Desserts For Fall: Whooooo is making Owl Cupcakes . . . why, you are!!!

I am just loving these darling little cupcakes from One Charming Party & Desserted Planet. . . made with OREO cookies and Reese's pieces, no less!  How amazing is that?!

And just slap on a cute little favor tag with the words "Whoooo's Thankful for You?  The (insert your family's last name) are!" and these little guys are the perfect Thanksgiving gift for that wise teacher or friend in your life!

Here's how you make them:

Owl Cupcakes


Ingredients:
~ 1 (18.25 oz.) Devil’s Food Cake Mix
~ 1 (16 oz.) Chocolate Fudge Frosting
~ 1 Package Regular Oreos
~ 1 Bag Reese’s Pieces
~ Brown or White Paper Cupcake Liners

Directions:

1.) Bake cupcakes according to directions on the box.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.

2.) While the cupcakes are baking and cooling, begin separating the Oreos.  Warm the Oreos on a plate in the microwave for 5-6 seconds and gently slide one of the cookie sides off (don’t pull it off or it will bring some of the white with it). Test one cookie first to see how much time works for you…it probably won’t be more than 5 seconds.

3.) Next, with a toothpick, dab a bit of frosting on a brown Reese’s Pieces and place slightly off-centered on the white of the Oreo. These are the eyes.

4.) Now frost the cupcake with a knife and again, using a toothpick to draw some of the frosting up, make “ears” for the owl. Place two of the Oreo eyes on the cupcake and push an orange Reese’s Pieces sideways into the frosting for the beak.

So simple too!!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Tutorial Tuesday: Beautiful Bunting & Apple Dumplings in a Jar

My Grandma is an absolute whiz in the kitchen.  She has been whipping up baked goods for decades and each of the grandchildren have their favorite of her wonderful desserts.  And mine just so happens to be these delicious apple dumplings (and her pumpkin roll-who can choose?)

And while I'd love to say that I inherited her genius myself, I do believe my little sister may be the true dessert diva to carry on the frosted fabulousness (and I will be sharing some of her desserts very soon:)  But in the meantime, here is a delicious recipe of Grandma's that my family has been enjoying for years.  And stay tuned below for how to dress it up with a beautiful bunting for autumn!!

Grandma's Apple Dumplings in a Jar


Ingredients:
~ 1 cup sugar
~ 1 cup water
~ 1 tsp cinnamon
~ 1/8 tsp nutmeg
~ 2 drops of red food coloring
~ 3 tablespoons of butter (divided)
~ 2 cups flour
~ 2 tsp baking powder
~ 1 tsp salt
~ 1 cup of shortening
~ 1/2 cup milk
~ 6 whole apples (peeled & cored)
~ six half-pint, wide-mouth mason jars

Directions:
1.) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees,  Mix sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, & red food coloring in a saucepan until boiling, stirring frequently until it becomes a syrupy consistency.  Add 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside.

2.) Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, then stir in shortening and milk until you have a dough-like consistency.  Roll dough until 1/2 an inch thick on a floured board.

3.) Cut dough into six squares and place 1 of the cored apples in the center of each square.  Using your remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, dot the center of each cored apple with butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar.  Fold the dough over (moistening the edges with a couple drops of water) and pinch together into a dumpling.

4.) Spray the inside of your half-pint mason jars with non-stick cooking spray and dust very lightly with flour.  Place each apple dumpling into a separate jar and pour the syrup mixture over the top, dividing the mixture evenly among the six jars.  Sprinkle the tops of each dumpling lightly with sugar.

5.) Place jars in a metal baking pan an bake 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees until the insides are warm and the syrup is bubbling.

6.) Remove jars and let cool.  Screw the lids on and decorate to your heart's content.  Here is a bit of inspiration:

And my personal favorite: the burlap bunting-rustic and elegant for fall . . .

Mini-Mason Jar Bunting


Supplies You Will Need:

~ Fabric (you can buy burlap for cheap at your local fabric store like Jo Anne's)
~ Cardboard
~ Needle & thread
Messaging optional:
~ Alphabet stamps
~ Ink pad

Bunting Instructions:

1.) Cut the cardboard in the shape of a triangle. Using a pencil, trace the triangle cutout on fabric (just judge by your eye how big you would like the triangles to be-or cut the amount so you have a mini-flag for each letter of your desired message).  

2.) Following the penciled triangles, cut fabric. With the needle & thread, one by one, stitch fabric triangles together, leaving enough room at both ends to tie in a bow around your mason jar.  Once you have your messaging, stamp the letters onto the fabric triangles. Tie the ends of the thread around the mouth of your mason jar and voila!

(tutorial courtesy of Eat, Drink, Pretty)

The perfect little favor for your next fall-themed birthday party, shower, or wedding and a wonderful way to honor a beloved family recipe and the amazing woman who made it an honored tradition!  And stay tuned for some new mason jar lid labels and tags, coming to our Juneberry Etsy shop soon!

Desserts for Fall: Caramel Apple Cupcakes!

Well it just so happens to be that time of year again, when the leaves have begun their colorful descent and you are all set to grab your baskets and head to your nearest apple orchard for some prime picking.  

So in honor of my favorite season, I thought these caramel apple cupcakes would be the perfect way to send you into this lovely first weekend of October . . .

CARAMEL APPLE CUPCAKES

Ingredients (for the apple cupcakes) :

~ 2-3 apples, granny smith

~ 2 cups all-purpose flour

~ 1/2 cup sugar

~ 1 teaspoon ginger

~ 1 teaspoon cinnamon

~ 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

~ 1 teaspoon baking soda

~ 1/4 teaspoon salt

~ 2 large eggs

~ 1/2 cup oil

~ 1/4 cup apple juice

~ 1 teaspoon vanilla

~ popsicle or craft sticks

1. Rinse and core the apples. Place them on an ovenproof pan or baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes until soft.
2. Remove the apples from the oven, let cool slightly, then remove peel and mush the apple with the back of a fork. Measure out 1 cup of apple mush and set aside to cool.
3. Combine flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Crack the eggs into a separate, medium sized bowl and beat with a form to break up. Add the oil, apple juice, vanilla, and cooled apple mush and mix to combine.
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until all ingredients come together.
6. Scoop into cupcake papers about 3/4 full so cupcakes will have a significant dome. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Filling (optional):

~ 4 ounces Philly cream cheese
~ 1/4 stick butter
~ 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
~ 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Be sure to bring the butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours. Then beat the butter vigorously with an electric mixer.
2. Scrape the bowl and add the cream cheese and beat until combine.
3. Add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Filling the Cupcakes:


1. Cut out a cone from each cupcake. Flip the cone and cut off the excess. Set the top aside.
2. Fill each cavity with the cream cheese filling.
3. Replace each top.

Thick Caramel:


~ 1/2 cup butter
~ 1 cup packed brown sugar
~ 1/2 cup light corn syrup
~ 6 ounces sweetened condensed milk
~ 1 tablespoon heavy cream
~ 1 teaspoon vanilla
~ 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Bring the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk to a boil over medium-high heat stirring to combine.
2. With a wooden spoon, stir all ingredients together and then slowly add the heavy cream.
3. Continue to stir for about 20 minutes until the caramel reached 248 degrees. It is important to continuously stir the mixture and to allow it to reach temperature.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Transfer to a bowl and continue to stir for 2-3 minutes allowing the caramel to cool slightly.

Final Assembly

1. Using a small offset spatula, frost each cupcake with the caramel.
2. If desired sprinkle warm caramel with any number of toppings, like coconut or crushed nuts.
3. Transfer the cupcake into the freezer to allow the caramel to set without dripping over the edge of the cupcake paper.
4. Continue frosting and topping the cupcakes and try to work fast. As the caramel cools, it becomes less spreadable. If possible work in pairs and let your helper top the cupcakes and transfer them to the freezer. By the time you reach the last few cupcakes, you will not longer need to freeze them and you can take all the cupcakes out and transfer them to the counter.
5. Top off each cupcake with a popsicle or craft stick to finish off the look.

Recipe Courtesy of The Cupcake Blog

So pretty and so yummy.  In fact, these would be just perfect for a fall wedding or bake sale, don't you think?   Have a wonderful weekend!

Tutorial Tuesday: Origami Crane Magic, Part TWO . . .

I am just loving these origami cranes!  And more importantly, the history of them is so awe inspiring as well!  Check it out:

'The crane is a mystical, holy creature in Japan - it represents luck, good fortune, and long-life. The act of folding cranes, specifically, 1000 cranes, is said to make the folder's wish come true.

Strings of one thousand paper cranes are often sent to places where tragedy has struck as a symbol of hope & healing. Sometimes groups will fold 1000 cranes for an ailing friend in hopes of speeding their recovery. 

Whether you believe in the power of the crane, or simply in the gentle act of beauty and kindness, there is something uplifting about this tradition.' (1000 Cranes for Japan-Flickr)

I really wanted to do a picture tutorial for you, but when it comes right down to it, I think a video how-to in this case would be much easier for you to handle.  So here you go (tutorial courtesy of Origamifun):

A bit more inspiration (stay tuned for the tutorial on how to string these sweet little things below):

How about on a cake?

Or even cupcakes . . .

And on to stringing them:

Supplies You Will Need:
~ cranes
~ needle
~ cord/string
~ hot glue
~ ruler

1. Fold your cranes.

2. Decide how many cranes you'll need per strand. Do this by dividing the number of strands by your total number of cranes.

To decide how long the strand should be as a fixed length:

(Divide the length of the strand by the number of cranes you'll be putting on it. This is your length per crane.

Subtract the height of the body of each crane from the length per crane to determine the length of the empty space above it.

Find a measuring device the exact length you need or cut one out of a heavy piece of cardboard that you'll be able to use as a guide. I used a ruler for this tutorial.)

3. On the underside of each crane is a small hole. We're going to run a needle up this hole to hang the cranes.

4. I used gold crafter's string to hang the cranes on. 

5. Use the thinnest possible needle with a large enough hole to run the thread through (remember, no thicker than necessary as it will tear the paper as it comes out of the top of the crane.)

6. Run the needle into the hole.

7. A wider view of the needle going in with the thread attached.

8. This is what the needle should look like coming out through the top of the body section.

9. And the thread pulled through.

10. Put as many cranes as needed onto the strand of cord. You are going to begin gluing them into place from the bottom up so you will need to know the exact length each piece of cord has be.

11. Cut the cord.

12. The needle will be at the top of the cord and the cranes all piled around the bottom. Add a small drop of hot glue to the bottom, cut end of the cord.

13. Slide the bottom crane onto the bead of hot glue keeping it as level as possible.

14. Now measure the distance needed between the two cranes to set the next crane into place with a bead of hot glue. I'll be adding the second crane from above the blue one pictured here.

15. Whatever your set measurement will be between each crane you can use a guide or make one out of a cut piece of cardboard to set the placement of each crane.

16. Set the bead of hot glue slightly above where you want the crane to sit so you can slide it down the cord a bit, sealing the glue into the hole and onto the cord.

17. Repeat this process for each crane.

18. It doesn't matter if there are five cranes or fifty per strand, the process is the same.

19. If there are small glue threads that come off the hot glue gently remove them without disturbing the glue holding the crane in place.



Stringing crane tutorial courtesy of The Flirty Guide.

And I have always loved the thought of doing a Gender Reveal in a fortune cookie, like this:

The problem was, I just couldn't find a theme to go around it that I loved.  I mean, Japanese Cherry Blossoms are amazing, and since the Fortune Cookie originated in Japan, this would be perfect if you knew you were having a girl.  But these origami cranes would work for either gender, don't you think?

And then there's always origami frogs & flowers too . . .

(above photos by LillyTyll on ETSY)

And even these amazing baby booties would work perfectly for your Origami Gender Reveal, no?

Oh no, I am starting to get carried away again.  That is all for today:)