Kickoff Cupcakes

Aren't these just the cutest things you've ever seen?! My mom used to make Easter cupcakes with green grass made of coconut and little eggs candies on top. This is the football season version! The flavors are from one of my favorite candy bars - chocolate, coconut, and almonds. Festive, bite sized, and sweet :)

Featured in La Petite Fashionista Magazine :)
Kickoff Cupcakes
Makes 5 dozen mini cupcakes
Baking Time: according to cake package
Decorating Time: 1 hour

Ingredients
1 package chocolate cake mix and required ingredients (usually eggs, water, and vegetable oil)
1 lb vanilla frosting
2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
3 oz whole plain almonds
Green food coloring

1. Prepare cake mix according to package and bake in mini cupcake portions.
2. While the cupcakes are cooling mix coconut flakes and green food coloring 3 or 4 drops at a time until a medium green shade is achieved.
3. Mix half vanilla frosting with green food coloring 3 or 4 drops at a time until a medium green shade is achieved. Fill a pastry bag or a zip top bag with one small corner cut off with the remaining white frosting.
4. Frost the cupcakes with green frosting. Sprinkle coconut on top until covered and pat down. Use extra frosting as glue and place the almond on top of the coconut. Pipe small lines of white frosting on top of the almond like the laces on a football.

The little minis are so cute! Prepare cake mix according to package and bake in mini cupcake portions.

While the cupcakes are cooling mix coconut flakes and green food coloring 3 or 4 drops at a time until a medium green shade is achieved.

It kind of looks like a galaxy! Mix half vanilla frosting with green food coloring 3 or 4 drops at a time until a medium green shade is achieved.

Fill a pastry bag or a zip top bag with one small corner cut off with the remaining white frosting. Cut as small of a corner off as you can and  do some test lines to see if the size will work. I'll admit, I had to transfer the frosting to a few bags before I got the right size! But they're just zip lock bags, so no biggie.

Frost the cupcakes with green frosting.

Sprinkle coconut on top until covered and pat down. Green grass!

Use extra frosting as glue and place the almond on top of the coconut.

All ready for the final touch!

Pipe small lines of white frosting on top of the almond like the laces on a football.

They're just adorable! And bite sized which is perfect for finger food at a tailgate party! These fun and festive cupcakes will be a hit at any football celebration!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Two great things about fruits and vegetables that are in season - they taste their best and they are cheap! I've been buying cherries lately because I can actually afford them at their in-season summer price (poor college student) and they are so SWEET and PERFECT. Experimenting with baking is my goal for the next few weeks, and these chocolaty and tart treats are the first success story! I love the way the fresh cherries taste with the semi-sweet chocolate chips. The chocolate chips aren't as sweet as milk chocolate and the cherries are sweet but tart, so these cookies don't taste like a mouth full of straight sugar. They're just the right amount of sweet :)

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Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Saucy Jocey's Kitchen July-12-2012

Fresh cherries and semi-sweet chocolate chips come together to create the perfect sweet and tart cookie!

Ingredients

• 1 cup white flour
• 1/4 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Fresh cherries
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Mix white flour, wheat flour, baking soda, and salt. 2. In a separate bowl mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. Mix in the egg. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix until fully combined.3. Remove the cherry seeds and coarsely chop the cherries. Stir cherries and chocolate chips into batter mixture.4. Scoop heaping tablespoons of batter onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees F. Enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 32 cookies

Adapted from the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

Mix both flours, salt, and baking powder and set aside.

In a separate bowl mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. Mmmm I'll admit I eat this form of the cookie batter sometimes. Sugar and butter and vanilla. So wrong but so right.

Mix in the egg!

Gradually add flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture and mix until fully combined.

Cut out the seeds out of the cherries. This is kind of tedious, but obviously necessary. Just eat a cherry or two as you're cutting and you'll stay happy.

Coarsely chop the cherries so they are in perfect bit-sized cookie pieces.

Ah the best parts! I'm a BIG chocolate chip cookie fan. They remind me of the holidays because we always make at least 5 batches around Christmas time. The cherries give these cookies a nice summer flavor though :)

Scoop heaping tablespoons on batter onto the cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes! I always line my cookie sheet with aluminum foil, which makes clean-up easy!

Take advantage of the BEAUTIFUL summer cherries and bake these cookies! I had a few of my friends taste test them and they definitely got the stamp of approval. Chocolaty and tart and sweet, all in one!