Coffee Cupcakes w/ Vanilla Caramel Buttercream Icing

I was inspired by all the Coffee-mate stuff I got last week and decided to use the idea of coffee and some of my free creamer to make these delicious cupcakes.  According to one of my friends who tried one, "It tastes like you're eating a latte!"  Yum!  I think that's a perfect description of these delicious cupcakes- and I don't even drink coffee!

Coffee Cupcakes


1 c white sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp coffee extract
1 1/2 c. flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 c milk


Cream together sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.  Combine flour and baking powder, add to sugar mixture and combine until wet.  Add milk, stir until large lumps are gone.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min or until cake feels springy.


*For plain (white) cupcakes, increase vanilla to 2 tsp and remove coffee extract.

Buttercream Icing


1/2 c butter, softened
3 1/2 c confectioners sugar
4 tbsp vanilla caramel Coffee-mate
5 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla


Beat all ingredients together with mixer until smooth.  Add additional sugar if too thin; add additional milk (NOT Coffee-mate) if too thick.


*You can substitute in any flavor Coffee-mate you want into this icing to make a variety of flavors!


So even if you don't drink coffee, you can still enjoy these cupcakes!  And don't forget to enter to win yourself some FREE Coffee-mate until TONIGHT!

Food!

Dishes that I've made recently and enjoyed:

Ravioli Lasagna
(This is a dish I've been making for a while.  It's essentially the same thing as lasagna except using ravioli instead of lasagna noodles.  Doing this allows you to eliminate the ricotta cheese between the layers and just use mozzarella (and in this case, parmesan too).  It's just as gooey and delicious as a traditional lasagna.  You can use frozen or cooked ravioli; it takes about 50 minutes to cook if the pasta was frozen, and about 20 if it was cooked first- just long enough for the cheese to melt and start to brown.)

Peaches and Bananas in Cinnamon Chocolate Sauce
(Intended as a dessert; also works as a side dish.  This one was a big experiment on my part, since I just added things to the pot until it tasted good.  A little corn starch thickens the sauce, but the main ingredients in it are cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar, and cinnamon.  You can use whatever fruits you want- I just happened to have peaches and bananas handy when I made it.)

Meatloaf on Garlic Bread w/ Red Sauce
(This one I even got my cousin to eat, and she ate nearly half of the dish before my aunt got to try some. That never happens when she tries new foods!  The meat used here is just ground beef, which I seasoned and added BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, and a few other secret ingredients.  I added some bacon to the meatloaf, too, which adds an extra level of flavor to the dish.  Another secret to making this dish taste good is using regular garlic bread and topping it with your own shredded cheese instead of buying cheesy garlic bread- it's much gooier if you do it yourself!)

Tangy BBQ Sloppy Joes

(These started out as Tangy BBQ Sliders, but progressed in idea to Sloppy Joes by the end of Memorial Day Weekend.  A spicy BBQ sauce is the key component to this dish, as are grilled onions and sharp cheddar cheese.  Make sure to drain the meat and then add some extra BBQ sauce before plating.)

Awesome Peanut Butter cookies!

2 c. creamy peanut butter

1 1/4 c. white sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. flour

1/2 bag white chocolate chips

Cream together first 3 ingredients. Mix in eggs, one at a time, then add next 3 ingredients and mix until completely blended. Fold in white chocolate chips. Roll into 1-inch balls, then roll in extra granulated sugar. Flatten into circles, making sure not to crack the dough. Bake 10-13 min. on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees. Let cool on baking sheet 5-7 min. before moving to cooling rack.