*Sweet Indulgence

My sister who lives in San Francisco sent me this photo back in April.  This isn’t unusual because pretty much anyone who knows me sends me cupcake related stuff whenever they come across it.  I have friends that rip out recipes, family members sending me articles about the cupcake trends etc. etc. No complaints.

I looked up there site immediately and despite ‘under construction’ state of the website I was already drawn in by their look.  Very clean looking and their sweets menu?  I was like they had seen into my soul!  I enjoy a steady diet of sweets and they had two of my favs, rootbeer floats and cotton candy?!  Screw cupcakes, I was hooked!

Now some people will argue that it’s not all about the look, taste is the only important measure of a good cupcake.  I would have to strongly disagree with those people. Cupcakes are everywhere.  At least on the West Coast and it you want to hook someone on your amazing mini-cakes then you need something visual that makes them stop. When I’m trying out a cupcake I really like ones that look cute AND taste great.

American Cupcake’s are a visual overload.  I’ve been there twice now and people just stand in front of the counter, unable to make a decision because they ALL look so good!  I’ve tried their red velvet, vanilla, chocolate mint and… cotton candy!  That’s right, a cotton candy cupcake.  To be honest though, not my favorite.  I did love the mini cotton candy topper, which I’ve heard they make right there on location.

Overall, I wouldn’t say the cupcakes are out of this world.  When I factor in their look, the storefront and taste I would have to say they still make into my top 5.  If you’re ever in San Francisco it is worth stopping by.  Even at night, there’s music playing and still lots of flavors to choose from.  I hope to make it there in December when I’m visiting for my birthday.  How can you not when they have a photo booth and cupcake/wine pairings??  Next time I’m planning to try the pixie stick cupcake. Nomnomnow :)

I have 5 or 6 of the cup-a-cake containers, but I just saw these today when I was out today.  For $3.95 it might be worth checking out.  Really cute, but I don’t know how well it will keep the cupcake from moving around. 

Has anyone used these before?

Cutest, cheapest and most adorable party dessert EVER!  I saw this on TasteSpotting and if you’re not familiar, then you need to check it out now!  It is a visual overload of all things yummy.  I love how you can just scan through pages of images of food. It can be narrowed through the search bar, but for those of us visual people it’s a quick way to find a recipe.

I made these several months ago for my wifey’s long overdue housewarming party. They were shown up by the classic favorite, rice krispie bars, but by then end of the evening there were only a handful left. :)

The ingredients.  Missing is the graham cracker crumbs.

Ingredients

• 2 bags of marshmallows
• 2 containers of dipping chocolate (found in the produce section of your grocery store, usually near the strawberries or bananas)
• 1 box of graham cracker crumbs (you can crush your own, but I had this on hand from making pie crust)
• 1 bag of caramel apple sticks (found in the candy making section at Michael’s)
• ribbon (optional)

Directions

I began by stabbing all my marshmallows in the center with the candy sticks.  I found it works best if you set the marshmallow on the counter and then pushed the sticks in. This seemed to help with them standing upright on their own.  

Follow the directions on the container of melting chocolates to aquire the right consistency.  I originally started dipping the entire marshmallow in chocolate, but as I quickly began running low on chocolate, I switched techniques.  I only dunked half of the marshmallows in the chocolate.  I actually like the look of this better, being able to see all three ingredients in a layered look.

After dipping them in chocolate you should immediately roll them in graham cracker crumbs.  I had poured about a cups worth in a shallow bowl.

Line up your finished product on wax paper for the chocolate to harden and there will be no risk of the chocolate sticking.  If you’re choosing to tie ribbons on the tops of the sticks, you can now begin to cut 2-3” strips.  My roommate and I tied them in a simple while the chocolate was still drying.

I made these the evening before the party, but I think that a four hour window before serving would be sufficient. 

Enjoy!