When it comes to sweet treats, I’m not one to discriminate. Especially when said treats are equally as simple as they are delicious. Over the past month I've been working with my little ones in the kitchen on their baking skills. Everything from the importance of ingredients being room temperature to making sure the butter is the right consistency. As if these beginner baking tips weren't enough, they've started to ask about where certain flavors come from or grow, I:e: vanilla. Sometimes the most unexpected questions from my kids can yield amazing results. So, what do you get when you attempt to explain where vanilla comes from? You get the yummiest vanilla bean cupcakes ever. The final product was better than I could have even imagined. Keep scrolling to see how these cupcakes turned out…

make-it Monday: vanilla bean cupcakes

active time: 25 minutes

total time: one hour

makes: 24 cupcakes

ingredients 

vanilla bean cupcakes: 

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• seeds from 1 vanilla bean (how to scrape vanilla bean seeds)
• 1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature

cream cheese frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
• 3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
• 1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

make-it

cupcakes 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.

2. In a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together.

3. In the bowl, cream butter and sugar together for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs, one at a time, until combined.

4. Add vanilla and vanilla bean seeds to milk. 

5. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until well combined. Add 1/3 of the milk and mix thoroughly. Repeat with remaining ingredients, scraping bowl as needed.

6. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

7. Cool pans completely on a wire rack.

frosting

1. In a large mixing bowl,  blend together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extracts.

2. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

3. Frost the cupcakes once cooled completely. 

4. Voila! Light-as-air vanilla bean cupcakes + cream cheese frosting! 

What kind of sweet treat would you like to see next on JamisonPearl..com?

Let my team and I know your idea in the comments!

Xo, Kassy

Saint Patrick's Day Cupcakes

Want to take your cupcakes next level? Add a topping. Or...let the kids pick the topping. In our baking scenario the little ones wanted a shamrock twist for Saint Patrick's Day, thus... enter: Lucky Charms. This detailed decorating took almost an hour (and they were silent the entire time!). It completely entertained them. So in this case: yes, these cupcakes are magically delicious!