Tag Archives: 4th of July

4th of July Cheesecake Cupcakes

Posted on by Laurie

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An easy to make, fancy treat for the upcoming holiday!

Cheesecake Cupcakes

makes 12

12 Oreo cookies or Oreo Golden cookies

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

2/3 c. granulated white sugar

1/4 c. sour cream

2 lg. eggs

1 T. + 1 t. fresh lemon juice

2 t. vanilla or almond extract

whipped cream for topping

fresh strawberries, raspberries and/or blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin papers. Place one cookie in the bottom of each muffin paper.  (The cookies will be a little smaller than the bottom of the muffin cups, but they puff out during baking.)

2. Using a large food processor or an electric mixer, process or beat cream cheese and sugar until perfect smooth. Add sour cream and process or beat until well blended. Add eggs, lemon juice, and extract. Process or beat until well blended and perfectly smooth. Divide cheesecake batter between muffin cups, filling until almost full.

3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until puffy and set in the middle. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. (The cupcakes will sink in the middle as they cool.) Once completely cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

4. When ready to serve, lift cupcakes out of pan, remove muffin papers, top with whipped cream and fruit. Enjoy!

Notes: The cheesecake batter is the same batter that I use for my Miniature Cheesecakes in Confectionately Yours. Either recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen until shortly before serving, then decorated at the last minute.

Getting Ready for the 4th: Wild Blueberry Cupcakes

Posted on by Laurie

I have very fond memories of the 4th of July from growing up. Every year the town – think very small town, here – would have a parade, followed by a variety show on the town beach, then fireworks over the lake. It was really something to look forward to. Even though I now live 1,800 miles from where I grew up, I still try to make the holiday special.

Wild Blueberry Cupcakes

makes 24

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (stir before measuring)

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 c. unsalted butter, softened

2 c. granulated white sugar

4 lg. eggs

1 1/2 t. lemon extract

1 c. whole milk

3/4 c. dried wild blueberries*

* If the blueberries seem hard, then place them in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over berries. Cover bowl with a plate. Let sit for 15 minutes, then drain well. Liquid can be reserved for another use.

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 standard muffin cups with muffin papers or foils.

(2) Place flour in a medium bowl. Whisk in baking powder and salt. Set aside.

(3) Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time and then lemon extract. Scrape down sides as needed.

(4) Gradually beat 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the milk, 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the milk, then the remaining 1/3 of the flour into butter mixture.  Fold in berries.

(5) Carefully scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Once done, place on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups and allow to cool completely before frosting. Decorate with your favorite lemon, almond, vanilla or cream cheese frosting recipe or with Nicole’s 2-Step Buttercream.

Nicole’s 2-Step Buttercream

requires a large food processor and a stand mixer

1 lb. unsalted butter, completely softened

5 c. confectioner’s sugar

3 c. heavy whipping cream

2 t. vanilla extract

1 t. almond extract

(1) Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a large food processor. Start to combine. While food processor is running, add cream and extracts. Process until completely smooth. You may need to pause your food processor now and then.

(2) Once completely smooth, transfer to a large stand mixer and beat until fluffy and white.

Thanks, Nicole, for letting me share your recipe!

Rosy-Fingered Dawn: Downtown Manhattan, Kansas 5:30 a.m.

Posted on by Laurie

A few weeks ago I posted sunset photos from a recent trip to the Adirondacks. That motivated me to try to get some sunset or sunrise photos from here in Manhattan. I took these pictures about one block away from the B & B, before making breakfast. It was a peaceful morning. My goal now is to get out to some different locations over the summer to get more photos from the bookends of the day. If you look carefully at the bottom two photos, you can see American flags lining Poyntz Avenue and in the window of the mall at the end of the street. The city has put these out in preparation for the 4th of July.

It is going to be a lovely day!