Red Velvet Cupcakes with Lemon Mascarpone Cheese Frosting

These are the best cupcakes I have made in a long long time! So moist and delicious, and the frosting, which I had been wanting to try on a baked good for quite a while now, was the perfect compliment... I will definitely be making this recipe again...give it a try!

*makes 24 cupcakes

For the Red Velvet Cupcakes:
(adapted from several allrecipes.com recipes) 

1 box white or yellow cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp red food colouring (add more for a deeper red colour if you wish)

-add all ingredients to a  large electric  mixer bowl and blend  for about 2 minutes on low
-fill muffin tin cups to about 2/3 full with batter
-bake as per cake box directions
-remove from oven, remove from tray and allow to cool on a wire rack
-once cool, make frosting, then frost each cupcake and enjoy

For the Mascarpone  Frosting:
(adapted from a Chuck Hughes recipe)

1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream
zest of 1/2 a lemon

-add all ingredients to a small electric mixer bowl and blend on medium speed until well blended and creamy
-transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost each cupcake as desired

*refrigerate leftover cupcakes to keep frosting fresh

*yes you can certainly make this as a cake too!

Chocolate Chippers....very yummy cookies!

*this post has moved, please follow the link to visit my new blog and see this recipe

www.spreadinggoodtastes.com

Carrot Garlic Cream Cheese Spread

*an original recipe by jcsmama

 Easy, quick and delicious, this is a great spread to have on hand. Spread it on a bagel for a quick lunch or serve it up with some cut up veggies for a kid friendly snack.

Ingredients:

1 8oz pkg light cream cheese

1 large carrot, quartered

1 large clove garlic

2 sprigs fresh parsley

Preparation:

-in a small food processor bowl add carrot, garlic and

  parsley and pulse until finely chopped

-add cream cheese and mix until well blended

-transfer to a lidded container and refrigerate

* this will keep well for at least 1 week

*use as a spread for your bagels or crackers, or as a

 dip for celery sticks and other veggies

*jazz it up with some fresh basil and thyme, freshly

 ground black pepper, and voila you have yourself a

 great tasting spread for your guests too!

Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

*recipe found on a Kraft Peanut Butter Jar
http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/Products/P-R/KraftPeanutButter.aspx

This recipe peaked my interest because it only calls for 3 ingredients...I had to try it! Well it turns out all you need to make delicious peanut butter cookies is exactly that, just 3 ingredients!I would not have believed it but I tested it and these cookies are great....give them a try!

Ingredients:
1 cup Kraft Peanut Butter (or any other brand)
1/2 cup sugar
1egg


Directions:
-preheat oven to 325F
-mix ingredients in a mixer or with a spoon until well blended
-roll into 24 balls, place on a cookie sheet and flatten with a fork
-bake 15 minutes
-remove from pan and cool on a wire rack


*makes 24 cookies


*next time I will try these with crunchy peanut butter or perhaps with the addition of chopped peanuts in the batter...