Pumpkin Spice Cupcake/Chocolate Muffins

Basic Pumpkin Cupcakes
from Sally's Baking Addiction

Makes 14 cupcakes

1 3/4 cups (220g) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 cup (100g) dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup (227g) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice until combined. 
3. In another bowl, whisk brown sugar and eggs until combined. Add in pumpkin puree, oil, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. 
4. Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. DO NOT OVERMIX.
5. Divide batter evenly into 14 cups. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Notes:

1. To make mini cupcakes, bake for 11 minutes.
2. To make chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, fold in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips.
3. To frost the cupcakes, use my ginger cream cheese frosting. 

Cranberry Panna Cotta

Cranberry Panna Cotta
Serves 2 to 4
(depends on size of your serving containers)

Cranberry Sauce
90g (1 cup) cranberries, fresh or frozen
50g (1/4 cup) water
25g (2 TBSP) brown sugar
1/8 tsp of orange blossom water

1. Add all the ingredients in small pot.
2. Bring to a boil and stir constantly over low heat for 5 minutes until a thick sauce is formed.
3. Remove from stove top and allow to cool.

Panna Cotta
40g (1/3 heaping cup) of cranberries, fresh or frozen
17g (1 1/2 TBSP) sugar
6g (1/2 TBSP) water
190g (3/4 cup + 2 TBSP) half and half
1/2 tsp powdered gelatin (Knox)

1. Mix cranberries, sugar, and water in a small pot. Over low heat, stir the cranberries for 5 minutes until all the berries have bursted and a mushy sauce is created. If some berries are still chunky, use the back of the spoon to smash it. Allow the mixture to cool in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. In the meantime, pour 1/4 cup of half and half in a bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top. Set aside.
3. In a small pot, heat rest of half and half over low heat until steaming. Stir into gelatin mixture until well combined and slowly incorporate into the cranberry mixture.

To Assemble

Find small serving dishes and put a scoop of cranberry sauce on the bottom. Next, pour panna cotta on top. It should be a ratio of 1:2 of cranberry sauce to panna cotta.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
modified from The Chew (Loren Avellirio)

Makes 12 standard cupcakes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
140g (3/4 cup) white granulated sugar
145g (1/2 cup) unsweetened applesauce
95g (1/2 cup) canola oil
1 egg
125g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
2g (1/2 tsp) baking soda
3g (1 1/2 tsp) baking powder
1g (1/4 tsp) salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
205g (1 1/2 cups) grated carrots

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. In a bowl, mix sugar, applesauce, oil, and egg.
3. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together. Slowly incorporate into wet mixture.  When combined, fold in carrots.
4. Fill cupcake liners almost to the top. Bake for 24 to 27 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Rotate pan halfway through baking.
5. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to the wire rack to cool completely.
6. When the cupcakes are completely cooled, the cupcakes are ready to be frosted. Use about 1 tablespoon of frosting per cupcake. The cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 heaping cup confectioner's sugar
4 oz (114g) cream cheese, softened
2 oz (55g) butter, softened
1 tsp ground ginger

Directions
Cream together lemon juice, sugar, cream cheese, butter, and ground ginger until light and fluffy.