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Champagne Cranberry Cupcake Recipe

dessertsSheri SpalloneComment
Champagne Cranberry Cupcake Recipe

Champagne Cranberry Cupcake Recipe

Cook Time:  15-18 minutes

Prep Time:  15 minutes

(*Note- sugared cranberries will need to be made the day before)

Hello beautiful!

Boy, do I have a sweet treat for you today, Champagne Cranberry Cupcakes! Fluffy vanilla/orange cupcakes stuffed with Cherchies® Cranberry Preserves With Champagne, topped with a swirly twirly cloud of vanilla buttercream icing and garnished with a sugared cranberry. Decadent, delightful, and fabulous for the holidays!

I always look for deliciously innovative recipes to share using our products, but I have yet to make CUPCAKES filled with preserves. We have had preserves in our product line for years, and I didn't think about it? Oh well, sometimes it takes me a while:) 

Unlike those who bury themselves in a good novel (I still love a good book), I put my nerd on and read cookbooks at the end of the day. I know, it might sound silly. Is there anyone out there who reads cookbooks besides me? I love to sift through recipes and photographs, looking for inspiration, which was the case the other day! My sweet tooth must have been on overdrive because I found myself drooling over the dessert section of my cookbook when it hit me; CUPCAKES, but not any cupcakes...moist little cakes with a gooey, fruity center! What??? And there it was, my aha moment! Cherchies® Preserves or Butter Spreads in the middle of a cupcake. Since the recipe ingredients for the fruit fillings consisted o fruit, sugar, water, and cornstarch, preserves seemed like the perfect substitution. Mission accomplished! 

Well, I am a force to be reckoned with now. I am inspired to create more cupcakes to share with you. Would you like that? Even better, what if you share some cupcake (or dessert) ideas using our preserves and butter spreads, and we will post your creations? Wouldn't that be fun?

The result of my epiphany was fabulous! These scrumptious cranberry-filled cupcakes were fluffy, moist, tangy, sweet, delicious, and a must-have for your holiday entertaining! And the sugared cranberry on top is the perfect festive touch. These cupcakes will not disappoint!

Comment below if you have made these delicious cranberry-filled cupcakes.

Thank you for stopping by! Please come back and visit again.

Ingredients for cupcakes

  • 1 package yellow cake mix (we use Betty Crocker)

  • 1 package (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) vanilla

  • 4 eggs

  • zest of one orange

  • 1 jar Cherchies® Cranberry Preserves with Champagne

  • sugared cranberries (make the day before)

  • 16 oz. buttercream icing (see below)

Ingredients for Sugared Cranberries

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1 cup cranberries

  • 1/2 cup sugar

Ingredients for Buttercream Frosting

  • 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature

  • 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) almond extract

  • 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) good vanilla extract

  • 4 Tablespoons (Tbsp) half and half (milk would be fine too)

  • 1 lb. powdered sugar

Cream together shortening, butter, extracts and milk.  Gradually add powdered sugar.  Mix until blended.  Set aside.

Preparation  

Sugared Cranberries

One day before (or at least 6 hours before), make the sugared cranberries.   Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a small saucepan. Turn pan to med-high and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to low and simmer until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally.  This will be your simple syrup.  Cool for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes add the cranberries to the saucepan.  Stir to coat.  Remove the coated cranberries from the pan and spread evenly on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Allow cranberries to dry for at least 6 hours, tossing occasionally.  When cranberries have set for at least six hours, add an additional 1/2 cup of sugar to a small bowl.  In small batches, add cranberries to the bowl and gently shake to coat the cranberries and return to the baking sheet.  Cranberries will dry, leaving a candy-like outer shell, with a soft tart inside.

Preparations for cupcakes

Sift the cake mix into a medium bowl.  I used a fine mesh strainer to sift the cake mix, breaking up any clumps that were left.  Prepare the cake batter according to package directions, combining the sifted cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, vanilla, orange zest and eggs.  Mix.  Set aside.

Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.  Fill muffin tins about 2/3 full with cake batter.  Bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes, checking them at 15 minutes.   Insert a toothpick or a cake tester to check for doneness.  If toothpick or cake tester come out clean, cupcake is done.  If not, give it another minute or so until done.  You do not want to overcook the cupcakes.  Slightly under cooking is best, as the cupcakes will continue to cook when removed from the oven.

Allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack for about five minutes.  With a paring knife, cut a small "cone" in the middle of the cupcake, cutting off the end of the cone, and discarding the end.  Do this with each cupcake.  Fill each cupcake with about one spoonful (about 1 Tablespoon) of Cherchies® Cranberry Preserves.  Replace cupcake "lid" over preserves.

Replace cupcake "lid" over preserves.  Ice cupcakes with buttercream icing, using a 1M tip, or your favorite tip.  Garnish with a sugared cranberry.

Serve and enjoy!

Champagne Cranberry Cupcake Recipe

Champagne Cranberry Cupcake Recipe

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

breakfast, desserts, snacksSheri SpalloneComment
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Imagine for a moment the sweet aroma of freshly baked banana bread wafting through the air. It sounds like heaven, right?  Is your mouth watering? One of my favorite treats growing up, was my mom's banana bread, by far the best banana bread ever and now a breakfast staple in our family. 

This moist and flavorful banana bread recipe was given to my mom many years ago by a little old lady in Hawaii.  My mom's (the little old lady's) original recipe, consisted of shortening and a lot of sugar, which probably is why it was so decadent, but not practical by today's standards.  I substituted butter for the shortening and Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread for some of the sugar, and because I was feeling adventurous, I added chocolate chips. The real question, could my version compete with mom's recipe?  Only our discerning and I quote, "master taster testers" (our kiddos) would soon reveal the truth.

Hot diggity dog! (Okay I am dating myself).  My version passed with flying colors!  Moist, flavorful, just like "Grammy's," music to my ears!  I usually triple this recipe because this decadent treat disappears almost instantaneously, and freezing extra loaves extends the disappearing act by a little.  

So friends, if you are looking for your new favorite banana bread recipe, it is time put your overripe bananas to good use and make this tasty recipe today!  You will not be disappointed:)

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup Cherchies Apple Butter Spread
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) salt
  • 2 cups flour
  • 5 Tablespoons (Tbsp) *sour milk 
  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) white vinegar
  • 4 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350.  

To make the *sour milk, add 5 Tablespoons of milk to a small bowl.  Add the white vinegar to the milk, stir and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and Cherchies Apple Butter Spread together.  Then add eggs, baking soda, salt, flour and measure out 5 Tablespoons of the sour milk.  Discard the remaining sour milk.

Mash the bananas with a fork and add to the batter.  In a small bowl, mix the chocolate chips with 1 Tablespoon of flour.  This helps prevent the chips from sinking to the bottom.  Gently fold the floured chocolate chips into the banana bread batter.

For two loaves, divide the batter evenly into two greased (with cooking spray) loaf pans, or into one greased loaf pan for one loaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour or until done.   Enjoy!

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Refreshing Fruit Pizza Recipe

desserts, breakfastSheri Spallone2 Comments
Refreshing Fruit Pizza Recipe

Refreshing Fruit Pizza Recipe

This refreshing dessert pizza recipe is a new "twist" on an old classic and is the perfect recipe to take advantage of summer's glorious berries and fruits.  

Growing up, my mother occasionally made this special treat for my sister and me, using whatever fruit was available, and topped it off with a delicious marmalade glaze. (Secretly, I think she made this dessert so her daughters would eat their fruit. We were picky eaters. Clever mom, using a cookie as a disguise).  

This pretty dessert pizza recipe is easy to make; it uses whatever fruit you have on hand (canned or fresh) and is a fun family project for any occasion, any time of year. It features a sugar cookie crust, cream cheese frosting, fresh berries and fruit, and Cherchies® Fig Preserves. I have made this decadent dessert over the years with my babies, with different combinations, and it was a hit every time. Now that my babies are in college, they still like to bake with mom. :) They recently made this dessert for Memorial Day and arranged the strawberries and blueberries to resemble an American flag, but the decorating options are endless. We finished the dessert pizza with a glaze using our Fig Preserves, amping up Mom's original recipe. I did not have time to photograph their creation because it didn't last long.

Are you ready to try this tasty dessert pizza recipe? It is easy and flavorful; it is fun to make and can be made any time of year in whatever design you desire, using whatever fruit is available. 

Thank you for visiting! Stop back again for more tasty recipes!

Comment below if you have made this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg. (16.5 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough

  • 1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese softened

  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) vanilla

  • 4 cups assorted fruit (blueberries, strawberries, kiwi)

  • 1/4 cup Cherchies® Fig Preserves (you could substitute your favorite preserves or marmalade)

  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) water

Preparation

Heat oven to 375.  Line a 12-inch pizza pan (or any kid of round sheet) with foil; spray with cooking spray. Press cookie dough into pan to completely cover pan.  

Bake 14 minutes, or until golden brown.  Cool completely.  Invert cookie onto plate.  Gently remove foil. Turn crust over onto plate.  

Meanwhile, while cookie pizza is baking, mix together the cream cheese and the powdered sugar and vanilla, and spread cream cheese mixture onto entire cooled cookie.  Now the fun begins...

Then load up the pizza with whatever fruit makes you happy.  In this case, I used kiwis, strawberries, and blueberries.  My mother’s recipe called for mandarin oranges, but for some reason my children don’t like them (silly kids).  If I had had Clementine’s on hand, I would have used them.

Arrange the fruit onto the pizza.  The possibilities are endless.  This is a great family or kid’s party activity.  How fun would it be to arrange the fruit into a face?

Wait for it...

Now the "piece de resistance", the glaze!  Mix the Cherchies Fig Preserves with the water, and drizzle over the pizza...

Yummy goodness!  Dig in:)

 

 

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Homemade Pop Tarts Recipe

breakfast, snacks, dessertsSheri SpalloneComment
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Happy Valentine's Day, friends! Last year, I posted a recipe for Homemade Toaster Strudels. This morning, before the kiddos went to school, I surprised my favorite valentines with sweet, tasty, fruity, homemade Valentine Pop-Tarts. Sweets for my sweeties:) Needless to say, Mom prevailed a hero (a great way to start the day).

I used the same idea as the Toaster Strudels, except this time, I substituted refrigerated pie dough to emulate the Pop-Tarts sold in grocery stores (our kiddos love, but I am not a fan). Yes, I certainly could have made the pie dough from scratch, but considering school mornings are crazy enough, I opted for grocery store refrigerated pie dough.

Since February is Cherry month (didn't know that did you?), I decided to go with our Cherry Butter for the filling (but any of our Butter Spreads or **Preserves (see below) could be used in this recipe).  And, because it is Valentine's Day, I went the extra step and used large heart-shaped cookie cutters to seal the deal.  These "Pop-Tarts" were delicious by themselves, and adding gooey icing and sprinkles made these semi-homemade "Pop-Tarts" irresistible! Hands down, these homemade Pop-Tarts are far better than the grocery store versions and are our children's new favorite. Try our homemade version today. You may never go back to store-bought Pop-Tarts again.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thank you for visiting. Comment below if you have tried this recipe and if you have pictures to share.

Ingredients

  • 2 rolls of room temperature refrigerated pie dough

  • Cherchies® Cherry Butter (or could substitute Cherchies® Strawberry Butter, or Cherchies® Apple Butter, or any of our **delicious preserves, mixed with 1 Tablespoon of corn starch).

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

  • 1 Tablespoon (or more depending on consistency) heavy cream

  • 1 or two drops of food coloring (I actually used 1 Tablespoon of additional Cherry Butter in the icing in lieu of food coloring)

  • 1 large heart-shaped cookie cutter- Approx. 4 1/2 inches in diameter (optional)

  • Sprinkles (optional)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly flour your prep surface.  Roll out the dough over the counter or prep surface. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes.  If making simple Pop Tarts (not using cookie cutters, cut off rounded ends of pie dough, and cut pie dough into rectangles).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Add about 1-2 Tablespoons (depending on size of cookie cutter) with Cherchies® Cherry Butter Spread to the center of the dough, making sure to leave at least 1/2 inch around the perimeter of the dough for sealing.

Place another piece of dough gently over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal the tart.  Seal well to keep the tasty fruit inside from seeping out. 

Brush the egg over the entire tart, and bake in the oven until the tarts are golden brown.  Allow to cool slightly before icing the tarts.  

While tarts are baking, mix the icing.  In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and food coloring (in my case, I used the Cherry Butter to color the icing).  If icing is too thick, add a couple drops of heavy cream at a time to thin the icing.  Icing should slightly ooze off the spoon.  While tarts are still warm, scoop a large spoonful of icing and drizzle it over the pop tarts.  If desired, add sprinkles and watch them disappear!  

Enjoy!

Homemade Pop Tarts Recipe

 

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