Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes

I have been wanting to make these cupcakes for soooo loooong. Since, like, this summer. It's been months.

Now that I've finally gotten around to it, I can say that they are one of my new favorite recipes. My favorite part of a cupcake has always been what goes on top, and these cupcakes are definitely top-heavy. They have a filling (cherry pie), glaze (Coke and powdered sugar), and frosting (lightly sweetened whipped cream). Not to mention the optional cherry on top!

I also noticed that the cake in these cupcakes was some of the best. It has a pretty mild flavor (kind of like Red Velvet, but with a more Coke-y hint), but it's very, very moist and soft.

Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes (recipe from Brown Eyed Baker)
yield: 12-14 cupcakes

the cupcakes
1 1/2 c flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 c buttermilk
3/4 c Coke (only need 1 can--even the 90-calorie cans have enough, not diet)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 can cherry pie filling (I used a 21-oz can and had about 1/3 of it left over)

the glaze
3/4 c powdered sugar
2 tbsp Coke

the frosting
1 c heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp powdered sugar
maraschino cherries, for garnish


1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a standard muffin pan with papers.

2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. (Comments of a lazy/under-equipped college student: just throw 'em all together in a bowl and kinda mix it with a fork. It just fits into a cereal bowl.)

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar and butter and beat on medium-high until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beating for an additional minute. In a large mixing cup or small bowl, combine the buttermilk, Coke and vanilla extract. (Make sure you wait for the foam to go down when measuring the Coke and don't worry if your mixture looks curdled when you add the buttermilk.)

4. Beginning with the flour mixture, add in 4 parts to the butter mixture, alternating with the Coke mixture. Beat each addition just until incorporated. Give the final mixture a good mix with a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins. (I didn't want to overfill them, so I ended up baking 14 cupcakes.)

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched lightly and a toothpick (or fork, if you don't have a toothpick) inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (Alternatively, you can let them cool for 30 seconds in the pan, prise them out with a fork, put them on a plate, and stick it in the freezer. Less ideal but much faster.)

6. Fill the Cupcakes: Once cooled, use a paring knife (which I take to mean "whatever knife you can find in the kitchen") to cut out a cone shape in the middle of each cupcake. Add a spoonful of cherry mixture (2 to 3 cherries) to the well. (I shot for 3 cherries in each cupcake, and they were kind of overfilled.)

7. Glaze the Cupcakes: In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and coke. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes to thicken. It should drip off of a soon very slowly. Using a small offset spatula (or, you know, spoon), drizzle a little of the glaze onto the middle of each cupcake and then gently spread it over the top. (If you are a time management genius like me, you could prepare the glaze before you fill the cupcakes, letting it thicken while you try to stuff cherries down a hole in a small cake.)

If, like mine, your cupcakes were overfilled with cherries, you might end up with something that looks like this.  It's okay, though, because there's still the frosting to cover it all up.

8. Frost the Cupcakes: Beat the heavy whipping cream in a chilled bowl (if you are going to be waiting on your bowl to chill between the glazing and the frosting, you might want to put your cupcakes in the fridge) with whisk attachment (or hand mixer), beginning on low speed. Once the cream gets frothy begin adding the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, increasing speed as the cream comes together until you reach medium-high speed. Whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks (if you dip a spoon in it, the whipped cream should stay on the spoon when you turn it upside down). Pipe (or drop with spoon) the whipped cream onto cupcakes as desired and top with maraschino cherries for garnish.

Brownie Cookies

I honestly don't remember where I found this recipe, but it's been several years. It's definitely one of my favorites!

The refrigerated dough

Pre-bake

My very pro assistant, Emily

NOTE: These are undercooked. I pulled them out too early. Your cookies should NOT be shiny when you pull them out of the oven.

Brownie Cookies
1 package brownie mix (for the big pan--not the 8x8 pan)
1 1/4 c flour
1/4 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
2-3 tbsp cold water
1 c chocolate chips

1. Whisk together flour, brownie mix, and brown sugar.
2. Stir in eggs one at a time, followed by butter and water.
3. Fold in chocolate chunks.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a cookie sheet.
6. Drop heaping tablespoons and bake for 8-10 minutes.
7. Cool for 2 minutes on sheet before moving.

A few notes about this recipe:

• It's okay if you're butter isn't completely cooled. I usually melt it before I start on anything else and then stick it in the freezer while I work. It's still warm by the time I get to everything else, but it's no harm done. If you melt it without cooling it at all, you might run into a little trouble with your chocolate chips getting too melty.
• Don't use a mixer. This dough is way, way too thick for that.
• These cookies are pretty much done when the top of the cookies is no longer shiny-looking. In my experience, it takes about 11 minutes, but every oven is different.