maple cupcake bites

 

happy weekend! let's kick it off with some cupcakes, eh? i call these a 'cupcake bite' because they are more like a cross between a cupcake and a two bite blondie. a little denser & more buttery then a traditional cupcake, but still loaded with buttercream! i topped it off with red & white (ok, as red as i could get the frosting without being too pink) frosting complete with a red polka dot flag. how celebratory is that for #canada150? i originally wanted to make the flags in the shape of maple leafs, but everytime i try to cut out or draw a maple leaf shape it never goes over well. lastly, i made these guys in a vitamix! that's right. it was so easy to whip (er blend) up! you basically just toss all the ingredients into the blender & voila a cupcake batter. stay cool this weekend friends! it is FINALLY supposed to be a hot one.

ingredients

(makes two dozen cupcake bites)

for the cake

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole milk

for the frosting

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups icing sugar, or to taste
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • red food colouring
  • red sprinkles

directions

for the cake

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in the vitamix (or a stand mixer) add the butter & sugar. blend until mixture is light & fluffy.
  • add in the maple syrup, eggs & vanilla extract. blend until well incorporated.
  • sift in the flour, baking powder & salt. pulse mixture while slowly incorporating the milk.
  • once the mix is fully added, blend for an additional 60 seconds.
  • divide batter evenly between 24 greased cupcake tins.
  • bake for 15 minutes, or until the cupcakes bounce back to touch.
  • let cupcakes cool while you prepare the frosting.

for the frosting

  • beat butter, icing sugar, maple syrup & vanilla extract until fluffy. about 5-8 minutes.
  • divide frosting between two bowls. leave one white & add the red food colouring to the other until desired red colour is reached.
  • add frosting to a piping bag one scoop at a time, alternating between each colour until full.
  • pipe cupcakes as desired. sprinkle with red sprinkles & top with a handmade flag!

chickpea chocolate chip blondies + global pulse day round up

 

happy global pulse day!!! i am celebrating over a big bowl of kale & white bean soup that i made live on NOM last night. it has been so cold, rainy & miserable here so i couldn't think of anything better then a comforting pot of soup to enjoy all week long! i am also sharing the recipe for chickpea chocolate chip blondies & rounding up ALL my favourite recipes i have made for the blog that include different types of pulses. yes, you heard that correctly... chickpea blondies! i actually can't even count how many times i have made these (& eaten the entire batch in one sitting, but it is healthy, so that's okay.. i think). they are so good & while they might not taste exactly like a traditional blondie they are good in a whole other way.

since it is safe to assume all our resolutions this month include eating healthier, these recipes will make that super easy. incase you aren't familiar with "pulses" they include various beans, peas & lentils that appear in all sorts of food that you eat! chickpeas, chickpea flour, yellow & green split peas, lentils, beans & so on. why should we eat pulses aside from all the delicious foods we make out of them? (i had to include TWO hummus recipes in this round up because who isn't obsessed with hummus) because they are good for us of course! working with pulse canada over the last year, i have been fortunate enough to learn about all the benefits pulses give us. they are the future of better nutrition & health, good for the planet, versatile & affordable AND my fellow canadian's we are one of the world's largest producers of pulses! this means they are pretty easy to get your hands on, canadian or not.

anyways, i hope you take the pulse pledge with me this year (click here to take the pledge or go to pulsepledge.com) & add pulses to your diet. just think, you can make a different flavoured hummus EVERY week or a cozy pot of chili for the cold winter days. below is a recipe link to some of my favourite pulse recipes as well as the new recipe for chickpea blondies!

xo

pulse recipe round up

1. split pea pesto spaghetti- a summer inspired dish made with split pea pesto & roasted peppers.

2. garlic hummus- a classic hummus flavoured with a touch of garlic. serve with warm pita or sliced veggies!

3. roasted balsamic chickpea salad- a vegetarian salad where roasted balsamic chickpeas become the main source of protien. tossed in a honey balsamic dijon vinaigrette.

4. black bean + turkey chili- my go to winter dish, turkey chili! you can substitute the black beans for any type of bean & the turkey for any ground meat. this dish is loaded with flavour.

5. roasted beet, onion & garlic hummus- my pretty in pink hummus that was a huge hit this month! it features roasted beets, garlic & onion. i serve it with harvest snaps which are a healthy split pea snack!

chickpea chocolate chip blondies

ingredients

  • 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed throughly
  • 1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar (can substitute raw, brown or white sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (milk or dark)

directions

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees & line a 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
  • in a blender add the chickpeas, peanut butter, coconut sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, baking powder & baking soda. pulse until mixture is smooth.
  • fold in chocolate chips & spread mixture evenly into the baking dish.
  • bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges turn a golden brown.