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....