Tricked Out Ogre Treats

Li'l Ogre Cupcakes

Still on the pumpkin kick, I found that I had bits and pieces to make something for Halloween.  Since tomorrow is the day when the spooks come out to haunt, there was no time to waste!  I started with a pumpkin cupcake, naturally, added a nice buttercream frosting, but the real fun began with multi-colored sprinkles, some pumpkin pie flavored candy corn, edible googly eyes and bones!  The result was an ogre cupcake that is as much fun to ogle as it is to eat!

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

2 1/4 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk
Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, pumpkin pie spice in a bowl.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs; add pumpkin, mix.  Alternate adding dry ingredients with milk and blend until smooth after each addition.  Spoon batter into well greased and floured or paper lined muffin tins.  Bake at 375 about 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in middle of cupcake comes out clean.  *This recipe makes some slight changes to the pumpkin cupcake recipe posted previously, with a little less sugar and using pumpkin pie spice.  

 Buttercream Frosting Recipe

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 t salt

1 t almond extract

4 T milk or heavy cream

Cream butter in mixer.  Sift powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl.  Mix all together on low speed until the sugar and cocoa are incorporated.  Increase speed to medium and add almond extract and milk or cream.  Beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth.  Add more milk/cream if frosting is too thick.  This frosting works well to spread or use in a pastry bag to pipe.   

All Treats, No Tricks!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

I have a new job!  Ellis Home and Garden in Longview hired me as their event specialist, and our first event, Pumpkin Glow, is less than three weeks away.  Many of you have noted that CindysCozyKitchen has been on hiatus for a month or so.  Blame it on the pumpkins!


I feel fortunate to have work that is fun and fulfilling.  The store is retail, but they have a heart for the community, especially for children and families.  While I am working towards the event, I am also spending time in our area schools meeting teachers and principals, forming relationships that will forge partnerships in the months to come; that's gratifying.  My other duty, the piece that is pure pleasure, is decorating pumpkins with children...lots and lots of pumpkins...724 pumpkins to be exact!

Pumpkin Grin!

After cutting eyes, noses, mouths and wigs to create almost 500 pumpkin faces, it is impossible to get pumpkins out of my head!  Instead of shedding the pumpkin glow, I'm embracing it with a delicious recipe for pumpkin cupcakes.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed cooked or canned pumpkin

3/4 cup milk

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs. Blend in pumpkin. Stir in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, blending until batter is smooth after each addition. Spoon batter into well-greased and floured or paper-lined muffin pan cups. Fill about 2/3 full. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

3 cups powdered sugar 

3 tablespoons half and half 

Place butter, shortening, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in mixer.  Mix until smooth.  Alternate adding powdered sugar and half and half until the desired consistency is reached.  Place buttercream frosting in a pastry bag and use star tip or petal tip to pipe frosting on the cupcakes.  Sprinkle with a small amount of cinnamon if desired. 

Cinnamon Desired