Gourmet Marshmallows

Sweetly Softly Marshmallows!

Thank God it is Friday!!! I need the weekend like you wouldn’t believe.

Today I want to introduce you to one of my new Sponsors, Softly Sweetly: Gourmet Marshmallows. I was so excited that Rachael from Sweetly Softly wanted to sponsor my blog that I headed right over to her adorable Etsy shop and purchased some marshmallows to try. I chose the Peanut Butter Swirl marshmallows. Here’s what I thought:

So excited to see these in my mailbox!!

• Unbelievably fast delivery

 

• Adorable packaging – My 6 marshmallows were packages neatly together with a ribbon tied around them. Perfect for gift giving, except I didn’t plan on giving them away

 

• Huge portions! I got 6 Marshmallows and each square was at least an inch thick and an in wide. It was massive – perfect size for a quick little sweet treat!

 

• Delicious! I had never tried homemade flavored marshmallows before. Let me tell you – it was a bite of heaven on earth! So fluffy, and the swirls of peanut butter made it so much more than a regular marshmallow. These are not Jet-Puffs, I’ll tell you that.

My boyfriend had one, or two, and absolutely loved them too. I have a couple left in my fridge because I plan on dicing them up and using them as toppers on my chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. Don’t you think that will be so cute and yummy!!

Who wouldn't love caramel filled w/ Marshmallow?

I am so happy to announce that Softly Sweetly is offering you guys an awesome coupon code! Use code CUPPYCAKE10 for 10% off her already incredible prices!

Here’s just a few of her incredibly delicious sounding treats:

Toasted Coconut

Triple Chocolate

Bacon Chipotle

Rocky Road

Orange

Caramel Covered!!

Stop over at Softly Sweetly and get your sweet fix for the weekend. Stay Sweet!

xoxo,

Jill

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cupcakes

 

Salty+Sweet=Amazing!!

It’s finally Thursday – only one more day until Friday – glorious Friday!! So let’s chat cupcakes! I’m thinking sweet and salty cupcakes!

I was inspired the other night to create a recipe for a crunchy pretzel cupcake topped with chocolate frosting and drizzled with caramel. What could be better? I don’t know about you, but I love the sweet and salty combo!

Let’s get started!

The base of this cupcake is a butter cake. For that you will need:

• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 cup (240 ml) milk
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (a stick and a half) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into pieces
• 3 cups of crushed up pretzels

 

Directions

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees
2. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners
3. Fill each cupcake liner with 1.5 tbs of crushed pretzels
4. In a medium bowl combine the egg yolks, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla extract.
5. In the bowl of your electric mixer combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until blended.  Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk.  
6. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 2 minutes.
7. Gradually add the egg mixture, in 3 additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the egg.  
8. Pour the batter over the crushed pretzels in each of your cupcake liners
9. Bake for 18-20 minutes – until golden brown on the top

Top with gooey chocolate frosting and drizzle with warm caramel. Sprinkle with remaining pretzel bits if desired. The perfect late night snack! Even better with a cocktail!

 Enjoy xoxo

 Jill

Don’t forget to enter my Delightful Design Giveaway!!

Sweet Blog Button

Check out my new blog button, created by Delightful Designs! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway and get your own blog goodies!

What do you guys think? Cute enough for you to take with  you and post on your blog??

Have a sweet day! xoxo

Delightful Design Giveaway

Hello Blogger Friends!

I have some really exciting news! My friend Nikki who blogs over at the Delightful Desinger, and just recently opened a design shop on Etsy, is hosting a giveaway for Stay Calm, Have a Cupcake readers!!

Do you need a blog button, a blog banner, or a creative new blog layout? Well Nikki is your  gal for the job! I have worked with her several times and she always does such a fabulous job. The best part about her designs is that they are 100% customizable and she delivers within hours of your order!

So here’s how this giveaway is going to work:

**Please leave a comment for each entry**

• Head over to Delightful Designer and leave a comment on one of her posts (1 entry)
• Become a follower of the Delightful Designer (1 entry)
• Go to her etsy shop and look around! (1)
• Leave a comment letting me know what type of blog design work you are interested in. (1)
• Spread the word about the give-away. Make sure to leave me links so I know you helped promote! (1)

Winner will be randomly selected on March 1^st. Good Luck!

Good news..if you don’t win, just use code CUPCAKES and Nikki will give you 15% off any design!

Stay Sweet

Xoxo

Jill

Comfort Food Cupcakes

Photo courtesy of weheartit.com

 

Happy Friday my sweets!

Today I decided that I am going to post any green, four-leaf clover, St.Patrick’s day posts until March! Lately I have felt like the department stores, preparing for the next holiday before the previous one is even over. Valentine’s Day just ended and we have a good amount of time before we celebrate with the Irish. So I’m going to take a break on holiday postings. Is that ok with you guys?

Today I want to share with you one of my all time favorite, comfort food cupcake recipes. I don’t know about you, but I have had a pretty long, fairly stressful week. So this cupcake comes just in time – for me at least.

Nothing says homemade better than a carrot cake cupcake with bits of nuts, raisins, and delicious spices. Top it off with rich, tart, cream cheese icing, and this gal is in cupcake heaven. So please enjoy this recipe and remember that when life gets a little hectic, Stay Calm, and Have a cupcake! Xoxo

Carrot Cake Cupcake

(I used Marthat Stewart’s recipe and adapted it just a tad)

Makes 12 cupcakes – 24 minis

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup of rasins

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and eggs.
• Stir in baking powder, baking soda, allspice, and salt. Add flour; mix.
• Stir in carrots, raisins, and walnuts
• Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

 Creamy Dreamy Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 packages of 8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 tbs of vanilla extract
• 2 Sticks of unsalted Butter

Cream together cream cheese and butter – Mix on high speed up soft and well combined

Add the powder sugar one cup at a time – mixing thoroughly after each cup

Add in the vanilla and mix well

Beat on medium high speed until desired consistency is achieved.

ENJOY!!

So Yummy! I'm baking these tonight!

Stay Sweet!

Xoxo, Jill

Left-Over Cupcake Batter

Freeze! Don't throw it away!

I can’t tell you how many times I have made a full bowl of batter just to make 6 little cupcakes! I finally decided that I would try freezing my left-over batter in a glass pyrex container. I didn’t know if it would work or not, but it was better than wasting all the left-overs. The next time I needed to make cupcakes, I took the batter out, let it thaw ahead of time, and made my cupcakes as usual. I anxiously tasted the cupcakes after they had cooled, and to my wonderful surprise, they were fabulous, and still so fresh!! An added perk? When baked,  the thawed batter formed the most beautiful cupcake peaks!

I have saved myself so much time and money with this simple trick. So here are a few pointers for saving your batter:

1. I have tried saving in both plastic and glass Tupperware. I wasn’t happy with the way the plastic Tupperware preserved my batter. I now use soley glass Tupperware with a very secure lid.
2. Frozen batter only lasts for 7-10 days in the freezer. Any longer and it doesn’t rise or taste good at all. The sooner you can use it, the better.
3. Make sure all of the air is released from the Tupperware. The more air you have, the more ice crystals will form. No one like frostbitten cupcake batter!
4. Don’t use the microwave to thaw your batter. Give your batter a few hours to thaw before you are going to bake.
5. Make sure you label your batter with the flavor and the date – that way you don’t forget what it is, or when you first made it.

I hope this trick saves you as much time and money as it has saved me! Have a sweet day!

Xoxo, Jill

Happy Heart Day!

 

Happy Valentine’s Day my sweet blog readers! I hope all of you enjoy a day full of yummy sweets, plenty of pink and lots of love!

I love each one of you and am so thankful to have such great followers! March is right around the corner, and I can’t wait to share some really fun St. Patty’s day recipe’s with you!

Stay sweet – I’ll be back tomorrow with a creative way to use left-over cake batter.

xoxo

Jill

Red Hot Cupcakes

Spice Up Valentine's Day!

I love the idea of a Red Hot cupcake! It is the perfect recipe for spicing things up a bit on Valentine ’s Day.

Unfortunately, when I looked around for a good recipe, I couldn’t seem to find one that wasn’t a) super complicated or b) filled with tons of actual spices. I’m not against using real spices, but I really wanted my cupcake to taste like the little red hot candies vs spicy chili powder and cinnamon.

I combined a few recipes and came up with my own way to flavor it just the way I wanted to!

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup of butter (divided)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups of Red Hots
• Additional ½ cup of sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line your cupcake pan with paper liners
3. In a medium sauce pan on low heat add your Red Hots, 1/2 cup of sugar,1/2 cup of butter, 3 tbs of water
4. Let the Red Hots melt. Stirring continually so it doesn’t burn
5. Let simmer until most of the Red Hots have melted and mixed in with the sugar and butter.
6. In a medium bowl, cream together 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
7. Pour in your red hot liquid – mix well
8. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the milk until batter is smooth.
9. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.

10. Bake 20 to 25 minutes

For the frosting, I think a Marshmallow Whip is the perfect addition. Decorate with Red Hots and enjoy!

Sweet Gifts

Valentine's Day is 11 days away!

After looking around the blog world, I realized that I better hurry up and jump on the Valentine’s Day bandwagon! Everyone has great posts about Valentine treats, gifts, date ideas, and reservation tips! I haven’t really had much time to think about Valentine ’s Day, but no more excuses – today is a VDay post!

Need some sweet ideas for that special someone? I am here to help!

Sweets for your friends.

 

 

So Sweet!

 

Cupcake Love, Cupcake kits are perfect gifts to give to your girlfriend of any age. My customizable kits are fun to decorate and even more fun to eat. Each kit comes with 6 unfrosted cupcakes, a piping bag full of homemade frosting, and a container of custom sprinkles. Just cut the tip off the piping bag, frost your cupcake, top with sprinkles, and enjoy!

Better yet, get a bottle of wine, turn on a chick-flick, and have a girls night decorating cupcakes with your closest gal pals.

A Gift for Cupcake Lovers!

 

 

Delivered straight to you door!

 

Try the gift that keeps giving (for 3 or 6 months atleast)!

StayCalmCupcake Club is the perfect gift for the cupcake lover in your life. Get a cupcake kit delivered right to your doorstep once a month for 3 or 6 months! Join the club and get exclusive coupon codes for the whole year – up to 50% off coupon codes, buy one get one deals, and so much more. This is a much cheaper way than buying cupcake kits individually. Each membership is 100% customizable, from date of delivery, to months you want them delivered, to flavor, and recipients! Stop by and take a look!

Looking for a sweet treat your man will love?

 

 

Cupcake Jars - Easy and Delish!

 

 

Cupcake Jars do the trick every time. 2 moist cupcakes topped with fluffy frosting, neatly baked into a mason jar. Ladies, we all know men don’t want the hassle of decorating their own cupcakes, so give them what they really want…a cupcake treat that they can eat mess free sitting in front of the tv! Each order comes with 3 jars and is decorated with fabric and ribbon. Does your guy have a favorite football team, hobby, or TV show? Let me know and I will decorate each cupcake jar according to his favorite things! Cupcake jars can be eaten right out of the jar, or can be warmed in the microwave and added to a bowl of ice-cream. What man could say no to that?

What about treats for the Single Ladies out there!

 

 

Single Girls Need Sweets Too!

 

I have some girlfriends who really dread the day of love! So for you Miss Independent, I have the Single Girls Survival Kit! A pack of cupcakes just for you, no need to share! This kit comes with 6 Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes filled with chocolate mousse, your choice of frosting, and a container of sprinkles! You will also receive 4 chocolate dipped Oreos…because no girl can have enough chocolate

Have Kids? Want an easy treat for them to take to school?

Cupcake's Individually Wrapped - Perfect for class parties!

My individually wrapped cupcakes are perfect for school parties, or Valentine treat exchanges. Not to mention you’ll look like a super mom who “baked all those cupcakes”. Each cupcake (order as many as you like!) is individually wrapped in a pink heart cellophane bag and tied with a ribbon. For each cupcake valentine you order you will receive a miniature bag of icing, and a small bag of sprinkles. Kids will love decorating their own cupcakes! It’s a fun way to trade Valentines. All orders can be customized with name tags if you would like.

Don’t forget to use code SCCS10 FOR 10% off your purchase. And if you spend more than $10 you get 4 free mini cupcakes added to your order.

~*~Check back tomorrow for a Spicy Hot Cupcake Recipe!~*~

Stay Sweet, xoxo

Jill