Happy Spring! Let’s celebrate with some decadent cupcakes 😉

AND beautiful flowers!! After days of dreary weather, the sun is finally out and it’s warming up! I can’t possibly express with words how happy this makes me.

But I can show you some well lit pictures of cookies because THE SUN IS OUT! (When you live in a basement and there’s rarely any natural light, it’s important to yell about the sun).

I made these cupcakes for a very special person celebrating his birthday this week. Every time I see him he slyly mentions cupcakes and I figured his birthday was the best time to surprise him with some!

Drooling!

The cake is moist and the flavor is bonkers amazing. Everything took me less than 2 hours to do. Totally easy and worth the work!

These cupcakes are a compilation of a few recipes that I already have on this site! First is the best chocolate cake ever!!! second is the cream cheese frosting from my pumpkin cupcake recipe and third are the salted caramel chocolate chip cookies!

I’ve used all of these recipes time and time again and they have yet to fail me. I promise you will not be disappointed 🙂

RECIPE: (makes a little over 1 dozen cupcakes and 18 cookies)

CAKE:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbs all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup very hot coffee

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pan with liners
2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Stir egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla into dry mix until combined.
4. Slowly stir in hot coffee until combined.
5. Scoop batter to fill cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way.
6. Bake in oven for 15-20 min or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 min. in pans. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

COOKIES:

• 5 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup + 2tbs packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup plus 3 Tbs. all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 9 unwrapped caramel candies (cut into pieces)
• flaked sea salt for sprinkling
• mini pretzels

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer with a fitted paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat in until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl when necessary.
3. Add in flour and baking soda and beat until combined.
4. Mix in chocolate chips.
5. Measure out tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough and set aside.
6. Place caramel pieces on top of tablespoon sized balls of dough. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake for exactly 9 min. rotating halfway through.
7. Once out of the oven, press pretzel onto top of cookies immediately.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• 4 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese (room temp.)
• 5 tbs of unsalted butter (room temp.)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 tbs milk (if needed)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until whipped. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until fluffy. Add a little bit of milk if necessary.
2. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, decorate, and enjoy!