Orange Cranberry Cupcakes

Orange Cranberry Cupcakes - 

Convert your favorite vanilla cupcake into a holiday explosion by adding diced cranberries, orange extract, freshly grated orange zest and a dash of cloves ... 

Top with vanilla cream cheese icing and a sugar coated cranberry to finish into a mouthwatering dessert!

Where did Thanksgiving Go?

What is Thanksgiving to You?

• Turkey and gravy ...
• Family and friends ...
• Football ...
• Sweet potato casserole ...
• Stuffing ...
• Pie ...

As a child I remember the stores promoting turkeys, pies, family, and gathering for dinner long before they put up a single Christmas decoration. We enjoyed the holiday and relished it instead of trying to skip it to the bigger sales ticket experience.

Family dinner was important then, good food and thoughts of thanks. As was the traditional family football game we lovingly called the "Toilet Bowl."

Now, Christmas promotions begin before Halloween, and it's not uncommon to see a brightly decorated tree next to zombies and skeletons.

Yeah, that gets me in the spirit ...

I have noticed a growing trend on FB of people giving daily thanks and that's been encouraging - and inspiring! The retailers may have forgotten to enjoy one holiday at a time, but the spirit of Thanksgiving still appears to be strong among individuals.

So tell me, what's your favorite Thanksgiving tradition or dish?

WIN Matching Aprons or a Flirty Cupcake T!

Sweet Mercy! wants to give gifts for Christmas, but we can't give them to everyone, so here's the deal ... Earn entries via this rafflecopter giveaway and you could get matching mother & daughter aprons or a flirty cupcake T, just in time for Christmas! 

You have a chance to win up to 20 entries, so what are you waiting for? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Easy links to the Sweet Mercy Top 5 Cookbooks for extra entries via the giveaway link above.

Breakfast Cookie Link

Chocolate Chip Cookie Link

Granola Bar Recipes Link

Please note, that when leaving reviews on the cookbooks, they should be honest, real reviews.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 15oz can pumpkin puree
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 large eggs
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 425. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Combine pumpkin, spice, sugar, oil and eggs. Mix until well blended. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again.

Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Add to wet mixture and combine. Scrape sides of the bowl and mix again. Add chocolate chips and mix one last time.

Scoop into paper liners until about 3/4 full. I use a large scooper, size 16.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until set.

Blueberry Pie Almond Milk Ice Cream

Ice Cream:
6 cups Silk Vanilla Almond Milk*
1 small pkg vanilla pudding

Combine and put in ice cream maker. Freeze according to mfg directions. While it's freezing, make the blueberry glaze and crumb crust.
*MUST  be sweetened, not the unsweetened vanilla

Blueberry Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly until it boils, reduce the heat and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and place in the fridge to cool.

Crumb Crust:
2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and spread on parchment-lined pan. Press together like a crust. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and crumble.

When the ice cream is done, scoop it into a large bowl. Add the blueberry mixture and the crumbs and stir until incorporated. Freeze until ready to serve.

If you want to double the blueberry glaze recipe, you can top the ice cream with blueberries as shown.

What is Maltitol Syrup?

Maltitol is an all-natural sugar alcohol that's similar in taste and use to corn syrup. One big difference? Compare Maltitol's 35 calories per 1/4 cup to corn syrup's 260 calories.

But that's not the only substitution Maltitol is good for. Check out the following comparisons per 1/4 cup:

Honey - 240 calories
Agave - 240 calories
Corn Syrup - 260 calories
Sugar - 184 calories
Maltitol - 35 calories

Of course, some of the sweeteners will have distinctive tastes, like honey or agave, that will be missing, but so will up to 225 calories. The low calorie count is just one benefit of Maltitol syrup. 

Other benefits include:
  -Does not promote tooth decay
  -Does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels
  -Also comes in powdered form
  -Excellent for use in candies
  -Maintains taste & consistency when heated
  -No artificial chemicals
  -No unpleasant aftertaste

But there are warnings to keep in mind:
  -Maltitol in high doses can have a slight laxative effect

We stumbled onto Maltitol when a family member was diagnosed with diabetes and we've found it very easy to work with and we love the taste! We started to substitute it for anything that called for corn syrup or honey and we've been pleased every time.

Try substituting it in the next recipe you try that calls for corn syrup and see if you can tell the difference.

For more information about Maltitol, check out this site.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

When working around whey allergies, you have to be creative, so when we heard about ice cream made with coconut milk, we had to try it out. 

The results? Indulgent 

...    if you like coconut.

There is a strong coconut taste - since it's made with coconut milk, but it's not overwhelming. It's also sweet and creamy and delicious! So versatile too! Try adding any fruit, candy, etc. to this as you make it to customize it to your taste!

So creamy good and yet so healthy and easy!

2 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cups strawberries
1/3 cup honey

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy. Put in all an ice cream maker and allow to mix according to your mixer's directions until done. 


Try not to moan out loud as you eat!

...    actually, go ahead and moan. In fact, squeal like a little girl and get a second helping.

Brownie Batter Pancakes

Brownie Batter Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup European-style baking cocoa

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup oil or applesauce

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup Silk vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup water

Whisk all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry to the wet ingredients and combine until smooth. 

Pour onto hot griddle (gently sprayed with oil) and cook until top dulls. Flip and cook on the opposite side until done.

Serve with powdered sugar, chocolate powdered sugar, or chocolate syrup. Delicious with sliced strawberries and a dallop of whipped cream!

Chocolate Powdered Sugar: 1 cup powdered sugar + 1 Tbsp European-style baking cocoa blended together.

Help! I've got Jagged Edges!

Smoothing out the Edges ...

 

Real roses don't have jagged edges and neither should your frosting roses, but sometimes that's exactly how they turn out. There is help. Below is a checklist when your roses get a little edgy...

1. Use buttercream icing at a stiff consistency. The Wilton Buttercream Icing Recipe is a great one for roses.
2. Make sure you're using steady pressure on the bag.
3. Keep your bag at a 45 degree angle while piping the petals.
4. Make sure your icing isn't too cold.
5. It's possible the icing is too dry. Add drops of milk to the icing to moisten it SLIGHTLY. Adding too much will make the petals limp.
6. Air bubbles will cause this. Try not to mix your icing too much. If it's air bubbles, you can slap the icing with a wooden spoon to push some of the air out.
7. The narrow end of the tip could be too small. Widen a tiny bit with a butter knife.
8. Try adding 1/4 tsp of piping gel to the icing to give it more elasticity.
9. Most of all, practice, practice, practice...

Have questions? Need help with a baking problem? Email contact@mysweetmercy.com and we'll do our best to give you the right answer, or at least our version of it. :)

Printable Breakfast Cookie Recipe Card

Chocolate Chip Cherry Breakfast Cookies

We love breakfast cookies - and we've found another that's become a favorite! Try and your kids will never want to skip breakfast again.

Chocolate Chip Cherry Breakfast Cookies

1/2 cup almond flour

1/12 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flax meal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Combine all the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl. We used our Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment. Cream well. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add chocolate chips and cherries. Mix.

Drop by Tablespoons or #50 cookie scooper onto a parchment-lined pan. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 or until lightly browned. Cool and devour! If you have more self-restraint, you can place in an airtight bowl and save for morning. :)

For our Top 5 Breakfast Cookies,

CLICK HERE

Pinteresting Recipes

We love finding new recipes on Pinterest! We've even found some we absolutely love, like this Deep Dark Chocolate Cookie.

This was just as good as the picture looked, as easy as the recipe described ... mine turned out a little flatter than the original picture but we believe it's because our egg whites had not sat out long enough to get to room temperature. 

Letting egg whites warm, does help them get fluffier and whip better. We knew this, but were too impatient to try these!

We followed the recipe pretty closely, only where she reduced the powdered sugar, we used the full amount, 2 cups in the cookies and 1/2 cup to roll the cookies in before baking. We also used parchment paper instead of spraying the pan with oil. We use parchment with almost all our baking!

The recipe:
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 large egg whites, room temp.
2 1/2 cup pwd sugar
1/2 cup cocoa pwd - we use European style. It's darker and richer. 
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

Please check out the original posting for a great description of how to make these cookies along with pictures for each step! 

They've even got it printable ...

Divine Baking Cookie Recipe

Other Pinterest Favorites - Tried and Tested by Sweet Mercy!:
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes
Black Bean Brownies
Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars - Incredible!!!
Chocolate Crepes - We fill these with bananas and top with chocolate syrup :)

Is Genius Created by Chocolate?

A new study reports that the number of Nobel Peace Prize winners per country is directly related to the amount of chocolate consumed in that country as a whole. 

In short, chocolate makes you smart, turns you into a genius. 

Really?

It has something to do with the flavanols - the substance that reverses or slows down the effects of aging on the brain. 

Does that mean chocolate will make you feel younger too?

I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and double my intake for scientific research.

But while I'm improving my mind, how about my body? 

Strawberries have antioxidant properties, are an anti-inflammatory, are known to fight against cancer, can decrease eye-diseases, have Vitamin C for a healthy immune system and help to maintain proper bone structure.

So, research indicates that if I eat dark chocolate covered strawberries every day, not only do I increase my chances of winning a Nobel Peace Price, but I reduce the risk of cancer.

I'm going to test the theory. I'll get back to you. :)

Chocolate Genius Article

Strawberry Health Benefits Article

Photo courtesy of Luigi Diamanti via freedigitalphotos.net

The Best Homemade Fondant

After experimenting with store-bought fondant and numerous homemade fondants, we've found our favorite and it's so simple to make!  It holds well and can be tinted any color. 16 oz marshmallow cream 6-8 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla We use a bread hook in our Kitchen Aid to start this, or don vinyl gloves and mix by hand. It takes a bit of work to mix it all together, but when it comes together, it's a great feeling and working fondant. To keep it from sticking, use a tiny bit of shortening on your work surface. If you're having trouble getting the consistency you want from your fondant, add more powdered sugar or if it's too stiff, try a little corn syrup and work it in until mixed. The best way I've found to roll fondant or work it is to place it on a sheet of thick, clear vinyl, like the vinyl that can be purchased at fabric stores as table coverings. It makes the finished fondant smooth and easy to lift off the work surface.  For fun ideas for fondant, check out this website. They've got the cutest cupcakes I've ever seen!

Granola Bar Recipes to Drool Over

Like chocolate, double chocolate with chocolate chips and chewy goodness interlaced with oats and easy prep?

Yeah. Me too.

Love peanut butter with chewy goodness, lavishly sprinkled with chocolate pieces in a quick no-bake way? 

Thought so. 

What about blueberries, pomegranates and oats in a refreshingly fresh baked bar?

Oh, yes, now the drooling begins.

Get Sweet Mercy's Top 5 Favorite Granola Bar Recipes for only .99 on Amazon.

Buy Now

Nostalgia in Lemon Tea Cakes

My husband always raved about the tea cakes his mama used to make. It was an old recipe, something handed down and down ... I couldn't find anything even close to the recipe until I found a book about living in the 1800s and this peculiar recipe for tea cakes inside. I made a few minor adjustments, added lemon and he nearly melted as he took his first bite. I nailed it, his mama's lemon tea cakes. This has since become a favorite with our children, friends and extended family. Try them.

Lemon Tea Cakes

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 1/4 cup flour

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp lemon extract

Cream butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Inside-out Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Sweet Mercy's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are divine and easy to make. Simply dump the ingredients into a bowl, mix and drop by tablespoons (#50 cookie scooper) into a mini cupcake pan to bake. 

When finished, remove the cupcake pan, press the tops down about 1/4" to create a cup shape and fill with Nutella while warm. 

They look complicated, but they're simple, and they taste heavenly! 

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 Tbsp milk

1 jar Nutella

Follow the above directions and bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 12 min. 

Gluten-Free Chocolate Breakfast Muffins

Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Breakfast Muffins

2 cups oat flour

3 eggs

1/2 cup baking cocoa*

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup hot water

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cream all liquids. In a separate bowl except for water, whisk together all dry ingredients except for chocolate chips. Combine and both with hot water and blend together until smooth. Add half of the chocolate chips.

This batter will be very runny but that's how it's supposed to be. Line or spray 12 jumbo muffin tin cups and fill evenly with the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 17 minutes. Carefully open oven door and pull out the rack. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top of the muffins and bake another 5 minutes or until firm and a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached. So yummy! 

Make the night before for an indulgent breakfast ...

*1/2 cup based on European-style baking cocoa. Regular baking cocoa may not produce a dark enough chocolate. If needed, increase baking cocoa to 3/4 cup.

Your Ultimate Sweet Indulgence

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