(a/k/a What the heck was I thinking? cupcakes)
I read about this recipe on a blog Claire shared on Facebook, Bakerella. The idea was so wickedly cute that I could hardly stand it : Cupcake Buns, Brownie Burgers, and Cookie Fries.
The blog suggested use of box mixes, and I was happy to comply. I spread the project over two days... okay, three days. Day one - bake a box of brownies. Day two - bake yellow cupcakes and roll out sugar cookies. Day three - assemble and decorate.
Making the sugar cookie "fries" was the biggest challenge. I used refrigerated dough and rolled it with a rolling pin, but it was so hot and humid in my kitchen that the dough was sticking. So I calmed down, stuck the partially rolled dough in the freezer, had a drink, and revisited the task once the cool evening air moved in. It was tough to cut the dough into fry-like strips, and I did end up slicing the cookies once they came out of the oven. Had I known I'd end up slicing them in the end, I probably wouldn't have pulled out so many hairs in the process.
Matt was a dear and helped me bake the cupcakes. Decorating was fun - dusting the "buns" with sesame seeds, cutting "burgers" with a cookie cutter, strategically placing "mustard" and "lettuce" - but once again a challenge in a warm summer kitchen. The tops of the "buns" slid to the sides, and the frosting began to run from the tops. I kept my cool and worked on through to the end, putting the plated cupcakes in the fridge to keep from melting.
Hard work? Absolutely. But it was worth it for all the ooohs, aaahs, and smiles in the end.
Now that I'm back at home with new kitchen appliances (including a convection oven), I'll be on to testing some other recipes before too long. Aloha!
