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Adorable Cupcake Cookie Jar

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Cupcake Cookie Jar

I’m as big a fan of cookies, cakes, and cupcakes as you’ll ever find.  I’m pretty sure God equipped me with an entire mouth full of sweet teeth.  When I hear someone say, “I have such a sweet tooth!” – I want to sit them down by letting them know that’s nothing.  I don’t have a tooth that isn’t a sweet tooth.

So there.

Anyway, boasting aside, the Cupcake Cookie Jar by tag®, shown above, is one of the most adorable cookie jars I’ve ever seen – and being the human version of Cookie Monster, I’ve seen my share.

Product Description

Bring the pastry shop home with this adorable Cupcake Cookie Jar by tag. It’s the perfect way to add color and character to any kitchen countertop. Keep all your favorite cookies, fruit bars, and other delicious treats fresh and ready to eat in this one-of-a-kind earthenware jar. Also make as a great storage container for sugar, or any other loose ingredient.

You will love the unique hand-painted design which adds whimsical flair to this cupcake shaped jar. The container comes in a lively red tone with thin pink stripes and has a 7 cup capacity for all your treats and ingredients. The white cupcake top lid has a heart shaped cherry top, pink detail accents and features a rubber gasket seal for a secure hold and freshness of contents. Hand wash only.

Features:
• Cupcake Shaped Cookie Jar
• Keeps cookies and delicious treats fresh
• Features rubber gasket seal for freshness
• Hand wash only
• Finish: Hand painted earthenware

Click Cupcake Cookie Jar by tag® to take a closer look.

Bake On and Give Back with Duncan Hines!

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No child should be hungry. Ever. I was sent the following press release a few minutes ago and I dropped everything I was doing to post it.  Cupcakes and children?  I’m so on board I can’t see the water.  When you see people getting involved for something as important as ending childhood hunger, you realize that heroes and heroines still exist and they’ve got their sleeves rolled up.

 

Duncan Hines

 

Official Dessert Sponsor of the 63rd Primetime Emmy® Awards Governors Ball

Partners with Share Our Strength® to Help End Childhood Hunger

MOUNTAIN LAKES, N.J. (April 11, 2011) – Duncan Hines® invites bakers across the country to join its 1 MILLION Cupcake Challenge to help end childhood hunger.  Working with Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale®, Duncan Hines hopes to inspire passionate bakers with a national baking and fundraising movement.

 

“The Duncan Hines 1 MILLION Cupcake Challenge is an inspirational and fun way for bakers across the country to join together to make a huge difference – one cupcake at a time,” said Greg Greene, director of marketing for Duncan Hines. “And as a reward, Duncan Hines is giving bakers who help us put an end to childhood hunger a chance to enter and win the Duncan Hines 1 MILLION Cupcake Challenge Sweepstakes.  We will send five passionate bakers and a guest to Los Angeles where they will see primetime television’s most celebrated stars from seats on the Red Carpet of the 63rd Primetime Emmy® Awards.”

 

Those who join the Duncan Hines 1 MILLION Cupcake Challenge and host an official Great American Bake Sale from April 11 through July 24 are eligible to win one of five grand prizes in the Duncan Hines 1 MILLION Cupcake Challenge Sweepstakes. Each grand prize includes a three-day/two-night trip for two to Los Angeles including Fans in the Stands seats on the Red Carpet of the 63rd Primetime Emmy® Awards on Sept. 18, 2011. Duncan Hines is the official dessert sponsor of the 63rd Primetime Emmy® Awards Governors Ball.

 

Another way to win and support ending childhood hunger with Share Our Strength is through Duncan Hines Double Donations. Duncan Hines is committed to raising up to an additional $100,000 in funds for Share Our Strength through a matching donations program.  From the week of April 11 through the week of July 18 Duncan Hines will match the funds received from the top fundraising Great American Bake Sale team each week (Monday-Sunday, up to $5,500 per week until July 24, 2011).  The highest individual or team fundraiser each week will also receive a 6-Piece Commercial II Non-Stick Essential Bakeware Set and Bake Sale Winged Pan from Great American Bake Sale exclusive bakeware sponsor Chicago Metallic™ and a Duncan Hines gift pack. The winning bake sale of the week will be determined each Thursday following the applicable week for the duration of the campaign (final announcement July 28, 2011).

 

“The Duncan Hines 1 MILLION Cupcake Challenge adds an element of fun and friendly competition for avid and weekend bakers joining this year’s Great American Bake Sale,” said Amy Crowell, Great American Bake Sale’s director. “Each cupcake sold at $1 will help connect hungry children to up to 10 healthy meals and gets us closer to fulfilling our mission of no kid hungry by 2015.”

 

Consumers can join the Duncan Hines 1 MILLION Cupcake Challenge to help end childhood hunger in three easy steps outlined on www.duncanhines.com/cupcakechallenge:

 

Step 1:Sign-up to host a Great American Bake Sale and join the Duncan Hines team.

Step 2: Bake with Duncan Hines and Enter for a Chance to Win the Duncan Hines 1 MILLION Cupcake Challenge Sweepstakes. Bake Duncan Hines cupcakes and other delicious Duncan Hines desserts to sell at your Great American Bake Sale. Send box bottoms with bar codes from Duncan Hines® Cake, Brownie, Muffin Mix, Cookie Mix or Frosting along with entrant’s name, mailing address, phone number, email and date of birth to: Duncan Hines “1 MILLION Cupcake Challenge”, c/o USSC, 625 Panorama Trail (Suite 2100), Rochester, NY 14625.  Each box bottom sent in earns an additional entry. See official rules for details.

 

Step 3: Double Donations with Duncan Hines. Follow the directions at greatamericanbakesale.org to send in funds raised from your bake sale. Duncan Hines will match the top fundraising Great American Bake Sale team’s donations each week with a matching donation to Share Our Strength (Monday-Sunday, up to $5,500 per week until July 24, 2011). The highest individual or team fundraiser each week will receive additional prizes from Chicago Metallic™ and Duncan Hines, as described above.

 

Duncan Hines will help make hosting a Great American Bake Sale easy and delicious. Receive exclusive access to recipes, baking tips and coupons by joining the Duncan Hines Bakers Club at www.duncanhines.com/bakersclub. Get baking today and join the Duncan Hines 1 MILLION Cupcake Challenge at www.duncanhines.com/cupcakechallenge.

 

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WON’T INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING. SWEEPSTAKES BEGINS ON 04/11/11 & ENDS ON 07/25/11. Open to individual legal U.S. citizens of 48 contiguous United States and D.C., age of majority in place of residence or older as of 04/11/11 & who are registered for 2011 Great American Bake Sale® as of the date of entry. Tickets are non-transferrable. Additional restrictions & terms apply. Subject to all applicable federal, state & local laws & regulations. To enter, send name, address, tel., email address, DOB & number of Barcode(s) enclosed plus Universal Product Code Barcode(s) from any box of Duncan Hines® Cake, Brownie, Muffin, Cookie Mix or Frosting to: “Duncan Hines 1 Million Cupcake Challenge”, C/o USSC, 625, Panorama Trail (Suite 2100), Rochester, NY  14625. You may include multiple Barcodes/entries in a single outer envelope. To enter without a Barcode, send name, send name, address, tel., email address & DOB to foregoing address. Only one entry per outer envelope.

See Official Rules available at www.duncanhines.com/cupcakechallenge for complete details & entry instructions. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Pinnacle Foods Group LLC.


About Duncan Hines®

A household name for decades, Duncan Hines® is one of America’s most recognizable brands. The brand was started by a man named Duncan Hines who was a traveling salesman, food critic and book author in the 1940s. Today, the Duncan Hines product line includes over 80 different mixes ranging from cakes and brownies to muffins and cookies as well as ready-to-spread frosting.  With a relentless commitment to quality, every product and recipe is developed in celebration of Duncan Hines’ inventive spirit and passion for baking. For more information on Duncan Hines, log onto www.duncanhines.com.

About Share Our Strength®
Share Our Strength®, a national nonprofit, is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives.  Through its No Kid Hungry® Campaign–a national effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015–Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in effective federal nutrition programs; invests in community organizations fighting hunger; teaches families how to cook healthy, affordable meals; and builds public-private partnerships to end childhood hunger, at the state and city level. Working closely with the culinary industry and relying on the strength of its volunteers, Share Our Strength hosts innovative culinary fundraising events such as Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale® and develops pioneering cause marketing campaigns that support No Kid Hungry. Visit Strength.org to get involve

Celebration Cupcakes Perfect for Christmas Parties!

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The following recipe comes from Hotel Chocolat, a luxury British cocoa grower and chocolatier, and is one of a number of gourmet chocolate recipes that can be found on the company’s website. The ingredients listed below make around 12 Cupcakes, with 20 minutes of preparation time. The only special equipment needed is a sieve, piping bag & nozzle, and muffin tray.

Ingredients for the Chocolate Cupcakes: (See the link at the bottom for measurement conversions.)

  • 85g Hotel Chocolat Dark Chocolate for Cooking
  • 85g butter, cut into 2cm cubes
  • 100g soft light brown sugar
  • 1 egg and 1 egg yolk at room temperature
  • Half tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp sour cream
  • 75g self-rising flour
  • 1 tbsp Hotel Chocolat Organic Cocoa Powder
  • A pinch of salt

Ingredients for the icing:

  • 30g Confectioners Icing Sugar
  • 2tbsp Hotel Chocolat Organic Cocoa Powder
  • 75g of soft unsalted butter
  • 25g of melted Hotel Chocolat Dark Chocolate for Cooking

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F/ Gas mark 4 and line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases. Add the Hotel Chocolat Dark Chocolate for Cooking, butter and sugar to a heatproof bowl, placed over simmering water and gently melt – taking care to stir continuously. Once melted and smoothly mixed, set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk together the eggs, vanilla and soured cream, then stir in the cooled chocolate mixture. Then, over the bowl, sift the flour, Hotel Chocolat Organic Cocoa Powder and salt and fold in. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases, filing them to around 2/3 full.
Bake in a preheated oven for approx 20 minutes, until the muffins are risen and just firm to the touch, then allow to cool for 5 minutes, before transferring to a cooling rack.
To make the chocolate topping, firstly melt the Hotel Chocolat Dark Chocolate for Cooking over lightly simmering water and allow to cool. Then beat the butter, confectioner’s sugar and Hotel Chocolat Organic Cocoa Powder together, and add in the cooled melted chocolate – a tablespoon at a time until a thick consistency is achieved, thick enough to pipe.
Use the piping bag to top the cakes with chocolate icing, starting at the centre of the cake and piping outwards. Finish with whatever decorations fit the occasion… Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?!
If this has tickled your chocoholic taste buds, Hotel Chocolat has much more to offer than this gorgeous chocolate recipe. If you’re thinking ahead to Christmas parties, the website has a variety of Christmas gifts including the spectacular ‘Rather Large Christmas Cracker’. This giant luxury Christmas cracker measures an impressive 64cm across, and is crammed with forty chocolates, twelve Christmas hats, and twelve jokes, all tied in thick ribbon. The Christmas range also includes exciting Chocolate Advent Calendars and Stocking Fillers. With a selection of chocolates with and without alcohol, there’s something for everyone to share at family parties and get-togethers.

See Hotel Chocolat for a wide range of Christmas gifts in the run up to the holiday season.

*** These chocolaty delicious cupcakes would also make an extraordinary Halloween treat!

Click the link for a great UK to US Cooking Measurement Conversions chart (opens in a new window).

Enter the Duncan Hines Red Carpet Cupcake Challenge!

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Duncan Hines has an outstanding Cupcake Challenge generating a lot of buzz.  If you’re a cupcake ninja…. and I know you are… this is the contest for you. Get your spatula in gear and give the challenge a shot.

Best of luck!

Duncan Hines Makes Its Hollywood Debut ….AND YOU’RE INVITED!

Mountain Lakes, NJ (June 2010) – Duncan Hines announces that this year they will be the official dessert sponsor of the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Awards Governors Ball.  In the spirit of this excitement, Duncan Hines invites their biggest supporters, bakers across the U.S., to enter the “Duncan Hines Red Carpet Cupcake Challenge” contest.

Duncan Hines is asking all creative bakers to submit their most decadent cupcakes for a chance of a lifetime.  The winner will have their delicious cupcake creation sampled by the Emmy winners, celebrities and guests who will all be in attendance at this year’s Performer’s Nominees Reception on August 27th.  However, the red carpet doesn’t stop there, as the winner will also receive a trip for two to Los Angeles, California and two tickets to Fans in the Stands, the best seat in the house for all the pre-Emmy, red carpet excitement.

Here is how it works, contestants can enter their Emmy award-winning photographs and cupcake recipes using a Duncan Hines product on DucanHines.com now through July 21, 2010. Even though the contest ends July 21st voting continues till July 28, 2010. Visitors can go online and vote for their favorite cupcake recipe and photo.  The recipes with the highest number of votes will enter the Top 10 phase.  The Grand Prize winner is then selected by both Pinnacle Foods Group and celebrity judges based on creativity, ease of preparation, and taste. The winner will be announced on August 3, 2010.

“We are thrilled to invite our passionate baking consumers to share this experience with Duncan Hines,” says Lora Van Velsor, vice president of Marketing for Pinnacle’s Duncan Hines Food division.  “Duncan Hines was a real person who stood for superior quality and today we still celebrate Duncan Hines’ inventive spirit through innovative programs like the “Duncan Hines Red Carpet Cupcake Challenge” and sponsorships like the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards and Governors Ball,” continues Van Velsor.

Before Fodor’s and Zagat, there was Hines. At a time when there was no such thing as restaurant critics and ratings, Duncan was onto something new. Four little words would come to have significant importance to restaurants all across the country: “Recommended by Duncan Hines.”

Duncan spent years discovering new trends in food and sharing them with his expanded following of “foodies.” His reputation for honesty and reliability were two of the most important ingredients in his recipe for success. These qualities lead to what Duncan Hines stands for today.  Today, the Duncan Hines brand still celebrates the man’s inventive spirit through a relentless commitment to quality and innovation.

About Duncan Hines

A household name for decades, Duncan Hines is one of America’s most recognizable brands. The brand was started by a man named Duncan Hines who was a traveling salesman, food critic and book author in the 1940s. Today, the Duncan Hines product line includes over 80 different mixes ranging from cakes and brownies to muffins and cookies as well as ready-to-spread frosting.  With a relentless commitment to quality, every product and recipe is developed in celebration of Duncan Hines’ inventive spirit and passion for baking. For more information on Duncan Hines, log onto www.duncanhines.com.

The cupcakes pictured at the top of the post are the Caps and Diplomas Cupcakes from Duncan Hines.  Too cute.  Too too cute!  Click through the link for more wonderful Duncan Hines recipes.

Delicious Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

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Yesterday I made a gorgeous Red Velvet Cake – to celebrate baseball getting back into swing. Sure, it’s pre-season but that’s enough for any baseball fanatic worth his or her salted peanuts to get excited about. Since my family is ALL about the St. Louis Cardinals, the dessert obviously had to be red and white.

Naturally, I went with a homemade Cream Cheese Frosting for my Red Velvet Cake. The Duncan Hines Cream Cheese frosting isn’t bad (at all, in fact), but there’s just something extra special about homemade Cream Cheese frosting. I switched up my favorite recipe a little this time because I was feeling it and I loved the results. I believe it was better than ever this time.

Here’s the recipe. Take note that this is for a huge Red Velvet Cake, so you might want to half the recipe. Then again, it’s so delicious, you might want more than you actually need!

Outstanding Cream Cheese Frosting

2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (I use Philadelphia Cream Cheese)
1 stick margarine
4 teaspoons half and half (use a little more if you want it creamier)
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 – 8 cups powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese, stick of margarine, half and half, and vanilla in a large bowl on low until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and blend until it’s has a glorious spreadable consistency.

After I frosted the cake, I covered the top with chopped walnuts and it was almost too beautiful to cut into. Almost.

I always make a little extra frosting than I’ll need for one reason and that reason is a beautiful girl named Brittany. My dear, lovely daughter wasn’t born with “a” sweet tooth – every single one in her head is a sweet tooth. She has her own little system for serving herself a piece of cake as a result. She inserts the cake knife, cuts out her piece of cake… then at the last minute, returns to the cake for an extra helping of icing. This, of course, leaves exposed parts of the cake, so I’ve learned to keep extra frosting on hand in the refrigerator for patching up what has become known as “Brittany’s Barrens.”

Sometimes I use the leftover frosting to frost cookies. My resident cookie monsters love that. It’s also wonderful on store-bought muffins.

This morning, I was in the process of making some of those remarkable Pillsbury Toaster Strudels (the Strawberry and Cream Cheese variety) when I got a yummy idea. Instead of using the little packet of icing, I broke out my Cream Cheese frosting and… voila!…. something Heavenly was even more so.

This is a truly delicious frosting and makes cakes, cupcakes, and cookies better than they have a right to be.

The Pillsbury Dough Boy would squeal with delight for this Cream Cheese Frosting recipe on his Pillsbury Toaster Strudels!

Recipe for Carrot Cake Muffins

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The recipe below is from recipe from New York Times Bestselling novelist and avid baker Mary Burton.

Just over a year ago, author Mary Burton was quoted in the Richmond Times-Dispatch talking about how her passions—writing and baking—both contribute to her creativity. The article shared a recipe along with Mary’s view that, for her, they are intertwined, most probably because she experiences each as requiring creativity as well as expertise.

So, when the going gets tough, Mary heads to the kitchen where the stress level immediately ratchets down a few notches and she finds herself busy working out dialogue and untangling plot lines before the oven has even preheated. As she told the Times-Dispatch, “…you can tell how the writing’s going by the number of cupcakes on the counter.”

I love that! I find a similar solace in my kitchen as well. In fact, I’m pretty sure there’d be a lot more empty therapist couches is more people took up cooking. What a stress reliever!

For the recently published novel DYING SCREAM, Mary Burton shared her gift with protagonist Adrianna Barrington. Figuring that when Adrianna wasn’t helping track down a serial killer she would welcome a chance to chill, Mary gave her a great kitchen along with a penchant for pastry and other baked delicacies. 

And, as long as it’s coming up on St. Valentine’s Day and Adrianna is carrying a torch for Homicide Detective Gage Hudson, Mary also decided it was time for her have her own recipe for readers to bake and enjoy ― Adrianna’s Carrot Cake Love Muffins.

The rest of us get to benefit from her creativity, how cool is that? What’s say, as a thank you (we cooks are nothing if not gracious) to Mary Burton, we all buy her newest novel, Dying Scream? After all, we bakers have to stick together!

For more about Mary Burton and her novels visit www.maryburton.com.

To see last year’s Valentine’s Day recipe for Mary Burton’s Buns— CLICK HERE.

Finally, to see the Richmond Times-Dispatch article— CLICK HERE.

Adrianna’s Carrot Cake Love Muffins Recipe

3 cups of shredded carrots
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

To the shredded carrots add eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla. Mix well. Shift flour, salt, cinnamon, baking power and baking soda into carrot mixture. Gently mix and scoop into muffin cups. Makes about 12. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

(If possible, hand shred the carrots. It takes a bit longer to shred by hand but the carrots hold more moisture and this really enhances the texture of the muffins.)

Muffins can be dusted with powdered sugar or topped with a cream cheese icing. Both are delicious.

Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 cup cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons of milk

Cream all together until fluffy. When the muffins have cooled ice with frosting.

Beet Mash Chocolate Cupcakes with Beet Frosting – You Read That Right!

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Check out this recipe from Dave Lieberman and Del Monte for Beet Mash Chocolate Cupcakes, just in time for Valentine’s Day! Everyone knows that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, but did you know that beets are too?? (Yes, beets!)

Did you know?: Not only are beets nature’s multivitamin but beets are also rich in boron, a mineral thought to get the love juices flowing.

Dave recommends using canned sliced beets (he suggests Del Monte® Fresh Cut® Sliced Beets)—with canned beets you get all the flavor and nutrition for a lot less money, plus they are easier to mash!

Check out www.Delmonte.com/Solutions for a $1.00 off coupon on any 4 Del Monte® Brand Products to use in your recipe. I heart coupons, so I’ll see you there.

Beet Mash Chocolate Cupcakes (or Cake) with Beet Frosting

Recipe courtesy of: Dave Lieberman, campaign spokesperson for the Del Monte “Value without Sacrifice,” Chef and Author of The 10 Things You Need To Eat

FOR THE CUPCAKES:


One 14.5 oz. can Del Monte® Fresh Cut® Sliced Beets, drained
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

FOR THE ICING:

2 sticks unsalted butter
Approx. 1/2 can of Del Monte® Fresh Cut® Sliced Beets, drained
1 pound confectioners sugar

For Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

For Cake: Preheat the oven to 325ºF.

In a small bowl, mash the drained can of beets finely with a potato masher and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, and water. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold in the mashed beets and mix well.

For Cupcakes: Pour the batter into greased cupcake tins. Bake about 15-20 minutes, until set but moist. (Or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean)

For Cake: Pour the batter into a greased 10-inch Bundt pan. Bake about 70 minutes, until set but moist. Let cool, and turn out onto a large serving plate.

Make the Icing: Mash the ½ can of beets finely with a potato masher. Melt 1 stick of butter in a saucepan and add mashed beets. Simmer on very low heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cream the second stick of butter with a mixer in a bowl. Mix in the melted butter and beet mixture until fully incorporated. Gradually beat in the confectioners sugar.

Ice the cupcakes with a thick layer of icing.

The cupcakes and cake serve 12-15.

The wonderful thing about edible gifts for Valentine’s Day is that you can impress the socks off of your sweetheart without spending a fortune. Gifts you make, yourself, are somehow more meaningful.