Vanilla Bean Latte Cupcakes with Mocha-Vanilla Swirled Buttercream.

Happy National Vanilla Cupcake Day! It's totally a thing.

Earlier this year I made the softest, fluffiest, most very-vanilla cupcakes ever from cupcake batter spiked with real vanilla beans. These cupcakes had me dreaming of wedding cake, with their light, delicate vanilla flavor all while still being perfectly sweet and rich (... or maybe it was their peanut butter cup centers!). Either way, they instantly became my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe... and made me fall in love all over again with simple, classic vanilla cake.

They also got me hooked on baking with vanilla beans. I've even started making my own vanilla extract!

Those black specks... it's pure vanilla love. 

To celebrate Vanilla Cupcake Day (P.S. October 18th was National Chocolate Cupcake Day. Did you celebrate?) I baked a batch of my favorite vanilla bean cupcakes with a coffee-shop twist inspired by one of my favorite cold, blustery fall afternoon pick-me-ups: Starbucks' vanilla lattes.

Is there anything more comforting than vanilla, hot milk, and dark, rich espresso on a cold November day?

The answer is yes: cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate.

The answer is also cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate AND vanilla and espresso. 

And we're celebrating today by putting it all together in a cupcake. 

These cupcakes are made up of three easy, irresistible parts: 

1. Vanilla bean cupcake batter.

2. A swirl of cinnamon-sugar and espresso powder.

3. And my favorite vanilla buttercream, divided in half. One half is left pure, rich vanilla, one half is spiked with chocolate and coffee and then both are swirled together. It's even easier than it sounds! A medium bowl, a tablespoon of cocoa powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of espresso powder. Easily one of these best frostings I've ever licked off a spoon.

Optional/totally not optional: a fat chocolate-covered espresso bean on top.

1. Baking these cupcakes couldn't be easier. The cupcake batter comes together in minutes and is packed full of rich vanilla flavor. And it's no wonder! They're spiked with vanilla beans, vanilla extract, AND vanilla yogurt. Triple vanilla flavor = one rich, perfectly-vanilla cupcake. 

2. Next, the cake batter is spooned into cupcake liners and sprinkled with a teaspoon a cinnamon-sugar-espresso mixture. Without the smallest addition of espresso powder, these might have baked into snickerdoodle cupcakes or coffee cake cupcakes. Just the smallest spoonful of espresso and vanilla bean latte cakes are happening.

Tip: Don't completely cover the espresso-sugar layer with cupcake batter. Those sugary edges peeking out will bubble up with cinnamon-coffee goodness when baking. This is totally a thing you want. Also, be sure to only fill the liners 3/4 of the way full... they will rise when baking!

You can't even imagine what my apartment smelled like while these were baking. Like cinnamon-sugar, buttery, crumbly coffee cake, snickerdoodle blondies, wedding cake, and strong, freshly-brewed coffee.      

3. And we're not done! I couldn't decide whether to top these with vanilla frosting or mocha frosting... so I made both! I used my standard vanilla buttercream (the same frosting that tops my Cut-Out Sugar Cookies), spiked half with espresso & cocoa powder, and then swirled them both together using a Wilton #1M piping tip and the same method as my three-tone chocolate cupcakes. 

I frosted another one of my favorite cupcakes like this too: my chocolate-vanilla-swirled Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cupcakes. If you haven't tried those yet, then I think it's just best if we make November 11th National Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cupcake Day. 

Vanilla Bean Latte Cupcakes with Vanilla-Mocha Buttercream

Printable Recipe

Cupcakes

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt (or sour cream)
3/4 cup milk
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean

Espresso Swirl

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder 

Vanilla-Mocha Frosting 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups powdered sugar 

2-4 tablespoons milk 

1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners and set aside.

Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 

Melt. Melt the butter in the microwave in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar until combined. Stir in the egg whites, vanilla yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract. 

Vanilla bean. Using a sharp knife, cut one vanilla bean in half length-wise, from top to bottom. Gently scrape the seeds from the whole bean into cupcake batter. Whisk until combined, making sure to break up any vanilla seed clumps if necessary.

Make your cupcake batter. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until smooth and no lumps remain. 

Cinnamon & spice. In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder. Set aside. 

Scoop. Fill cupcake liners a scoop with batter, about 1/3 of the way full (tip: use a cookie scoop!). Sprinkle a teaspoon of the espresso-sugar over the batter, then scoop cupcake batter over the top until liners are 3/4 of the way full.

Bake. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake tests clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting. 

Frost. To make the frosting, beat butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 2 tablespoons of milk; beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Add additional milk until desired piping consistency. 

Make it mocha!  Transfer half the frosting to a small bowl and stir in espresso powder and cocoa.  

Swirl. To frost, place each frosting in a separate piping bag. Place both bags together in one piping bag fitted with a Wilton #1M piping tip. Top each cupcake with swirls of frosting and a chocolate-covered espresso bean. For more help on piping with two-tone frostings, see this post.   

Source: Adapted from my Vanilla Bean Cupcakes, originally adapted from The Cupcake Project. 

Brown Butter Oatmeal S'mores Cookie Cups w/ Graham Cracker Frosting.

These cookie cups combine just about everything I love: s'mores, brown butter, swirls of frosting, crushed graham crackers, all things cupcake-shaped, bite-size marshmallows (that taste like Lucky Charms!), and all the flavors of my favorite soft, chewy, love-inspiring chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.

No... really. Love-inspiring. Because this is a s'mores/cupcake twist (go with it!) on the "I Want to Marry You" cookies. You know... just one of the best cookies I've ever made. Totally not a big deal/put them in your life already!

Basically: we're combining oatmeal cookies, s'mores, and cupcakes today. We're making cookie cups!

Cookie cups = thick, chewy cookies pretending to be cupcakes. They're totally a thing.

Reasons to bake these oatmeal cookie cups immediately...

❤ Brown butter. Obviously. See the golden specks? That nutty, caramel flavor pairs perfectly with the oatmeal, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and crushed graham crackers in an unbelievable way. It's a meant-to-be situation.

❤ I know. It's hard to get excited about an oatmeal cookie when there's brownie-swirled mint chip cookies and cake batter cookies and in the world, but these aren't just oatmeal cookies baked up in a muffin pan, pretending to be lazy day cupcakes. They're also packed with s'mores flavor.

❤ Chocolate. White chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate chips, because I'm indecisive, and mini chocolate chips sprinkled on top because... well, because they're cute.

❤ Crushed graham crackers. I replaced 1/2 cup of the oatmeal that would normally go into these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with 1/2 cup of finely crushed graham crackers (in s'mores math, that's just 4 sheets of grahams). Oh man. This was such a good decision. I'd had my doubts about combining oatmeal cookies with s'mores, but not anymore.

Next stop: actually smashing an oatmeal cookie between two graham crackers, a square of chocolate, and a perfectly burnt marshmallow. Try and stop me.

❤ Still not done! Have you tried these teeny, tiny marshmallow bits yet?

They taste exactly like Lucky Charms. And these sugary, vanilla bite-size morsels are both baked into these cookies and sprinkled on top. Because... do it. They're like marshmallow sprinkles... and I love everything about those words.

❤ Nothing could be easier than pressing fat scoops of cookie dough into a muffin pan.

❤ And look how thick they bake up!

❤ Graham cracker cream cheese frosting. Sugary, cream cheese frosting + crushed graham crackers. I can't even.

Honestly, this is probably the only bulletpoint I needed on this list of reasons to bake these. Of everything that went into these cookies, as adorable as I thought the mini marshmallows and chocolate bits looked sprinkled on top, this frosting got the biggest reaction from my cookie-tester.

... and then I was told in no uncertain terms that it needed to immediately be put on top some kind of chocolate cake. 

❤ And finally... two-bite cookie cupcakes are just infinitely cuter than regular scooped-and-baked cookies. Fact.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal S'mores Cookie Cups

Printable Recipe

Cookies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned and cooled
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers (about 4 sheets of crackers)
1/2 cup vanilla Jet Puffed Mallow Bits
1 cup chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup semisweet chips & 1/2 cup white chocolate chips)

Graham Cracker Frosting
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups crushed finely crushed graham crackers
Mini chocolate chips & Jet Puffed Mallow Bits for sprinkling

First, brown the butter by melting it in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until golden brown (for more information on browning butter click here). Pour browned butter into a small bowl and place in the refrigerator until cooled. 

When butter is cooled, place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together with the sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until smooth and fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, oats, and crushed graham crackers. Add all at once to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. 

Stir in the marshmallow bits and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. Chill dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a regular-sized muffin pan with baking spray. Scoop two heaping tablespoons of cookie dough into each muffin cup and gently press down (cups should be filled about 2/3 of the way).

Bake for 15 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden. The cookie centers will appear under-done and gooey, but will set as they cool. Remove from oven and immediately run a knife around the edges so they'll be easier to remove when cool. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat the softened butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Mix in the vanilla extract, then beat at high speed until the desired consistency (Too thick? Add a tablespoon at a time of milk. Not thick enough? Add 1/4 cup more of powdered sugar. Too sweet? Add a pinch more of salt.) Fold in the crushed graham crackers.

Scoop frosting into a ziploc bag, snip off the end, and pipe frosting swirls on top of the cups (I used a Wilton #1M piping tipe). Sprinkle with marshmallow bits and mini chocolate chips.

Keep cookie cups refrigerated.

Makes 16 cookie cups.

Source: Cookie cups a Bakergirl original recipe. Graham cracker frosting from The Cupcake Project.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles.

I think if my boyfriend had to make a list of all the things he didn't like about me, "not making the same cookies twice" would be somewhere near the top. For me, baking is kind of like reading. I love it, but unless it's mind-blowing, can't-put-it-down, literary perfection... I'm not going to read it again. I'm just not.

Chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, sugar cookies, snickerdoodles... these are the classics. I'll bake them maybe once or twice a year. They're good, but nothing I crave...  except, every so often, when the mood strikes and I'll set aside a rainy afternoon to revisit them. 

Like Twilight. Or anything really by Nicholas Sparks.

Most of my reading falls into the "that looks new and exciting." It's how I stumbled into The Hunger Games and, my new love: anything Stephanie Plum. It's a much-needed jolt from my predictable daily life. 

Like banana bread with chocolate or cookies baked in pizza pans.  

Then there's the Harry Potters and the Pride and Prejudices. The books I can't stop thinking about. Whenever I close the last page of whatever I'm reading, I run right back to thinking about them. I want them in my life again as soon as possible.

Basically these brown butter snickerdoodles fall right into that category. 

Snickerdoodles just might be my least favorite cookie, but these. THESE.

They're crispy thin, yet have these sugary, chewy centers I can't explain... except I just did. Between the brown butter and that sultry dark brown sugar, they taste like a cross between snickerdoodles and gingerbread.

Basically I ate every last one of these cookies like it was my job... including the ones I froze for "cookie trays." I did that and I am not ashamed. They are the Pride and Prejudice of Christmas cookies and, if I may be so bold, I'd just like to drop this truth here and now: brown butter in snickerdoodles = Mr. Darcy to every girl ever. Mind-blowing. Can't put it down. Perfect.

I think you know. 

Brown  Butter Snickerdoodles

Printable Recipe
  

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt (I used regular vanilla yogurt) 

For rolling cookies in: 1/2 cup granulated sugar + 3 tablespoons cinnamon 

Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk constantly until butter foams up and turns golden brown (more info on browning butter here). Immediately pour into a small bowl and allow to cool for several minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixture, beat the cooled brown butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients slowly until just combined. 

Chill dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick baking spray. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar with 3 tablespoons cinnamon. 

Roll dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon balls. Roll in cinnamon-sugar, place on baking sheet 2-inches apart, and flatten slightly. 

Bake for 8-11 minutes or until cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven. Bake longer if you like crispier cookies. Cool cookies for two minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: Ambitious Kitchen, featured on Tasty Kitchen.

Pumpkin Spice S'mores Cracker Candy.

Remember a couple summers ago when I made graham cracker s'mores candy? 

You know... chocolate and marshmallows melted over a layer of bubbling caramel and graham crackers?

It's been my summer 2012 go-to, last-minute, I've-been-at-the-beach-all-day recipe. Wait, we're going to a barbeque where? You said I'm bringing what? Tonight? 

Give me just one second. I need some graham crackers.

   

Well, this is that recipe... hunkered down for fall.

Graham crackers become cinnamon-sugar grahams.

Marshmallows become orange, pumpkin-shaped pumpkin spice mallows.

And white chocolate chips and toasted pecans replace the handfuls of Hershey milk chocolate squares and chocolate chips. 

Basically buttery, brown sugar, caramel-y goodness.  All in a pan, all for you.

P.S. Should I be worried that most of my favorite holiday recipes involve crackers? 

This.

This is what November tastes like.

It's pumpkin spice meets pre-game bonfires meets cinnamon-sugar s'mores, all together, during Revenge commerical breaks, in under twenty minutes. 

Seriously, these are so easy. If have butter and graham crackers, you're halfway there. 

If you have a new apartment, no kitchen table, no place to sit, one baking sheet, one spoon, and one pot holder, you're also halfway there. In case you were wondering.

Pumpkin Spice S'mores Cracker Candy

Printable Recipe 

12 sheets of cinnamon graham crackers

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 (8 ounce) package pumpkin spice marshmallows

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1 cup toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang over the ends, and spray foil with cooking spray. Line graham crackers up on the foil so that the sides are touching.

Toast pecans for 4-5 minutes on a baking sheet (I used a metal pie pan). Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and mixture comes just to a boil (about 4-6 minutes). Remove from heat and pour evenly over crackers. Bake 5 to 6 minutes, or until bubbly.

Remove pan from oven and immediately sprinkle marshmallows, white chocolate chips, and toasted pecans over the crackers. 

Return pan to oven for another 2-3 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to soften and puff up. 

Cool completely before serving. Lift from pan using foil edges; cut into bars and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from my graham cracker s'mores candy, originally from Stefanie's Cooking Spot.

Cinnamon Pumpkin Spice Kiss Blossoms.

I literally do not have my act together.

I made these thick, sugary cinnamon kiss cookies in September. Then a whole cluster of real life situations happened. 

Like... I went to a wedding. 

A wedding in a beautiful vineyard where maybe I learned that if you drink several glasses of crisp, sweet champagne on an empty stomach there's a good chance that you'll end up barefooted in a muddy vineyard plucking fat purple grapes off the vines and declaring them, "SERIOUSLY THESE ARE THE BEST GRAPES EVER."

Hypothetically.

I signed a lease on an apartment with my boyfriend. We move in next Wednesday. In nine days. I'm not stress-eating candy corn. I'm not.

I'm not. 

I totally am.

There were football games. Lots of them. Real ones. You know, the kind where you sit in the bleachers and try to understand what a tight end is... while secretly pretending you're at a Quidditch match.

There was a sand and sun-filled week in Hawaii where I did absolutely nothing but nap by the pool, tuck flowers in my hair, and order mai tais for breakfast. 

And now there are pumpkin patches and Christmas trees in the world. It's October. I bought Christmas ornaments today. When did summer end? Is it Halloween? Is it winter? What, what are we doing for Thanksgiving?  

Whatever. Let's just make cinnamon cookies.

Pumpkin spice kisses. Have you put these in your life?

These little orange morsels taste like fall. Like October and November-times.

You know: pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, white chocolate. Fall things. 

These chewy cinnamon cookies are crazy good. The first batch around I made them like so: Plain cookies. Stick a kiss in it. Honestly, I'm not trying to make things complicated around here.

... but then the kisses melted and mistakes were made. 

They ended up looking like little orange Sorting Hats.

So I swirled the melted kisses and made it fancy and totally on purpose.

But something was missing.

Oh yes. More sugar.

Can I share some secrets? 

Freeze the Kisses. 

Roll everything in sugar. 

Yes, this is totally breakfast.

And always, always drink less champagne. 

... unless you're moving in nine days. Then do your thing and pass the candy corn.

Cinnamon Pumpkin Spice Kiss Blossoms

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1-3 tablespoons milk, if dough is crumbly
1 package Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Kisses
1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling cookies in

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Unwrap pumpkin spice Kisses and place them in a small bowl in the freezer until ready to use. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a bowl for rolling cookies in; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Gradually add in small batches to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined. If dough is crumbly and not coming together, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until dough forms.

Scoop dough into 1 tablespoon-sized balls, roll in sugar, and place on baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until done.

Remove from oven, flatten just slightly with the back of a spatula (if you want them less pillow-y) and allow to cool three minutes. Gently push a frozen pumpkin spice kiss into the center. The Kisses will get shiny and start to melt after a few minutes... at this point I popped the whole baking sheet into the freezer until the chocolate set to keep that traditional-looking blossom cookies...

... or you can let the Kisses melt and swirl the melted chocolate with a toothpick for a pretty marbled effect like this.

Or both! Definitely do both.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies. 

Source: Barely adapted from Sprinkle Some Sunshine.