Val’s just reminded me I’ve got muffin mix sitting in my pantry somewhere waiting to be baked. Tsk tsk, busy days, maybe this weekend .

1. I passed Costco and saw gas at $2.84 and have had Costco on the brain since. Share a cupcake, muffin or cookie recipe.

This is a recipe I dug out of my recipe collection. I’m not sure where it came from, and I’ve not tried it myself. But this should be fun to do for Halloween .

Cocoa Cobweb Cupcakes

• ½ stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the icing:

• 2½ to 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• black food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with paper muffin cups.

2. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; put aside.

3. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Then add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk.

4. Spoon into muffin pan, filling each cup to two-thirds full. Bake 16-20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature.

5. To make the icing, place egg whites in a bowl. Beat until soft peaks form.

6. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and orange juice and continue to beat until thick and shiny. The icing should spread easily. If too thick, add more orange juice. If too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar.

7. Transfer one-third of the icing to a small bowl and add black food coloring. Spoon icing into a pastry bag fitted with a tip, or pour it into a plastic squeeze bottle.

8. To ice the cupcakes and make the cobwebs, spread the white icing on the cupcake with a butter knife. Pipe a spiral of dark icing from the center to the outer edge.

Then, drag a sharp knife point from the center of the spiral to the edge of the cupcake. Wipe the knife clean, move about ½ inch and drag the knife in the opposite direction from the outer edge to the middle. Continue working around the cupcake until you’re happy with your cobweb.

#2. Cupcakes, muffins and cookies require something to drink. What do you drink with them?
I’d have to say coffee.

#3. Which do you prefer, mini muffins and cupcakes or full sized ones?
It’s been ages since I had a muffin or cupcake. I suppose I could eat a full-sized one but the mini ones are so cute, I loved making them for my kids when they were little.

#4. What type of muffin or cupcake pan do you use? Silicone, disposable, etc.
I use the metal ones and line them with paper cups.

Wanna play Four Foods on Friday? Come join us. Head over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

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