Key Lime Cupcakes

 OK.....so I'm kinda passionate about food. When I find something that I really like I then have to learn how to make it. A while ago, I had a Key Lime Cupcake in Cherry Creek at Big Fat Cupcake, and I fell in love with it and I've been trying to make a decent one ever since. This is not their recipe but a pretty close version of it. I have to warn you, I'm one of those "semi-homemade" gals, so "sorry" to you purists out there that have to do everything from scratch. This does involve a box for the cake part...but it does add other ingredients to it so it really doesn't taste like it's from a box. They're slightly labor intensive, with the cake, filling, frosting and crumbs on top, but SO worth it. Let me know if you make them and how they turn out!

Ultimate Key Lime Cupcakes

Cupcakes

1          box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® lemon cake mix

1          box (4-serving size) lime-flavored gelatin

3/4          cup water

1/3          cup key lime juice

1/3          cup vegetable oil

3      eggs

Key Lime Pudding Filling

1     tablespoon grated lime zest

1     cup key lime juice

1     (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1     (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

Frosting

2          package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1         stick butter , softened

2          teaspoon vanilla

2      cups powdered sugar

2      tablespoons key lime juice

Crust Topping

8      Honey Graham Crackers

2      tablespoons brown sugar

1/4   cup melted butter

1^st Make The Cupcakes:

Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups (or paper liners in 12 Large muffin cups. If you make in large muffin cups I would double the cupcake part but not everything else) In large bowl, beat cake mix and gelatin with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Add remaining cupcake ingredients. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds; beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each just over 1/2 full. If you fill them too much they will collapse when baking.

Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. While the cupcakes bake…

2^nd Make The Pudding Filling:

In a large bowl, mix together lime zest, lime juice, and condensed milk. Whisk in pudding mix and allow to set up 5 minutes in the fridge. Then…

3^rd Make The Frosting:

In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in vanilla and 2 cups powdered sugar until mixed; beat on medium speed until fluffy and set aside. Then…

4^th Make The Crust Topping:

In a medium sized bowl, combine graham crackers, brown sugar, and melted butter in a food processor until well combined. If you don’t have a food processor, just crush the graham crackers and mix the melted butter and sugar together with a fork and set aside. (note: this makes a lot more than you need) Then…

5^th Fill The Cupcakes With Filling:

Cut a small cone shaped piece of cake out of each cupcake. Fill the cavity with the key lime pudding filling mixture. Cut the body of the cone off leaving just the cap of the cupcake. Replace it back on top of the cupcake. Then…

6^th Frost The Cupcakes:

Scoop the frosting into a large ziplock bag and cut the tip off one corner of the bag. Frost the cupcakes by swirling the frosting back and forth over the entire top of the cupcake. (There should be a lot of frosting) Place them in the fridge for at least 10 minutes to let the frosting harden slightly. Then…

7^th Top It With Crust

Take each cupcake and roll the frosted edges around in the bowl of crust mixture. Just the edges should be coated.

Store the cupcakes covered in the refrigerator.

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Big FAT Cupcake!

This is my newest favorite place in Denver! In Cherry Creek is the most fabulous cupcake shop called Big FAT Cupcake and let me tell you....their cupcakes are AHH-MAY-ZING!!! (I actually "sang" that when I wrote it. These cupcakes are so good that they're literal music to my ears!) Next time you're in the Cherry Creek area check em' out!

 I had to take my mom to get cataract surgery on her other eye today and we drove by this place. I immediately thought, "Oh, no way! Fat cupcakes? I'm so going in there!" Some of you reading this may have already tasted the sweet deliciousness of this place but today was my first time. But I can honestly guarantee that it won't be the last! They have so many amazing flavors to choose from like, Creamsicle, Boston Cream Pie, Heath Bar, Lemonade, Twinkie, Red Velvet, Strawberry, M&M, Salty Caramel....the list goes on!

I ended up getting a Twinkie and a Strawberry for myself and a Red Velvet and a Strawberry for my mom. I already can't wait to go back and try more flavors! 

I also have a funny story...On my way back to the doctors office Scott called me. I was holding the cupcakes and a water bottle. I had my purse, which was all heavy, and I was holding the phone to my ear. As soon as I crossed the street, I tripped on an uneven spot in the side walk and I screamed in Scott's ear as the cupcakes went-a-flyin'! Thank the Lord for the hard plastic case they put them in or those things would have been road kill. The frosting schmeared all over the inside of the case but they were in tact and they still tasted amazing. Only some frosting exploded out the side...and, I'll admit, some grass was stuck to it....but I didn't care! Don't judge people! Did you see those cupcakes!?!?

p.s. Katie...I know you're drooling! This place had your name all over it! : )

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Barnies Coffee

I'm sitting here drinking my morning cup-O-Joe and I just have to tell you...Barnie's coffee is absolutely amazing! If you're a coffee drinker and have never tried it before, I highly recommend giving it a whirl. Scott and I discovered Barnies' while we were living in Florida and I would take Barnie's coffee over Starbucks any day....HANDS DOWN! It doesn't have quite the "bite" or bitter taste you get from Starbucks. Just smooth coffee goodness! You can order it online here. We're BIG fans of their flavored coffee. Pumpkin Spice and Santa's White Christmas are FAN-TABULOUS and two of our absolute favorites. Just order it...trust me...you won't be disappointed!

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BERRY BOMB!

Berry Bomb is, quite possibly, my favorite dessert on the whole planet! And anyone who has tried it agrees with me. When you eat it hot, with vanilla ice cream, it is absolute perfection in your mouth! I seriously hope there's Berry Bomb and vanilla ice cream in heaven because I'm not sure I could survive eternity without it. A LARGE "thank you" goes out to my sister, Katie, who introduced me to this fabulous dessert. I also give her full credit for every pound I have gained because of this delightful dessert : )  but, I digress....So, how do you make Berry Bomb you ask?  Here goes: Start with a box of Krusteaz Crumb Cake Mix

and follow the recipe on the side of the box. Simple right? They call it "Deep Dish Berry Cobbler" but, make no mistake it is the BOMB therefore, we re-named it BERRY BOMB! I have to cook it longer than it says on the box but just pull it out when it's all bubbly and the top is crispy. Trust me, you will LOVE this dessert. And don't forget the ice cream! 

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WOW!!!!

That truly is the only word that comes to mind when I think of these potato chips! Karrie introduced me to them today and can I just say... WOW! They are like salty-vinegary-dill pickled flavored goodness in your mouth! You can't buy them in a store but you can order them online at Bob's Produce Ranch. Trust me...they are AMAZING! Worth every penny in shipping!

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CANT. STOP. EATING...

It's true. I am totally back on the Party Pizza wagon! Back in the college years I was addicted to these things. Actually, both my sister Mel and I were. We both love them cooked to near burnt perfection and laced with a TON of salt. Over the last few years I've settled down and only occasionally would I feel the need to eat one however, my cravings have started back up again. I've eaten 3 of these suckers in the last week! (I know, I'm a picture of health) If you haven't tried one, you need to. They are absolutely GLORIOUS! Some may contest that they taste a little like cardboard but I completely disagree.

Prior to my love for Party Pizza's, when I was in Junior High, I lived on Tombstone Pizza. I'm really not kidding when I say "lived" either. My sister Mel and I lived with my dad, a single bachelor, at the time and I swear I survived on 4 items my entire 7th & 8th grades: Tombstone Pizza, Mac-N-Cheese, Snickers and Pepsi. It's a wonder I'm alive today really. Come to think of it, I might need to hit up a Tombstone sometime in my near future....

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HALLELUJAH!

OK....I am a huge chocolate lover....I mean HUGE! And I recently discovered a new favorite....(*insert Hallelujah Chorus here*)


That's right....Peppermint Hershey Kisses. They are the BOMB!!!! Though they are perfect just by themselves, I am already imagining chopping them up and putting chunks of them into sugar cookies with possible sugar sprinkles on top....or maybe with cream cheese frosting...who knows? You just gotta check 'em out. They are AH-MAY-ZING!!!

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Near Death By Croissant

Every Thursday morning Karrie and I have a women's Bible Study that meets at my house. Usually we get something to munch on with our coffee and tea however, thanks to our dear friend Lisa, this morning we were treated to home made croissants! Lisa is a professional pastry chef and let me tell you something, that woman can make a mean croissant! She brought almond, cream cheese and my personal favorite...chocolate!

I can't tell you the last time I had a good croissant...I mean like melt in your mouth, send you to a heavenly place type of croissant. I think the last good croissant I had was in New York City at La Petite Boulangerie like 9 years ago? THAT, my friend, is WAY too long to wait!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am very passionate about food. I LOVE food! I love to taste it, to look at it, prepare it, describe it and when I find GOOD food I never forget it. But when it comes to eating it, sometimes I have a hard time stopping!

I'm not shy. I dug right into those chocolate puppies. They were THE BEST croissants I have ever put in my mouth. I mean, the perfect buttery dough that's just barely uncooked on the inside and flaky crust on the outside. Just the right amount of chocolate to dough ratio....they were pure deliciousness! Therein lies the problem: I couldn't stop eating them! After the first one I sat there contemplating, "Should I have another? No...I should not have another one. But I want another one....I should definitely NOT have another one. OK...I'll have another one!" I'll be honest, the second one was just as good as the first. I was totally in my happy place....I was also extremely full...like....tub O' butter, full.

As a rule I don't count calories. I love good, fattening food. I cook with butter and I don't like anything "low fat". Never the less, I jokingly threw out, "I wonder how many calories are in those suckers?" Lisa then informed me there are approximately 1200-1500 calories in each croissant....give or take. Holy Crap! You mean I just ate 3000 calories in one sitting? Three thousand!!! That's like two whole days worth of calories in one meal! (one extraordinary meal, I might add) but still...WOW!

A few hours later, about 1:00 in the afternoon, the effects of the butter/sugar buzz combo started to wear off and I actually felt a little woosy. I really felt light-headed! I guess I didn't realize the sheer magnitude of butter floating around in my system. I've also never eaten enough sugar to make me feel drugged, but I guess I discovered my limit this morning. So I decided I'd better eat some "actual" food before I slipped into a croissant induced coma. I quickly made myself a grilled cheese sandwich. (I know, I'm a picture of health. Don't judge.) It may not have been the healthiest choice but it slowly started to make me feel better. Slowly....

By dinner I was...OK? I still didn't feel like eating much but we had a friend over and Scott wanted dessert. So I managed to top off the evening with a bowl of berry pie and ice cream. Again, don't judge.

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Cookie Debacle

The night before Halloween I attempted to make some cut sugar cookies. I say attempted because they turned out to be the worst looking cookies I have ever made in my life! I bought some of those dough logs and rolled them out and cut out cool shapes of bats, spiders, pumpkins and ghosts. Sounds easy enough right? WRONG! They would look all pretty in the oven, but as soon as I took them out they would completely flatten out like a thin sheet of paper! What the heck?!?! Then, what looked like a cute little ghost going in would come out looking like a deformed blob of cookie guts coming out! It was so frustrating! I finally gave up on cutting them into shapes and just cut the suckers in lame little circles...that also melted into oblivion. I then bedalzzed them with sprinkles and sugar crystals and wah-lah! crappy looking cookies made better! (I think sugar crystals can make anything taste better) They tasted fine....they just looked awful. Next year I'm going store bought!

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