Gloves - Pinch
• Ground Nutmeg - Pinch
• Unsalted Butter - 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons)
• Dark Brown (I used golden brown) Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Eggs - 2

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini (or regular) muffin tins with liners.
2. Bring milk to a simmer over medium heat on stove. Remove from heat and add tea bags and cover for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and squeeze the bags on top and throw out and allow milk/tea to cool completely.
3. Whisk together both flours, baking powder, salt, pepper, and spices.
4. With electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low.
5. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two batches of tea-infused milk, and beating until just combined after each.
6. Divide batter evenly and fill each 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes (regular sized) and 10-12 minutes (mini's) or until tops spring back when pressed. Frost as necessary. :)

Condensed Milk Icing 

• Unsalted Butter - 1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons)
• Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
• Course Salt - Pinch
• Confectioner's Sugar - 3/4 cup

1. With an electric mixer on medium, whisk together butter, condensed milk, and salt until smooth. Whisk in confectioner's sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until combined, then whisk on high speed until thick and smooth. Use immediately by dipping each cupcake and turning over quickly.

I didn't use the condensed milk icing. I just used my signature cream cheese icing. I also didn't use the oven, I used my brand new:

Original Cupcake Baker!!! ($24.99)

I love it. It only bakes 7 mini's at a time, but they took 5 minutes each batch and they were perfectly moist and golden brown. I highly recommend it, if you are thinking about getting this one or a cupcake baker that is similar. Here's your wonderful recipe for today. I'll also show you a few pictures from Halloweekend! I was a pirate on Friday and a cupcake on Sunday. (Both DIY costumes!) :) I enjoyed every minute of the weekend. It was welcome change. I hope everyone else had fun weekends and enjoy their weeks. 

KK was a baker :) and I was a cupcake.

Cookies & Cream Mini Cheesecakes

These are so wonderful and oh so simple. I'm a cupcake girl, but being able to use a muffin tin and cupcake liners made me believe that I could do this. And I did, they were a crowd pleaser at baby shower and for Trey and the fam. (The plate is missing half of them haha).  P.S. you'll frequently see my interjections, which will be helpful with some of the steps.

Cookies & Cream Mini Cheesecakes (makes 30)

via: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

You will need:

• 42 Oreos; 30 whole & 12 chopped. (one package will do because you'll have left over to munch on later)
• 2 lbs of cream cheese at room temperature.
• 1 cup of sugar.
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
• 4 large eggs lightly beaten at room temperature.
• 1 cup of sour cream.
• Pinch of salt.

The steps:

1. Preheat your oven at 275 degrees. Use cupcake liners and line standard muffin (cupcake) pans. Place one whole Oreo at the bottom of each lined cup.
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed (or a very strong arm), beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  -This is where it is key to have it softened at room temperature because cream cheese is very difficult to work with when hard.- 
3. Gradually add the sugar and beat until combined; then beat in the vanilla.
4. Drizzle in the beaten eggs, a bit at a time. Beat to combine and scrape down the sides as needed. Beat in the sour cream and salt.
5. Crush and chop the 12 Oreos and then put them in the batter. Hand mix these in to ensure they are distributed well and not crushed further.
6. Divide batter among Oreo-filled cups; filling each almost to the top. -I always use an ice cream scooper to ensure an even amount in each. I use the one with the metal clamp that moves the ice cream out when you click it- 
7. Bake for 22 minutes or until filling is set, remember to rotate the pans after 11 minutes for an even setting. Once you remove from oven, place tins on wire racks or your stove to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (up to over night). - The recipe states that you should keep them in the tins in the fridge, I needed my tins and you might too, so I just carefully removed each one and placed them on the plates. They are quite delicate though, so be careful.-

Let me know how they go for you guys, I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do! Have a great Friday!