Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Cupcakes

When I told my son that we were having noodle cupcakes for lunch, he was super excited:  "Noodle cupcakes!!  Noodle cupcakes!!" he repeated again and again.  All noodles are the same to my son at this point (there is one exception to this, which I'll detail below), so I didn't bother specifying that they were butternut squash mac and cheese cupcakes. 

Winterfresh Cupcakes Made with Mastic and Lime

It's nearly midnight and you are ready to move in for that New Year's kiss.  Your palms start to sweat as you realize that you've eaten one too many Cool Ranch Doritos.  You need to do something about your breath, pronto. Sure, there's always a breath mint, but why not solve your breath debacle with a cupcake?! You reach for a winterfresh cupcake made with mastic and lime and enjoy every bite (see What Is Mastic if you you have no idea what mastic is). You mouth feels fresh and tingly, but you want to be sure.  You cup your palm over your mouth and exhale.  Phew, you smell like a pine forest. 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Happy New Year!!  You lean in with no fear.

What is Mastic?

Mastic is a resin extracted from the trunk of the mastic tree.  The mastic drips out of the mastic tree trunk as if the tree were crying - so the resin is called mastic tears.  Although mastic starts as a liquid, it hardens to the yellowish crystals shown above.  Just like Champagne can only be called Champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France, true mastic must come from a specific location - the Chios island of Greece. 

How Is Mastic Used?

Cupcake Project Featured on Today.com for National Cupcake Day

Happy National Cupcake Day - the holiday for cupcake lovers everywhere!  Although I don't demand presents, I got the second best present* I could have asked for "today": my honey baked ham cupcakes are featured on Today.com! 

I am totally honored to be in such incredible company in the article.  Also featured are cupcakes from America's Test Kitchen, Food and Wine, Giada De Laurentiis, Cupcakes Take the Cake, and Katherine and Sophie Kallinis, the bakers of Georgetown Cupcakes, stars of TLC’s “DC Cupcakes” and authors of “The Cupcake Diaries.”  Thanks to Today for making my day!

Did you get any presents for National Cupcake Day?

*Why second best?  The best would have been if I were actually on The Today Show (TV vs. the blog).  Maybe that will be my present next year.  I'll ask Cupcake Klaus real nicely.

Chocolate Gingerbread Fudge

Gingerbread men (make that boys) with their red candy buttons and innocent smiles are cute treats for kids.  When they grow up, gingerbread boys become smooth, dark chocolate gingerbread fudge. They are a bit less sugary sweet, but they still win you over with the allure of their ginger, cinnamon and clove cologne. They're not softies on the outside, but when you go in for the kiss, they melt in your mouth. 

This weekend I'll be attending a girls-only solstice-themed birthday party with a fudge contest.  Not that it matters who wins (umm, whatever), but I hope the ladies agree that chocolate gingerbread fudge is where it's at.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes

I've made gingerbread cupcakes before, but this month for my guest contributor post on Paula Deen, I wanted to take gingerbread cupcakes to the next level.  I added chocolate, a splash of coffee, and a bold, ginger orange glaze - and ended up with an unforgettable, sophisticated holiday cupcake.

I totally fell in love with the handmade paper gingerbread toppers from Etsy seller LOVE2STAMP4U.  If you'd rather use edible toppers, these chocolate gingerbread cupcakes would be adorable topped with real gingerbread men or homemade gingersnap cookies.

Ready to bake? Head over to Paula Deen's website for the chocolate gingerbread cupcake recipe!

Dear Santa, I Want a Cupcake Cruise

'Tis the season for dropping hints about what you might want as a holiday gift.  Now's the time to tell someone who loves you about the Cupcake Cruise.

The Cupcake Cruise is bound to be a joyous cupcake love fest!  It's a seven day cruise to the Bahamas (from August 19-26, 2012) for cupcake bakers, authors, enthusiasts, and eaters.  You'll get to meet and learn from cupcake superstars like Cupcakes Take the Cake editors Nichelle Stephens and Rachel Kramer Bussel, Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, New York Times bestselling authors of Hello, Cupcake! and What’s New, Cupcake?, Baked bakery owners Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, authors of the cookbooks Baked and Baked Explorations, and Allison and Matt Robicelli of Brooklyn's Robicellis.

Am I Going On the Cupcake Cruise?

Clearly, the cupcake cruise would totally float my boat.  However, I'm not yet sure if I'll be able to go.  But... you can help.  If you decide to set sail for cupcakes, please mention Cupcake Project when booking your room.  If 15 cabins are booked through this blog, my husband and I get to sail for free. If I go and you are in one of those 15 cabins, you will be my bestest cruise friend. I will seek you out and hug you, let you pick my cupcake brain as we lay on deck chairs basking in the sun, and declare your greatness on the blog.

How to Book Your Cupcake Cruise

1. Go to cupcakecruise.com for more information.
2. When you book, tell the agent that you heard about the cruise through Cupcake Project.
3. Leave a comment here letting me know that you booked so that I can double-check their list.

Hope to see you at sea!

Cupcakes are Vegetables? Congress Says Yes

WASHINGTON — Congress wants to add cupcakes to school lunch lines, fighting back against an Obama administration proposal to make school lunches healthier.

A new bill would allow any cupcake, regardless of fat content, to be counted as a vegetable, as long as it has a small sprinkling of dried greens on top of the frosting. USDA had wanted to prevent that.

Bakeries around the country, the sugar industry, and kids everywhere requested the change, and some conservatives in Congress say the federal government shouldn't be telling children what to eat.

Cinnamon Sugar Kale Chips - Easy and Addictive

Cinnamon sugar kale chips audibly crackle when you first bite into them.  Then, they silently dissolve in your mouth, leaving behind a fresh green flavor and a smidgen of sweetness.  Throw kale chips in a bowl for a quick, easy snack or use kale chips for something crazy like topping cupcakes.  Don't hesitate to eat as many kale chips as you'd like, as often as you'd like - they're entirely guilt-free.

Buy more kale than you think you'll want.  You'll be happy you did.

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Kale Chips