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Friday, June 25, 2010

Free Fridays!

I'm one of those people who believe in the "healthy mind/healthy body" connection, so I don't eat a lot of refined sugars, etc...

BUT, everyone needs to have a little fun now and then, right? So I implemented "Free Fridays" at our home! WooHoo!

Each Friday I choose something decadent to make, and I allow myself to eat a serving (or two) of it. Today was so far beyond decadent...it bordered on debauchery!

I present to you...

Coconut Cupcakes!


Here's the recipe I used:

From The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten

Ingredients


* 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 2 cups sugar
* 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
* 3 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:


* 1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
* 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
* 1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

9 comments:

  1. Ooh, those look delicious! The cream cheese in the frosting sounds especially yummy.

    I like your free Friday idea. I wish I had the willpower to limit myself to splurging just one day a week. :)

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  2. Dropping by to say hi and thank you for visiting my blogs. I am happy to add your blog in my blog list. I love cooking and your recipes looks so yummy!

    Have a great weekend!

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  3. Oh my goodness those look SO good! Yummy!! And you have SUCH a cute blog!

    Welcome to my blog, dear! Thank you so much for stopping by & following! I hope that you're enjoying my posts about my travels to Italy last week! ♥

    * http://donandamanda.blogspot.com *

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  4. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!! I am now a follower of you, too:)

    Leslie

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  5. YUM!! I love coconut....and cupcakes!! Thanks for visiting my blog and following! I'm now following you with all 4 of my blogs. Stop by and visit again soon. :)

    Tree (aka Mother of Pearl)
    Mother of Pearl It Is
    Mommies Faves Top Sites and Blogs
    Go From Fat To Fab
    Button Connection by Tree

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  6. My daahhhlin daughter and I love The Barefoot Contessa! Thanks for visiting my blog! Following you, too!

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  7. I love the idea of free Friday. That would make life easier here too. You are full of ideas for me. Keep them coming. Thank you so much for stopping by. You have a great day and God Bless. I'm off to read more. Take care.

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  8. Yes so yummy looking, beautiful pic of coconut cupcakes. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
    kim

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  9. Oh I love cream cheese frosting! We do eat anything Sunday's at our house and they usually do include cupcakes or brownies and ice cream.
    Have you checked out Favorite Things (pantry edition) stop over and check it out if you have time! That Mrs. 4444 is so creative!

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