yesterday i picked about 2 pounds of cherries. today i made a crust from scratch. and then i made a pie (using this recipe). regardless of what our weather would like us to believe, summer (and all the glorious fresh fruit you can eat) is here!
butter butter butter
my masterpiece before it went in the oven
yum.m.m
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PS. this is the 2nd time i have attempted this recipe. the first time was too embarrassing to share. i'm serious, i nearly cried. you'll notice that my cookies aren't as fluffy and awesome as hers. but maybe they will be next time! happy monday.
i get depressed in winter. and baking makes me happy. :)
the recipe suggests a thin lemon glaze, which admittedly is healthier than the buttercream frosting that i chose to add. for half of the frosting i added cocoa and vanilla to make my own chocolate buttercream. mmm.
let me preface this by saying i am by no means a baking expert. i love unique cupcakes, and i love cooking, so i wanted to try a few recipes and see how i did! my friend kate and i made 4 different kinds of cupcakes, and even though they aren't as good as my favorite (rocket queen - if you are in the corvallis/albany area, try them immediately, they are addictive), they'll make nice chanukah presents for my dear family.
[caption id="attachment_780" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption=""red" velvet with buttercream frosting // flourless chocolate with cream cheese frosting"]
the first recipe was for red velvet cupcakes with buttercream frosting (modified from ming makes cupcakes). My dad hates red food coloring, so I used beet juice, which turned the cupcakes into "purple velvet". still pretty!
the flourless chocolate cupcakes (recipe from ming makes cupcakes) were amazing! the batter was so good that i barely even wanted to bake them. if i use this recipe again, i will fill the cups more - they are a bit flat. the recipe calls for fresh whipped cream to serve - but i'm waiting to try that until i get them to my parents' house in bellingham on wednesday.
[caption id="attachment_781" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="pumpkin's pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting"]
i can't remember where i found the pumpkin cupcakes recipe - but it sure is delicious. i would add a lot less honey, however - they are almost too sweet for me. the frosting also calls for powdered cactus honey (which i have never heard of, and decided not to bother with). i also used rice flour for this recipe instead of wheat flour.
i used the same cream cheese frosting recipe for the pumpkin cakes as for the carrot cupcake recipe (also from ming makes cupcakes, and might i add, the very best cream cheese frosting ever). i am shamelessly plugging ming's site because a) the recipes are delicious and b) there are very few ingredients, which i always appreciate.
[caption id="attachment_782" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="carrot cupcakes, unfrosted"]
i used rice flour instead of regular flour for the carrot cupcakes as well.
[caption id="attachment_783" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting"]
i am a big fan of homemade presents. fun to make, fun to give, and from the heart. i'm heading to my parents' house on wednesday for a much-anticipated mini-vacation during thanksgiving and the first night of chanukah. happy holidays, everyone! <3
