Lemon Cupcakes

So on Thursday night this week it was our last jr. youth small groups night. It's been such an awesome year with these beautiful ladies and getting to know them, and I had a great time at our last night together. Unfortunately, most girls couldn't make it due to baseball season.

But, the two girls that did come got to eat these cupcakes and we had a tea party in the park!


Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In large bowl, combine sugar and margarine. Whip until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time.
3. Gradually add the milk and lemon juice, mix well.
4. In small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add to wet ingredients, mix until fully blended.
5. Scoop batter into mini cupcake liners and bake 8-10 minutes. Top with frosting of choice!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
coarsely chopped milk chocolate
coarsely chopped semi sweet chocolate
Smuckers Caramel Sauce
salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
2. In separate bowl using hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mix well. Stir in vanilla.
3. Gently stir in dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
4. Fold in chopped chocolate.
5. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets, press into each cookie with index finger lightly. Add small amount of caramel sauce to each cookie. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 8 minutes.

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

It's been a while since I posted an update, or a recipe, so here's what I've been up to! It's late, but none-the-less it's here. A couple weeks ago the bible study group I attend (Revolution) had a beach party! And since here in Canada it gets kind of cold, it was a great reason to dress up (or down) in our beach wear, play some games, and eat awesome food! So, here is my recipe for these delicious cupcakes.

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh strawberries, cored*
2 1/3 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 1/2 tsps baking powder
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Using a food processor (or in my case, a blender if you don't have one), puree the strawberries. Keep 3/4 cup of the strawberries for the cupcakes, reserve 1/4 cup for the buttercream frosting (recipe below).
3. In small bowl whip egg whites and vanilla until light and fluffy.
4. In large bowl mix together the strawberry puree, butter, sugar, and baking powder. Once well blended, add the flour and mix well.
5. Gently fold in the egg white mixture until fully incorporated.
6. Using a muffin scoop, distribute the batter among muffin liners. Bake for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven. From this recipe it made about 12 regular sized cupcakes, and 8 mini's, if that helps.
7. Decorate with frosting once cooled and enjoy!


Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
1/4 cup strawberry puree
4 1/2 cups icing sugar (or less, if desired consistancy is met)
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
1. Whip together butter, strawberry puree, and vanilla until well blended.
2. Gradually add the icing sugar and mix until smooth.
3. Pipe or frost cupcakes as desired and take a million photos (like me, haha) and enjoy!

Baking in Africa

So, for those of you who don't know, on November 8th I left with 9 others from my church to go to Zambia, Africa for 2.5 weeks. Our church sponsors a home through the orphanage Seeds of Hope Childrens Ministries and they sent a team down there to go and volunteer for a while and get to know the area/community.

So after we arrived late November 10th, we got settled and experienced things you only really witness on TV...until you're in those situations. It was such a God time and I will forever be thankful for having the opportunity to go.

One day while we were there, we decided to have a party with our sponsor kids. So we started planning a party. We made fondue, cut up fruit, and I was asked to bake! I was so excited. So during the day I went to the office kitchen (this way our dorm wouldn't be over-heating with the oven on, seeing as it was already in the high +30, celsius that is). I mixed my batter, poured it in the pan, and slid it into the tiny oven that only had Fahrenheit temperature numbers. I was so confused, but thank goodness for the only metric conversion chart in the back of an old cookbook in one of the cupboards.

The party went so well, we gave our sponsor kids some gifts, ate some good food, all while the power was out. It was candle-light, and it was such a beautiful time with the kids. I will never forget this experience.

It was an interesting experience to get to bake in Africa. I wasn't expecting it, but it was so much fun. And for those of you wondering what I made, I decided on my Luscious Buttermilk Brownies, and they were a hit!

So for your viewing pleasure, here are a few photos from my time in Africa!

Molasses Ginger Cookies

I haven't baked in quite some time, that is...something new. So I found an old recipe that my mom made once, and I heard her talking about it this morning. So I figured I'd surprise her and bake some. I find it quite funny how I can't make regular chocolate chip cookies, but these turned out gloriously. Enjoy!

Molasses Ginger Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
dash of vanilla
1/8 cup white sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease/line cookie sheets.
2. In large bowl, combine first four ingredients, mix well.
3. In small bowl, combine the egg, molasses, brown sugar, and vanilla, also mix well.
4. Add molasses mixture to the flour mixture, and blend until molasses mixture is fully incorporated.
5. Using a cookie scoop, or a tablespoon, scoop portions of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten with hands and coat one side with white sugar. Place on cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 6 minutes, and leave on the pan to cool for 2 minutes.

7. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Apple & Flax Waffles

I had such a fun time making these, and there's nothing else to say about them except they're delicious and worth the time and effort. That is all.

Whole Wheat Apple & Flax Waffles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1 1/2 tsp. ground flax powder

some crushed walnuts (optional)

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs, separated

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 cup milk

3 small apples, peeled and cut into slices

1 tbsp. organic maple syrup, more for topping

scoop of vanilla ice cream, optional

Directions:

1. Turn on waffle iron and let it heat up.

2. In large bowl combine first 6 ingredients, mix well. Make a well in the middle.

3. Add the milk, vanilla, and egg yolks to the well, gradually blend in with the flour mixture.

4. Beat the egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Fold into waffle batter.

5. Add the apples to small frying pan. Once tender add the maple syrup and let simmer on lowest heat setting.

6. Prepare waffles in waffle iron until batter is all used up.

7. Top waffles with sauteed apples, maple syrup, and ice cream. Enjoy!

Chocolate Marbled Brownies & Sister Baking Day

Yesterday I had my sister-in-law (I love saying that! For those of you who don't know, my brother got married last month, and I now have a sister!) over for a baking day and it was absolutely lovely! She found a recipe for Strawberry Coconut Cake on Pinterest, and I found a recipe out of a good ol'fashioned cookbook and we made a big mess and it resulted in two beautiful desserts. So here it is!

Chocolate Marbled Brownie
Ingredients:
1 cup cocoa
1 cup butter, melted
5 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
handful of white chocolate, finely chopped (or white chocolate chips)
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup icing sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, mix together the melted butter and cocoa.
3. In small bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar, mix for about 5 minutes with an electric mixer on medium.
4. Add the flour to the chocolate batter.
5. Add the egg mixture to the chocolate batter, blend until smooth.
6. Add the white chocolate and stir throughout.

7. Pour batter into prepared springform pan.

8. In a separate bowl mix together the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth.

9. Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture onto the chocolate batter. Using a butter knife or toothpick, swirl the cream cheese into the batter to create a marbled look.

10. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Vicki with her Strawberry Coconut Cake