Merry Christmas Y'all

Merry Christmas Y'all! 

Can you feel it? It's almost Christmas!! I love so many things about Christmas- the lights, music, parties, FOOD- but most importantly I love being with friends and family. Everyone seems to pause for a bit and think about life and what is most important. However, the Christmas season can also bring heartache- for those we've lost, miss and can't bring back. Some are going through a hard time and can't provide presents and others just feel empty. I hope you all take a moment to be thankful for your blessings and to say prayers for those in pain. Remember, even though some might not be with us physically, they certainly ARE with us. God is with us. 

My siblings recently sent me a cookie bouquet-because they are awesome! It got me thinking, I can do that with cupcakes! I hope you all enjoy my first cupcake bouquet. There will be more to come! 

Merry Christmas Y'all!

The Leah!

Happy December y'all! I can't believe it's December and Christmas is coming up. If you know me, you know that this is by far my favorite time of the year. I even start listening to Christmas music mid October. For 3.5 years at work I sat next to my dear friend Leah. Leah is one of my favorites- I just adore her. Leah let me listen to Christmas music in October and would continue to let me play it until Christmas. One of our favorites is Hanson Christmas, "Snowed In"- seriously, the best. About a year ago my sweet work wife moved to Minnesota to be closer to family. Lucky them! Before she left I made her tell me what she wanted her cupcake to be and she said something looking like snow or snowflakes...really fitting since she is now in Minnesota (brrr) and she joined in with me being obsessed with Christmas. Leah- this one is for you girl. Merry Christmas!

Happy Halloween! 

Until I can open my storefront, I'm a recruiter/HR gal for an accounting firm. The really great thing about my firm is they fully support my cupcake love! They order from me all the time. My company is about 420 people and they let me bake at least once every couple months. I got to bake the cupcakes for our Halloween party. We invite all the kiddos to the office to trick or treat. The cupcakes were their first stop- which was awesome. Not much special about these cupcakes but I do think they are pretty cute and luckily the little goblins, witches and superheroes loved them. Happy (late) Halloween Yall! 

Elmo Cupcakes

I had the pleasure of making Elmo cupcakes for a friends son's first birthday. These little guys were so fun to make and I know the kiddos enjoyed them. Hope you do too!

Poker Cupcakes

 My friend, Chris, gave my menu to her contact at "Seeds of Hope" and I got to do the cupcakes for their annual poker charity event. I was so excited! The order was for 400 mini cupcakes. I decided to not run the risk of people not liking my unique flavors so I stuck with some basics.  I baked chocolate, vanilla and red velvet. I made the cute poker toppers with melted chocolate to give folks something else to snack on. It was also up to me to set up the display. Sean was so helpful! He even took off work early to help me make the delivery. Once we were at the venue he helped me put all the toppers on and helped decide how to display the cupcakes...and of course he kept me calm. All in all, it turned out pretty good. Everyone was pleased and I was excited to help a great organization. Enjoy my poker cupcakes! 

German Chocolate Cupcakes

I love German Chocolate Cake but I never think to make it. I was wasting some time one day on the all mighty Pinterest and saw a tasty looking German Chocolate Cake. That made me remember that delicious coconut, pecan, chocolate mixture of goodness. For my German Chocolate Cupcakes I made my devil's food cupcake and cut out the center. I made that yummy coconut/pecan filling and loaded the cupcakes with it and piled it on top. (I amped it up with some extra vanilla to add another taste to the medley) Finally, I frosted the edge with my yummy chocolate buttercream frosting. These suckers are heavy...but oh so delicious. Enjoy!!

               Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Who doesn't love eating cookie dough? That's really half the reason anyone makes cookies. This cupcake is loaded with chocolate chip cookie dough goodness. I made a basic cookie dough recipe and substituted the eggs for milk. I put the dough in the middle of my vanilla batter and baked. Then I topped it with my chocolate buttercream frosting and garnished with a mini cookie. Yall- here is my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake! 

The middle is chocolate chip cookie dough 

Totally worth the million calories in it

Nutella Cupcakes

Nutella...yummmm. When I studied abroad I ate this stuff like it was going out of style. (which explains the 10 lbs I gained) I have some good memories at downing nutella crepes with my friends at 2 and 3am. So why not make a nutella cupcake?! I started by making my original chocolate cupcake. I then put a nutella filling in the middle so you get that rich milky hazelnut taste in every bit. For my frosting I made a nutella buttercream frosting and garnished with some hazelnut candy. Look hard so you can see the nutella filling- or better yet, I'll make some for you. Enjoy!

                                                           Nutella Filling

Classic Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I have some wonderful childhood memories of spending time at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs with my cousins and grandparents- probably some of the best memories with my Papa and Meme. One of the best things about The Broadmoor is their carrot cake cupcakes. (Yes I did just tell you the best thing about a 5 star resort is a cupcake- which makes me pretty sure I'm on the right path career wise) Those cupcakes are amazing! So amazing that they sell out really fast- so before we even went to breakfast every morning we would pop into the bakery and snag one....or twelve. When I was asked to create a carrot cake cupcake I thought- how can I ever make mine as good as The Broadmoor's?! Well, simple is best...and that's exactly what mine are. There aren't any frills or surprises in this one- just classic yummy carrot cake. Of course, it's all about the frosting so I did my best. Now I'm not sure they are as good as The Broadmoor's- but I sure hope they are pretty darn close. Enjoy!

Thin Mint Cupcakes

Thin Mint Cupcakes!

              Chunks of thin mints and ganache filling

God bless those girlscouts! They know how to make a mean cookie! Who doesn't love Thin Mints- so who wouldn't like a Thin Mint Cupcake??  I started by crunching an entire sleeve of cookies for 12 cupcakes. Yes, that means these bad boys are loaded with yummy cookie chunks. I added the cookie chunks into my chocolate batter and baked. Then I whipped up some ganache and put some in the center of each cupcake. For the frosting- I added some mint to my basic buttercream frosting (okay it was Schnapps)and garnished with a cookie. My cousin, Travis, who has a serious sweet tooth (like all Sharps) was visiting when I made these and he downed 2 immediately- I'll take that as a compliment. I hope you enjoy these as much as Travis and I did! Now, if we can just get the girlscouts to sell these year-round....

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

I love breakfast. So I've decided to add some yummy breakfast cupcakes to my menu. I already have a Chocolate Maple Bacon Cupcake and The Troy which is a Fruity Pebbles Cupcake. So who doesn't love cinnamon rolls?? And what's not to love about a Cinnamon Roll Cupcake?! The cupcake is a cinnamon cake with mini cinnamon chips mixed in and it is topped with my cream cheese frosting. My favorite part of a cinnamon roll is the cinnamon/butter/brown sugar that is mixed in the middle. So I made my own and added it as a filling and topped the cream cheese frosting with it to make it look like a cinnamon roll. These babies are tasty and I could have them anytime- not just for breakfast! Enjoy.

Boy or Girl?!?

My adorable sister is having a baby in 2 months! Our family is so excited and I can't wait to become an auntie!! Baby G is either really content where he/she is or Baby G is a really stubborn child- because that little nugget won't cooperate for us to find out what he/she is! I went to Mer's baby shower last weekend and decided to make some cupcakes for the occasion. I decided to do half blue and half pink....for Baby G. I know Baby G liked the sugar rush he/she got when Mer ate them! See you soon Baby G!