I've had a pretty interesting last 7 months out in Colorado. I've had the opportunity to meet some pretty awesome people who have taken me out on some pretty sweet adventures. I've been to a Lumberjack celebration, my first real concert at Red Rocks, a sweet bike race in Steamboat, an epic 13 mile hike up Pikes for Brain injury awareness, and my first night hike just to name a few. I really am blessed to be in the midst of the best years of my life and have good people around me. Or as my new roommate likes to call them, The Crew.
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| 1st night hike |
Last week I was invited to a friend's Thanksgiving, formally known as "Skanksgiving". Lucky for us, there was nothing skanky there. Anyways, I decided I was going to make a cupcake for the occasion and wanted to try something savory. I spent some time scouring the internet before realizing there wasn't going to be much help out there.
I settled for a butternut squash cupcake from Vanilla Garlic but when I got to the store, I switched gears completely and decided I was going to try something weird.
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| At the end of the night a min stuffing cupcake was born |
Savory Cupcake
1 C flour
1/2 C savory herb stuffing mix
1 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
8 Tbls (1 stick) butter (room temperature)
1/2 C sour cream
1 egg (room temperature)
2 egg yolks (room temperature)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbls brown sugar
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line out the cupcake tin with liners. It should be noted that I am still baking in minis, so please adjust baking time accordingly.
I bought a pack of dry Stove Top stuffing and put it in a food processor until I had a fine flour. You will have more than 1/2 C so remember to measure out after getting the flour.
Combine the flour, stuffing flour, baking powder, salt, and thyme in a large mixing bowl. *Other note, next time I make these I am going to omit the salt. I felt that the stuffing flour contributed enough salt but I'll post an update after the second batch. If you have a standing mixer, toss on the paddle attachment and add the butter, sour cream, egg and yolks, vanilla, and brown sugar. If not, start to get those arms warmed up. Mix until well combine and smooth.
Divide the batter into the lined tins. Bake at 350 for about 9 minutes. AGAIN, I am using minis, so PLEASE adjust bake time accordingly. As always, test the center of the cake with a toothpick.
Savory Buttercream Frosting
1 C butter (room temperature)
3 C powdered sugar
1 Tbls Vanilla extract
2 Tbls milk/heavy cream
1 Tbls 1 tsp rubbed sage (run through food processor)
2 tsp thyme
Dried Cranberries*
Beat the butter until it begins to fluff. With mixer on a LOW speed, slowly add the powdered sugar 1/2 C at a time until incorporated. After all the sugar is added, increase the mixer speed and add the vanilla and milk/cream. Finally, add the sage and thyme. Mix and adjust seasoning to taste. You want it to be smooth, earthy, and sweet.
Frost the cupcakes and garnish with the meatiest (literally the best adjective I could use) dried cranberries you can find.
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| Meeeaty |
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| Until Next Time |
