Oh, Yum

Snicker. Doodle. Cupcakes. Um, does that sound good or what?

A friend of mine had mentioned she had recently made some and since then, it seems to be all the rage on the internet. I keep stumbling across scrumptious looking recipes. So, when I found dear ol' Martha had herself a recipe too, I just had to try. Here is the recipe via a new blog I'm quite taken with.

**Note: I halved the recipe for both the cupcakes and the frosting (I still had a ton of leftover frosting!) and I didn't worry about the cake flour or the vanilla paste. It all worked out just fine.

• Snickerdoodle Cupcakes •

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (150g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (150g) cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks, or 224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups (335g) sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 (295mL) cups milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
2 8 ounce packages (450g) cream cheese, softened
1 stick (112g) unsalted butter, softened
2 lbs. (900g) confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons *vanilla bean paste

Directions
1. Using a mixer, mix the cream cheese can butter until thoroughly combined.

2. Add the vanilla paste or extract and combine well.

3. Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.

Note: 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract or the seeds from one vanilla bean will work in place of the vanilla bean paste.