Star Surprise Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, 2 cups sugar, cocoa, 1 teaspoon salt and baking soda. Stir in oil, water, vinegar and vanilla until blended. Pour mixture into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
• To make the filling: In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop a heaping teaspoonful of the cream cheese mixture into each cupcake. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Allow to cool.

Steps:

• In 1-quart saucepan, melt sweet baking chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently. Place waxed paper on cookie sheet. Spread melted chocolate in 8-inch square on waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Remove chocolate from refrigerator; let stand until room temperature. Cut with cookie cutters of desired shapes and sizes. Refrigerate until ready to place on cupcakes. Carefully peel cutouts from waxed paper, handling as little as possible. Dip half of each cutout into melted white baking chocolate; refrigerate until set.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Line 36 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups. In large bowl, beat all remaining ingredients except frosting with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter into muffin cups, filling each 1/2 full.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Spread with frosting. Garnish with chocolate cutouts.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, buttermilk, oil and vanilla until blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to egg mixture until blended., Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the milk, water and vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth., Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or resealable plastic bag; insert a small star tip. Fill bag with frosting. Push tip 1 in. into center of cupcake and fill with frosting just until top of cake begins to crack. Pipe frosting over the tops.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 2 dozen mini-cupcake pans with paper cupcake liners and spray with oil spray.
• For the crust: In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the hazelnuts, brown sugar and gingersnaps, and pulse until a medium-fine paste. Then, add the butter and liqueur, and pulse until it's a paste that sticks when pinched with your fingers. Place 1 tablespoon of the crust into the prepared pans.
• For the cupcakes: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the extracts. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until combined after each addition. Fold in the caramel pieces with a rubber spatula. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the prepared pans three-quarters of the way full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 11 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans when cool to the touch.
• For the butterscotch glaze: In a saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, evaporated milk and butter, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and allow to slightly cool (it will thicken as it cools). Reserve for assembly.
• For the frosting: In the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt together until lightened and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the confectioners' sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the caramel sauce, heavy cream and vanilla bean paste. Beat on medium-high speed until light and airy and completely mixed, about 2 minutes). Place in a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip and leave at room temperature.
• For the stars: Lay out a large piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet on your work surface and spray with oil spray. In a medium saucepan, mix the granulated sugar, salt and 3/4 cup water; stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves to make a syrup. Increase the heat and bring the syrup to a boil. Lower the heat slightly and swirl the pan once or twice so the syrup colors evenly to a golden blonde. Remove from the heat and transfer to a flat work surface. Dip the tines of a fork into the golden blonde colored caramel and, in sweeping motions, make a star pattern on the parchment paper. Repeat until the desired amount of stars is achieved. Allow the caramel to harden, and then gently lift off the parchment paper and reserve for cupcake adornments.
• To assemble: Dip the tops of the cooled cupcakes in the room temperature butterscotch glaze. Pipe the caramel buttercream frosting in a 1-inch diameter rosette on top of the glazed cupcakes, and sprinkle with edible star glitter and turbinado sugar. Then finish by adorning with a radiating star topper.

Steps:

• Cream sugar and cream cheese together.
• Beat in egg.
• Stir in chocolate chips; set aside.
• Prepare cake mix according to directions on box.
• Place paper baking cups into a muffin tin.
• Fill paper bake cups 2/3 full.
• Drop one rounded teaspoon of cheese mixture into each cup.
• Bake according to directions on cake mix box.