Rocky Road Cupcakes

       Rocky Road Cupcakes
1 box of Chocolate Fudge Cake mix
1 sm pkg Chocolate Fudge instant pudding
1 c. oil
1/2 c. warm water
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. sour cream
Mix ingredients on medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full
and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Core cupcakes and fill with Marshmallow
Buttercream Frosting. Pipe cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and top
with chopped peanuts, marshmallows and chocolate bar pieces.
      Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting (half this recipe for filling cupcakes)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 lb bag powdered sugar
 7 oz jar marshmallow creme
milk as needed for desired consistency
Mix ingredients until smooth and creamy. Fill plastic bag w frosting, cut a small
hole in the corner and fill cored cupcakes
        Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 lb bag powdered sugar
1/2 -3/4 c. cocoa, to taste
milk or cream as needed for desired consistency
Mix ingredients on med to med high until smooth and creamy. Pipe onto cupcakes
and top with peanuts, marshmallows and chocolate bar peices.

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

24 large strawberries
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4c. plus 2Tbsp. powdered sugar
1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

 Using an electric mixer, combine cream cheese,
sugar and vanilla until smooth. Use a sharp knife
to make a hole in the center of each strawberry.
(Go as deep as you can without hitting the bottom)
Pipe the filling into each strawberry using a piping
tip or a plastic bag with the corner cut off. Sprinkle
graham cracker crumbs on top and enjoy!

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

   Lemon Cupcake
1 box lemon cake mix
1 sm pkg lemon instant pudding
1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c. water
4 eggs
Mix ingredients together on medium speed for two minutes.
Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 3/4 full. (These spill over with too much batter)
Bake @ 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Cool completely. Core and fill with
lemon curd if desired,

     Microwave Lemon Curd
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 c. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
3 lemons, zested
Whisk together sugar and eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, butter
and lemon zest. Cook in the microwave for 1 minute intervals, stirring
after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a
metal spoon. It takes 3 minutes in my microwave. Cool, then fill cored
cupcakes with curd. Store for up to 3 weeks in refrigerator.

    Lemon Meringue
8 large egg whites
1 1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. lemon zest
pinch of salt
1 tsp cream of tarter
Bring 1-2 inches of water to boil in a saucepan that will hold a mixing
bowl above the water. Whisk ingredients together, then set the bowl
in the saicepan. Continue whisking until the mixture is warm to touch,
2-5 minutes. Transfer mixture to standing mixer and using the whisk
attatchment, beat at med to high speed for about 5 minutes, until

meringue holds a soft peak. Pipe onto cupcakes and brown using a kitchen torch.

Store at room temperature. Refrigerating will cause meringue to break down.

Pineapple Macadamia Cupcakes

1 box vanilla cake mix
1 sm pkg vanilla instant pudding
1 c. sour cream
Mix cake mix and dry pudding together in mixing bowl. Add sour cream with eggs, oil and water as directed on box and mix as directed. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake per directions. Cool completely and frost.

              Pineapple Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp pineapple juice ( add up to 2 more Tbsp as needed for desired consistency)
1 large can crushed pineapple, well drained
2 lb. bag powdered sugar
Cream butter with 2 Tbsp pineapple juice. Gradually beat in powdered sugar.Add crushed pineapple and beat until creamy. Add additional pineapple juice in small increments if needed until desired consistency for piping. Use large star tip for piping, as pineapple pieced tend to get stuck in tip. Sprinkle with chopped macadadamia nuts while frosting is wet.
Melt 6 oz. white chocolate chips per instructions on package. When cool, place in small piping bag, or baggie and cut tip off, leaving a small hole in bag. Drizzle white chocolate back and forth on top of each cupcake.

Twix Cupcakes

        Twix Cupcakes 
1 box chocolate fudge cake mix (eggs, oil and water as listed on box)
1 sm pkg chocolate fudge instant pudding
1 c. sour cream
2 pkgs Keebler Simply Shortbread cookies
1 jar Smuckers Caramel topping
2 bags mni Twix candy bars

Combine cake mix and dry pudding in a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients listed on box and sour cream, and mix as directed. Press a shortbread cookie into each cupcake liner, then fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake @ 350 degrees for 15-18 min. Cool completely, then fill cupcakes with caramel topping, using piping bag and tip. Don't overfill, or cupcake will break open. Frost with Caramel Buttercream Frosting and top with coarsly chopped Twix candy bars.
           Caramel Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
1 jar Smuckers Caramel topping
2 lb bag powdered sugar

Cream butter and vanilla, then mix in half of powdered sugar and half of caramel topping. Mix on medium to med high speed. Add remaining powdered sugar and caramel topping until desired consistency. Frosting needs to be stiff enough NOT to drip off beater for piping.

PB&J Cupcakes

   Peanut Butter Cupcakes
1 box yellow cake mix
1 sm pkg vanilla pudding
1 c. sour cream
1 1/4 c. water
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
3 eggs
Mix ingredients in a large bowl and beat on low speed for 30 sec,
then beat on medium speed for 1 minute 30 sec. Fill cupcake liners
2/3 full and bake @ 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick
comes out clean. Cool completely, then frost with peanut butter frosting.
If you want to get fancy, you can fill the center of the cupcake with
jelly, and/or put jelly down one side of the piping bag, and peanut butter
frosting down the other side, then pipe with a 1M tip for a peanut butter
jely swirl!
                Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting  
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla

1 c. creamy peanut butter

2 lb bag powdered sugar 

Cream butter, peanut butter and vanilla together. Add powdered sugar and

mix on med to med high speed until smooth and creamy. Pipe onto cupcakes,

then drizzle jelly (thin jelly by heating it slightly) over them and top with chopped

 salted peanuts, or pipe with peanut butter and jelly together in piping bag.

Smores Cupcakes

                       
        Graham cracker crust
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c. sugar
5 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
  In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.
  Mix well with a fork, Drop about 1 tbsp. of mixture in the bottom of cupcake liner,
  and press down to line the bottom. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 min, then remove
  from oven.
      Cake
1 box chocolate fudge cake mix (oil, egg and water as directed on box)
1 sm pkg chocolate fudge pudding mix
1 c. sour cream
   Make cake as directed on box, adding dry pudding and sour cream. Fill cupcake
   liners 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 min, or until toothpick comes out clean.
   Cool cupcakes completely.

       Meringue Frosting
8 large egg whites
2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
2 tsp. vanilla
   Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that will hold a glass bowl above the
   water. Whisk ingredients together in bowl and set the bowl above the boiling water and
  continue whisking until mixture is hot to touch and sugar is dissolved 3-4 minutes. Transfer
   mixture to a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attatchment and beat at medium high speed
   for 5 minutes, until it holds stiff peaks. Pipe onto cupcakes using 1mm tip, then brown with
    kitchen torch. Top with mini chocolate bar and graham cracker piece.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

                                                 Red Velvet Cupcakes
1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix

1 sm box white chocolate instant pudding

4 eggs

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Hand mix all ingredients until incorporated, then mix on medium speed for 11/2 to 2 minutes. Do not over beat, as it makes the cake tough. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 -2/3 full (these fellas really get big) and bake @ 325 degrees for 15-20 min. until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, then pipe with Cream Cheese Frosting. Garnish with red decorating sugar or a little red heart. (I found mine at the Sweet Shop)

            Cream Cheese Frosting

2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

2 lb.bag powdered sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese together, then add vanilla and half of powdered sugar and mix well on med to med high speed. Mix in remaining powdered sugar until frosting is smooth and creamy. Frosting should be stiff enough to pipe and hold it's shape.