5-Ingredient Pumpkin Cupcakes

There are times when pumpkin cupcakes from scratch are in order, but there are other times measuring flour, sugar and spices holds little appeal. This is a recipe my friend Courtney shared with me three years ago, and it changed my life. Every time I take these cupcakes somewhere, I'm asked for the recipe and/or the leftovers. Today I went to my grandmother's house to bake with her, and this recipe was perfect. Grandmother was excited to find another treat she can share with people this fall.

5-Ingredient Pumpkin Cupcakes

chefjennylyn.com

- 1 box spice cake mix

- 1 can pumpkin (16 oz.)

- 3 large eggs

- 1/3 cup oil

- 1/3 cup water

- Cream cheese icing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix everything (not the icing, of course) in a large bowl, and scoop into muffin liners.

Bake 18-22 minutes for standard size / Bake 12-15 minutes for 2-bite size

Yield 24 standard cupcakes

If you can take your eyes off my adorable grandmother, take a look at the Muffin Pan. This is no typical metal pan you'll find in stores. No, it's heavy duty for even heat distribution and perfect results. I prefer the Stoneware Muffin Pan, but this is nice and lightweight for Grandmother.

Check out the Smooth-Edge Can Opener! The lid is off the can, the edges are smooth, and there's no mess. Eggs and a Classic Scraper are hanging out in a Stainless Mixing Bowl.

The Easy Read Measuring Cups are one of Grandmother's favorite products because she can leave them on the counter while she pours ingredients, and she can read them easily thanks to the slanted measurements.

Grandmother is 83 years old (she doesn't mind me telling you), but she still loves to learn new shortcuts in the kitchen. She was thrilled with the Large Scoop for filling liners. This works for consistent cupcake sizes, but it's also great for preventing drips. Plus, in the words of Grandmother, "It's just fun to use!"

Then Grandmother and I used 2-bite size liners on a Cookie Sheet, and we (she) filled them using the Medium Scoop. We got 15 standard cupcakes and 24 2-bite cupcakes from this recipe!

I iced cupcakes while Grandmother added the recipe to her collection. The Stackable Cooling Rack I'm using is another of Grandmother's favorite items. She uses it every time she cooks, which I think is daily.

After finishing and cleaning, Grandmother and I sat down to enjoy our work. I wish I could tell you I ate my cupcake with a fork like a true lady, but that would be a lie. Do I get points for taking multiple bites instead of shoving the whole thing in my mouth?

Make these cupcakes when you have time because they're fabulous. If you don't have time, make it, and then make these cupcakes. There will be no regrets.

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Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

The internet is an amazing source for recipes. I mean, just look at you right now! When I stumbled upon these at Joy the Baker, I knew I'd found treasure. Real. live. gooey. treasure. Aaannnddd... not to brag, but I was right. I gave my friend Holly a dozen full-size cupcakes for her birthday (office hero for the day), and I took a plate of two-bites to my sweet friend Annie who was down for the count with an intense case of pregnancy (yay for bayyybeees!). Both friends enjoyed their super sweet mind-blowingly rich treats. Mission accomplished! This recipe, my friends, is a keeper.

Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

chefjennylyn.com

3 cups flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Icing

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup dulce de leche, plus more for decoration

1/4 tsp. salt

2-3 cups powdered sugar

Sea salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Medium bowl: whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Large bowl: beat butter and sugars together until fluffy and pale brown, about 3 minutes. Add one egg, and beat on medium for one minute. Repeat with remaining two eggs. Beat in vanilla.

Add half the flour mixture to the large bowl, and beat on low speed. Slowly drizzle in buttermilk, and beat just until incorporated. Add remaining dry ingredients. Beat on low just until incorporated. Finish folding together with spatula, being careful not to overmix.

Fill cupcake cups with batter, and bake 18-20 minutes.

For the icing:

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl on medium about 30 seconds until very soft. Add the butter and dulce de leche, beating until well incorporated. Add the salt and powdered sugar, and beat about 3 minutes or until fluffy with a lighter color.

Yield about 2 dozen cupcakes

I looked for dulce de leche at Whole Foods, but the closest I came to finding it was caramel that was reeaaallly expensive. The associate helping me suggested I use it as a substitution since it's basically the same thing. News flash: Not the same thing. Dulce de leche is made using sweetened milk. The sales associate didn't need to know I'd just typed "what's the difference in dulce de leche and caramel?" into Google before my field trip. But don't worry - I didn't get crazy know-it-all on her, just said I had caramel at home if I needed to use it instead. Pampered Chef Caramel, mind you! Anyway, I thought I read somewhere that you could make dulce de leche at home, so I grabbed a couple cans of sweetened condensed milk (one to use and one as a back-up) and went on my merry way. All this to say that what you see in this picture is homemade dulce de leche in action. One can (label removed) is submerged in water in the 3-Qt. Saucepan from the Executive Cookware Collection, and it's going to boil for hours. These cupcakes were a love gift.

Lots of stuff = lots of love = lots of good flavor in the end product. At least that's what you hope when baking from scratch... Seen here: 2-Cup Prep Bowl, Easy Read Measuring Cup, Double-Strength Vanilla, Pinch Bowl, Stainless Mixing Bowl, Measuring Cup, Measuring Spoons, Adjustable Measuring Spoon, Large Cutting Board. I can't stress enough that prep work makes for less hassle when you assemble the recipe. Can't. stress. enough.

So basically you end up making batter. I totally do the "add as directed" thing because I figure if it's worth making something, it's worth doing it correctly. This really affects the density of a batter, so don't shortcut and dump everything in the bowl at the same time. You only save about two seconds that way, anyway. Things are coming together in a Stainless Mixing Bowl, and my dry mixture is in another bowl from the set with a Stainless Whisk sticking out of it.

Cupcakes require the Large Scoop. That's just all there is to it! I've got my Stoneware Muffin Pan, which I can credit for the beautiful results, and the Large Scoop makes for even batter distribution... which means even baking results and pretty looks. Presentation is always better when things are uniform!

The two-bite cupcakes are on the Cookie Sheet where they'll bake up nice and pretty. Don't get me started on the Cookie Sheet because I'm head over heels and therefore don't know when to be quiet.

Remember how I was boiling sweetened condensed milk to make my own dulce de leche? I took it out of the water and let it cool while I prepped my batter. It turned out to be beautiful! I boiled this for three hours, rotating the can every 20-30 minutes to prevent scorched spots. The result was totally worth the effort because, well, it was the best dulce de leche I'd ever had. Seriously. Ok, so this in the Small Batter Bowl, and you can see where I opened the can with the Smooth-Edge Can Opener and scraped it out using the Skinny Scraper.

Time for icing! Dulce de leche is measured into the Measure-All Cup, and butter is in a Dots Pasta Bowl from the Simple Additions Collection. Cream cheese is in a Stainless Mixing Bowl where the magic is really going to happen. This icing is best enjoyed with a spoon and very little shame. Trust me.

Ok, so you can decorate as desired, but I think adding a little sea salt on top is a nice touch. It looks cool, and it gives you a nice salty crunch that compliments the rich cupcake perfectly. Note: I said a little sea salt. What you see in the Pinch Bowl wasn't all on the cupcakes at the end of the day.

These cupcakes are delicious. I promise you won't be disappointed if you make them, and I think you can even substitute caramel if you really have to. If you do that, call them caramel cupcakes because any other name would be a lie. Just Google it if you don't believe me.

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Call me up: (205) 585-2464

Browned Butter Berry Muffins

Here's the thing... I picked strawberries with my best friend Elizabeth recently. Lots of them. Get ready for a few strawberry recipes because I just don't know what else to do. I mean, I came home with a gallon of strawberries that are ripe... like the kind of ripe where they'll die if I don't use them quickly. So we come to the first of many strawberry recipes: Muffins. Not just any muffins, mind you. Browned butter strawberry muffins adapted from these browned butter blueberry muffins I found at Joy the Baker. Scroll down, and you'll see that I also made a batch of blueberry to accompany the strawberry. You know, for comparison purposes and all. Between you and me, I'll always like blueberry muffins better than any others, but this strawberry version will definitely find its way to my life again... probably after next year's harvest.

Browned Butter Berry Muffins

chefjennylyn.com

7 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh berries

For the Topping

3 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper or foil liners

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep an eye on the butter. Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan. The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that. Keep a close eye. Remove from heat.

Whisk milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add the brown butter and stir to combine.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl Add milk and butter mixture all at one and stir gently to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the berries.

Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.

To make the topping combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and blend until crumbly. (A pastry blender works best.) Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.

Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Like I said, I got this recipe at Joy the Baker. She got it from The Gourmet Cookbook.

I used to be intimidated by scratch baking. Now I don't understand what the big deal is, especially considering the results achieved through the little bit of extra effort. Besides, baking is relaxing if you take time to do it. So let's get started... Here are the products shown: Measuring Cup Set, Measuring Spoon Set, Adjustable Measuring Spoons, Easy Read Measuring Cup, Double Strength Madagascar Vanilla, Stainless Mixing Bowls, Large Cutting Board. By measuring everything out before mixing anything, you don't have to worry about forgetting ingredients or adding them twice. Ever started measuring salt, taken a phone call, and forgotten whether or not you already added it to a flour/sugar mixture? Considering what doubling the salt will to to baked goods, it's not a risk I'm willing to take.

This is what browned butter looks like. The recipe directions are very specific about how to do this, but just know it might take a little bit longer than you'd expect. Be patient, but be watchful. Browning butter brings out its nutty flavor, and it makes baked goods more complex and less run-of-the-mill. Also, it makes the kitchen smell good. This is the 1.5-Qt. Saucepan from the Executive Cookware Collection, and that's the Mini Mix 'n Scraper full of butter. I'm in love with all of the scrapers, and I adore the fact that I can leave them in pans without worrying about melting. Yes, this hung out in the butter the entire time it cooked. Silicone, baby!

Pop quiz: What's the thing full of strawberries called? Is it a bucket? Is it a basket? Neither. According to the box at the strawberry farm, this, my friends, is a busket. That tidbit of knowledge was worth the long drive, the hard picking, the sweltering heat, and the price of the berries. Did I mention the sweltering heat? This is Alabama. Ok, so it's time to get intimate with these berries, inspecting them for imperfections, cutting their tops off, that kind of thing. I'm using the Large Cutting Board laid across my sink, and the 3 1/2-inch Paring Knife is going to make quick work of cutting. Well, not quick, but it will take a lot less time than any other knife. My strawberries are in the Colander & Bowl Set, and I'm going to measure them into an Easy Read Measuring Cup.

And just like that, I've got two cups of berry pieces. My dry ingredients and egg mixture are in separate Stainless Mixing Bowls, and I'm about to whisk them together using the Stainless Whisk.

You'll see a picture similar to this one anytime I post cupcakes or muffins. The Stoneware Muffin Pan combined with the Large Scoop make for perfection every time.

For the topping, combine the cold butter, extra flour, and extra sugar, and use the Pastry Blender to mash it up. The key to a good topping: Do. not. let. your. butter. get. soft. That's why I never use my hands for a job like this. For one, I get butter and stuff all under my fingernails, and that's just nasty (for me and for you), but the main thing is just that the heat of my hands melts the chunks. So use a Pastry Blender, and thank me later.

Hey, those don't look like strawberries! This is the Stoneware Muffin Pan of blueberry muffins, and I didn't want these guys to feel left out. They were amazing! The thing about these that made me so happy was that each muffin was pretty much overloaded with fruit. Note: This is not my way of saying each muffin was overloaded with healthy, just that you don't get jipped on the blue (or - let's just be honest - purple).

All of the muffins are loaded up and ready to go! I took these to my Sunday school class, and I was pleased that I didn't come home with leftovers. A clean plate is a nice compliment, especially when it started off with 24 full size muffins in a room full of people who already ate breakfast.

Take your favorite fruit, add it to this batter, and prepare to write a letter professing your love for me. I'll understand completely.

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E-mail me: chefjennylyn[at]gmail.com

Call me up: (205) 585-2464

Peanut Butter Cups

What defines a friend? That's a deep question, but I'll give you one characteristic I enjoy: someone who sends me recipes to try. There's something about it when someone says, "Jenny, this made me think of you, so you should try it." Big. Warm. Fuzzy. That, my friends, is how I acquired this mind-blowingly awesome feast of chocolate and peanut butter goodness. My sweet friend Holly went on a send-Jenny-a-bunch-of-fun-recipes spree, and now all followers of Real Kitchen. Real Life. benefit. Thanks, Holly! You can tell from the picture these are worth making. In fact, you should stop whatever you're doing, buy the ingredients, and get to work.

Peanut Butter Cups

chefjennylyn.com

3 cups chocolate

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 cup graham crackers, crushed

1 tsp. sea salt

Place liners in 12 muffin cups.

Melt 1 1/2 cups chocolate in a double boiler. Remove it from the stove, and turn off the heat. Paint a layer of chocolate in each cup, liberally covering the bottoms and sides. Set the double boiler aside, and save remaining chocolate.

Place the muffin pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes while making the peanut butter filling.

Combine peanut butter, crushed graham crackers, powdered sugar, and salt. Stir until well-combined.

Return the double boiler to the stove, and heat over medium-high. Melt remaining 1 1/2 cups of chocolate.

Remove the muffin pan from the fridge, and divide peanut butter mixture among the cups, smoothing it to fill the bottoms. Each will take about 1 1/2 tbsp. of this fluffy, fabulous filling.

Using a spoon, dip chocolate from the double boiler into each cup, and be generous! Smooth the tops, or create a swirl (whatever floats your boat).

Place the muffin pan in the refrigerator for 40 minutes to an hour.

Make history.

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This recipe is originally from Design Sponge

What's more fun than making sweet treats? Making them with friends! Holly and Kathleen came over to try these with me, and all three of us were pleased with the simplicity of the recipe and the great result. Kathleen is filling the Stoneware Muffin Pan with foil liners.

She'd heard of the Measure-All Cup, but this was Kathleen's first experience with it. All I can say is that she left a huge fan of this tool, the standard for measuring all things sticky, creamy, or gross. She used the Skinny Scraper to fill it up, and the rest is history.

Holly is the person who designed my blog, so you know she's super fun. Not only does she design well, but she melts chocolate like a pro. Put a little water in the 3-Qt. Saucepan, place the Double Boiler on top, and stir occasionally. This double boiler has been upgraded, so that's why it looks different on my website. You can't tell, but Holly's using the Mini Mix 'n Scraper to stir.

Graham cracker crumbs in the Manual Food Processor! I promise this tool is every bit as good as it seems, and it's even got a silicone grip on the bottom to keep it from sliding around.

Painting with chocolate! Holly's using the Chef's Silicone Basting Brush to get a good, thick coat on each liner. You don't realize how handy a basting brush is until you don't have one. This one is perfect, and it goes in the dishwasher for easy cleanup, even when it's full of chocolate.

Kathleen is using the 5" Strainer to sift powdered sugar into a Stainless Mixing Bowl. For small amounts, this can't be beat. This is about to become peanut butter filling. AAAHHH!!!

The Medium Scoop turned out to be the perfect size for to fill the chocolate cups. A leveled off scoop for each cup was what we ended up using, and there was just enough filling. Sorry, but there's not any leftover after that, so don't get ideas about snacking on the filling. In fact, I had to use the Mix 'n Scraper to get everything out of the bowl and stretch it to fill all twelve cups.

Each cup then gets a huge serving of chocolate to top it off, and boom! Recipe complete. Refrigerate these, and they're ready for consumption in less than an hour. If you're super excited, stick them in the freezer instead. Yes, the Stoneware Muffin Pan can go in the freezer.

These are full-size peanut butter cups. There's no playing with this recipe; it separates the men from the boys. Sure, I could only eat half a cup, but that just means I get to save the other half for later, right? I've got so many ideas for making these again, and I can't wait for an occasion that justifies the effort. Otherwise, I'll end up with twelve huge peanut butter cups in my house, and that has disaster written all over it.

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E-mail me: chefjennylyn[at]gmail.com

Call me up: (205) 585-2464

Coffee Cake Muffins

I play in the orchestra at church, and sometimes I feel like taking a little snack to my fellow musicians. This recipe was given to me by a friend, and this blog marks my first attempt. I. Am. Fearless.

Coffee Cake Muffns

www.chefjennylyn.com

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts or pecans

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Prepare 12 muffin cups.

For topping, stir 3 T. flour, brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Cut in the 2 T. butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts or pecans.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the 1/4 cup butter unil mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In another bowl, combine egg with buttermilk. Add egg mixture to dry mixtrue and stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Spoon half the batter into muffin cups, filling 1/3 full. Top with half steusel topping, remaining batter, and remaining steusel.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden. Cool in muffin cups on cooling rack 5 minutes.

The Spice Turn-About has been so helpful in my kitchen! It holds Pampered Chef seasonings, but the wells are also right for McCormick, Simply Organic, and other brands.

Pampered Chef Korinje Cinnamon. Period. It's by far the best cinnamon I've ever had, and the bottle contains more than standard brands. Behind the cinnamon, I'm going at it with the Adjustable Measuring Spoons and Small Batter Bowl. The spoons come in a set two, and they are must-haves.

For those of you who are experienced homemakers, this tip will mean nothing to you. For everyone else, heed the warning. When you start to run low on something, go ahead and jot it down on a grocery list. There's nothing like running out of flour, butter, or eggs when you're in the mood to bake. My fridge is full of Pampered Chef products: The Clock/Timer is great because it times, counts up, and contains a digital clock. Oh, and it travels. The Easy Opener is just what you need for popping seals on pickle jars, etc. Then there's the Easy Conversions Magnet. "This recipe calls for 2 T. but I'm doubling it... 1/4 cup. Boom!" It also does Standard/Metric conversions for all those European recipes you've been wanting to try.

You know what I like about the lid to the Small Batter Bowl? It doubles as my cutting board when I'm chopping butter. The Quikut Paring Knives are perfect for these small tasks, and you can't beat them for slicing bananas. The Small Batter Bowl holds up to 1 quart, and its measurements are embossed in the glass. The Bamboo Spoons are also shown.

A 2-Cup Prep Bowl, my Stainless Mini Whisk, my 1-Cup Easy Read Measuring Cup make quick work of the egg/buttermilk mixture. These products may not change the fact that buttermilk is a disgusting, foul-smelling, rotten substance, but at least they help me deal with it in minimal time.

This is your step-by-step tutorial of how to assemble these muffins. See all the way down the line? I'm creative that way. People often ask if liners can be used with the Stoneware Muffin Pan, and the answer is absolutely! This pan is the secret to the cupcakes that come from my kitchen. Even baking means no scorched bottoms, no dried out insides, and no gross, crusty tops.

Thanks to my Mix 'n Scraper, I was able to get all the batter out of the bowl. When I tell people the difference this makes, they sometimes say, "But I want to lick the bowl." Well, this particular batter tasted like biscuit dough, and I don't think most people enjoy eating that. In the case of brownie or cake batter, however, the Skinny Scraper is the perfect size for your mouth. I used the Medium Scoop for the batter and the Small Scoop for the topping. This batter was super sticky, and I think I would have become frustrated if it hadn't been for my scoop. Thank you, Pampered Chef products, for making this fun instead of stress-inducing! By the way, this is the 4-qt. Stainless Mixing Bowl, my go-to baking companion.

Enjoy these, and let me know if you try them! I accidentally read the recipe incorrectly and used 1/2 cup of walnuts instead of 2 T., so I'm afraid I didn't get the true experience. Oh, well... just gotta try again!

Like the products you saw used?

Shop Online 24/7 at pamperedchef.biz/jennylyn

E-mail me: chefjennylyn[at]gmail.com

Call me up: (205) 585-2464