Sprouting Carrot Chocolate Cupcakes Food

CHOCOLATE CARROT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease or line muffin cups with paper liners.
• Whisk carrots, eggs, milk, applesauce, canola oil, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a separate bowl; stir into carrot mixture until just combined into a batter. Fold chocolate chips and cranberries into batter. Spoon about 2 tablespoons batter into each prepared muffin cup.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cupcakes are fluffy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

CRUNCHY CHOCOLATE MALT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make the frosting: Sprinkle the sugar evenly in a large skillet and add the corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice. Continue to boil, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the caramel is amber. Carefully pour in the heavy cream (it can splatter) and add the butter. Simmer, whisking constantly, until the caramel is smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Combine both chocolates and the salt in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the hot caramel over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth and shiny, then cover and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight. (The frosting can be made up to 2 days ahead.)
• Make the cupcakes: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Sift the malted milk and cocoa powders into another bowl.
• Beat the sugar and butter in a third bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Add the malted milk powder mixture and beat until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the half-and-half in two parts, beginning and ending with flour.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups, filling each about three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in the pans 10 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to racks to cool completely.
• Beat the chilled frosting with a mixer or whisk until thick, about 2 minutes, but don't overwhip. Spread on the cupcakes or transfer to a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then sprinkle with the cereal.

WITCH CRASH CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with black cupcake liners.
• Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Put the milk in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave until bubbling, about 1 minute. Whisk in the cocoa powder until dissolved. Whisk in the granulated sugar, oil, vanilla and egg until smooth. Fold in the flour mixture until combined.
• Divide the batter among the cupcake liners (about 1/4 cup per liner). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• For the frosting. Beat the butter in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light, fluffy and almost double in size, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, add the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla and beat until just combined, about 1 minute.
• Divide the frosting into 4 separate bowls. Color one bowl with purple gel food coloring, one bowl with orange gel food coloring, one bowl with neon green gel food coloring and one bowl with blue gel food coloring. Spoon into 4 separate piping bags fitted with a large round tip (we used an 808 tip).
• For the decorations: To make the witches' legs and boots, cut 2 purple and white striped paper straws, 2 green and white striped paper straws and 2 red and white striped paper straws into 4 pieces each (24 pieces total); these will be the legs. Form the chocolate chewy candies into boot shapes (microwave them for 10 seconds if they are too hard to form) and mold them over the straws.
• To make the witches' hats: Twist open the chocolate sandwich cookies so you have 12 circles. Scrape away the white frosting and save for another use. Spread a small amount of colored frosting into the center of each cookie and top with a milk chocolate candy.
• To decorate the cupcakes: Pipe purple frosting onto 3 cupcakes, orange frosting onto 3 cupcakes, green frosting onto 3 cupcakes and blue frosting onto the remaining 3 cupcakes. Place a hat offset on top of the frosting of each cupcake. Arrange some shredded wheat underneath each hat to mimic hair. Stick 2 legs into each cupcake opposite the hat so they are slightly slanted upward.

SPROUTING BROWNIE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Combine the butter, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until well combined. Whisk in the flour and salt until smooth. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them about three-quarters full.
• Bake until the tops of the brownies spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out with moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove the brownies to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the topping: Combine the semisweet chocolate and heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth and melted. Let stand until thickened slightly, 10 to 30 minutes (it should look like pudding). Spoon over the brownies and gently spread to the edges. Top with the cookie crumbs, gently pressing them into the chocolate.
• Tint the vanilla frosting green with food coloring; transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and pipe onto the brownies to make sprouting grass.

CARROT-WALNUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, walnut oil and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in the flour mixture, then fold in the grated carrots, chopped walnuts and candied ginger with a rubber spatula.
• Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds of the way. Bake until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan; remove to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the candied carrots and walnuts: Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Peel 12 long ribbons from the carrot using a vegetable peeler. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the carrot ribbons and cook until translucent, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully remove with tongs and arrange each ribbon in a small bundle on the baking sheet. Add the walnuts to the saucepan and simmer until glossy, 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the baking sheet; let the candied carrots and walnuts cool.
• Make the frosting: Beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Beat in the confectioners¿ sugar on low speed; increase the speed to medium high and beat until fluffy, 3 minutes. Transfer to a piping bag with a large round tip; pipe onto the cupcakes. Top with the candied carrots and walnuts.

CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare the cupcake pans by spraying with nonstick coating and using cupcake liners.
• In a small bowl, pour the hot water over the raisins to rehydrate and set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and cinnamon, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the corn oil, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs. Mix well to fully incorporate. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients, stirring to fully incorporate. Drain the raisins and squeeze out the moisture. Fold them in to the batter with the carrots and walnuts.
• Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pans and bake until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched with a finger, about 20 minutes. Cool.
• To assemble: Core and fill the cupcakes with the Maple Cinnamon Pastry Cream Filling after they have cooled. Frost the cupcakes with the Cream Cheese Frosting using a pastry bag or offset spatula.
• Optional garnish: Using orange and green food color and some marzipan or almond paste, form carrots by rolling a ball of marzipan in the palms of your hand. Use a knife to make marks in the carrots and make a small batch of greens to attach to each carrot.
• The key to making pastry cream is in the set up. It's best to set the stage with everything before you start cooking anything.
• Cut the butter into small pieces and place in a medium mixing bowl with the maple flavoring and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, place 1/2 cup water and some ice and set aside; you will need it to help cool and stop the cooking of the pastry cream.
• In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs and set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 ounces sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon, and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, the remaining 2 ounces sugar and vanilla bean.
• Now that the stage is set, add the sugar-cornstarch mixture to the eggs, mixing really well with a whisk.
• Bring the milk to a boil on the stove, and then temper it into the sugar-egg mixture (pour very slowly while whisking the eggs, so that you slowly raise the eggs' temperature). Put it all back into the pot and back on the stove. Whisking constantly, cook the pastry cream until it boils for at least 30 seconds. It will quickly pass a lumpy stage and then get creamy and shiny. Immediately dump it into the bowl with the butter and mix to incorporate fully. Place the bowl in the prepared ice bath and stir to cool. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
• In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter to soften. Add the cream cheese in bits, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Scrape down the bowl and mix on medium speed until fully combined. Add the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.