Muffins and Cupcakes and... That's all I got. Oh my!

As mentioned yesterday I made Strawberry-Banana muffins for the Solstice. Last night I decided to make Pumpkin Pie cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Friday’s are traditionally movie nights for me and some friends and I often make snacks of some kind. I also have a tendency to obsess over finding new and delectable recipes. I saw these cupcakes, and realizing that they are WAY out of season, I just had to make them.  So I did. Let me tell you. They are amazing, and I’m not really a pumpkin pie fan.  Here’s some recipes in case anyone feels like trying the things I try  =)

Strawberry Banana Muffins Recipe:

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract

2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1 cup (240 ml) fresh strawberries (cut into bite sized pieces)

2 1/4 cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (160 grams) light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon (4 grams) ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) salt

 

On to the Pumpkin Pie cupcakes!

**This recipe was originally for 8 mini cupcakes. Who the hell only makes 8 mini cupcakes? I quadrupled the recipe which is generally a big NO! in baking. In baking you can double, or halve, a recipe but because baking really is a chemical reaction it’s important to not screw with your chemistry too much. However, to me it looked like someone had quartered the recipe to begin with so I figured it would probably be safe. Also, I changed the frosting to a better version. Here’s my updated Recipe for:

2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½  teaspoon ground ginger
½  teaspoon nutmeg
½  teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons butter, softened
2 egg white + 1 whole egg
1- 15oz. can pumpkin puree
8 tablespoons skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
muffin liners

Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 oz. teaspoon trans-fat-free margarine
3 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk

½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla

PREPARATION:

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt until combined. Set aside. Mash granulated sugar and butter in another bowl until combined. Stir in egg white, then pumpkin, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add dry ingredients; stir until just combined. Pour batter into lined mini muffin cups to three quarters full. Bake until cupcakes spring back to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes. Beat cream cheese, margarine and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer until smooth. Add yogurt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; beat until combined. When cupcakes cool, frost.

Eat. Savor. Enjoy.

Yum.

Strawberry Banana Muffins: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners or lightly butter or spray the muffin cups with a vegetable spray.

In a small saucepan melt the butter. **Or melt it in the microwave** Let cool to room temperature.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract and mashed banana. Add the melted butter and stir to combine.   

In another large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold in the berries, making sure they are coated with flour. (This helps to prevent the berries from sinking during baking.) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result. 

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Can be stored for a few days at room temperature.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins. Preparation time: 20 minutes.