Cherry Almond Vanilla

so i made something completely different the other day ...
and the dough tasted absolutely amazing!! and the frosting was even better! lol
i'm still in a debate with myself over what i'm going to make for Valentine's Day ...
any ideas?!???
haha!
onto the cupcakes .................
Cherry Almond Vanilla
yuuum ... lol

aren't these puuurrty?? =)
haha ... i guess they're perfect for Valentine's Day but still not sure if i wanna make these ...

Cherry Almond Vanilla Cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

1. allow butter and egg whites to stand at room temp for 30 minutes. meanwhile, line cupcake pan with paper baking liners. in a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. in a 2-cup glass combine buttermilk and cherry juice; set aside.
2. preheat oven to 350. in a large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer for 30 seconds. add sugar, vanilla and almond extract; beat until combined. add egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each just until combined.
3. spoon batter into prepared muffin cups filling each one about 2/3 full.
4. bake for 15-18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. cool cupcakes in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. remove from pan and cool completely.

Cherry Almond Vanilla Frosting:
allow 1/2 cup unsalted butter to stand at room temp for 30 minutes. in a large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar, beating well. beat in 3 tbsp maraschino cherry juice or milk and 1/2 tsp almond extract. gradually beat in 3 cups additional powdered sugar. if necessary, beat in additional juice or milk, 1 tsp at a time, until frosting reaches piping consistency. frost cupcakes.

=)

... 5 Years ...

today marks the day that i've been working at my job for 5 years ...
time sure does fly!! lol
today is also BOTH my grandparents birthdays! yup ... same day. =) haha ...

 

i'm not making anything new today ... BUT i am making Gender Announcement Cupcakes for a former co-worker of mine! =) yay! i've been waiting to make these for a loooong time! lol. 

sooooooooooo exciting!! =)

what do YOU think the gender is??????????????
=)
haha!!
ta-ta for now friends!! =)

Chocolatey Goodness

i know it's been awhile since i've blogged about anything ... and it's not that i stopped baking. its just that i haven't really tried anything new since the last post. haha. keep going back to the yummiest recipes to make over and over. lol.
i hope everyone had wonderful holidays!! =)
yesterday i was sitting at work when someone handed me a mini Crunch Bar and of course instantly thought ... hmm ... wonder if i could make these???

so as soon as i got home i looked up recipes for them and found them to be suuuuuper easy!!! AWESOME! haha.
all the recipe called for was 2 ingredients. yup!! only 2!! haha!

yuuuum! lol

these tasted absolutely amazing! and very close to the actual Crunch Bars. lol

Homemade Crunch Bars
recipe adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

24 oz chocolate chips (any flavor chocolate desired)
1 1/2 cups rice krispies

1. In a large bowl melt chocolate in the micorwave at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the rice krispies. Stir until mixed together well.
2. Line a 9×13 pan with parchement paper. (This helps the bars come out of the pan.)
Spread chocolate mixture into the pan.
3. Refridgerate until firm. Remove from fridge and let stand at room temperature for a few minutes, this will make them easier to cut. Remove from pan and cut into squares.
4. Serve and enjoy! (These will keep in the fridge for several days)