Adventures in baking...

It's been quite sometime since I last had a cupcake.  So when I decided to make them for this past weekend's Easter dinner with my family, I was a bit concerned that my husband would find me on the floor of the kitchen, overdosed on batter with icing all over my face and a death grip on the spatula.  Thank goodness that didn't happen!  (I cleaned up before he found me.)  No, just kidding.  But I did manage to make cupcakes without licking the bowl.  I can tell your mouth is hanging open from shock.  But it's the truth!  Pinky promise. 

My goal was to make something super fun for the kids (My sister's boyfirend has two of the most adorable children ever born and they were joining us for the weekend.) that everyone else could enjoy too and that I would not want to devour at every turn.  Enter the bunny cupcakes!  They have marshmallow ears and cheeks (I'm not a fan of the plain marshmallow.  Melt those bad boys in some butter and put them on some Rice Krispies and we have a whole new ballgame), M&M's for their eyes and nose (I'm not a huge chocolate person so they are easy to give up), and the whiskers were made from some kind of rope candy that Steven loves (not my fave!).  Plus the cupcakes themselves were made from confetti cake mix--my least favorite! 
Now did any of that stop me from eating one?  Well, no.  But I did only eat one and I picked all the stuff off the top.  And one was enough. 

Even though I ate one I was still proud of the restraint I used while baking.  That's hard stuff!  I used to be a severe grazer.  Whenever I cooked, I ate.  Before I could even eat my meal I was already full from all the things I had been picking at while I was making it.  Granted, taste-testing certain things is a must.  You have to sip your tea before you finish to make sure it's good.  Anything with an assortment of spices needs a little try to see if it needs a little more of this or that.  But everything you make?  No.  No, I'm serious.  Really.  You know what a cupcake tastes like and there is no guess work in making it.  The recipe is on the box, people.  And don't even try to tell me you make yours from scratch.  No one does that by Paula Deen--in fact my bunnies were her recipe but I used cake mix and pre-made icing.  

I do know that batter tastes better than a cupcake--this is also true of cookies--but I no longer see the need to eat more batter than cake (or much cake at all, for that matter).  If you need a quick fix, find a small spoon.  I don't know that I could go cold turkey on cookie dough.  It's a tragic addiction that I am sure will plague me for the rest of my days.  But that's why I don't have any in my house.  Can't eat it if it's not there.  

But if you bought me some...
Come on, just a little bit...
I won't tell...