Cookie Monster Day - Nov 2

November 2nd is Cookie Monster Day and here's a recipe for some very cute cupcakes.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

For cupcakes:
2 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. buttermilk, at room temperature
24 oreos, one side twisted off and reserved for frosting

For filling:
2/3 c. whipping cream
1 Tbsp powdered sugar (I just pulsed some granulated sugar in a mini food processor)
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c. oreo cookie crumbs, made from reserved oreo sides

For decoration:
1 recipe buttercream, tinted blue
1 small container of blue sugar sprinkles, place in a small bowl for dipping
white candy melts
oreos, halved with sharp knife

Directions:
-Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
-Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan.
-Place one oreo in each liner, cream side up.
-In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
-In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth.
-Gradually add the brown sugar and continue beating until fluffy.
-Beat in the vanilla.
-Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
-Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour, beating after each addition.
-Divide the batter between the prepared liners.
-Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 19 to 24 minutes.
-Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.
-Let the cupcakes cake cool completely before filling and frosting.
-Meanwhile, make filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff.
-Gently fold in the cookie crumbs.
-Scoop the mixture into a piping bag (or gallon sized Ziploc bag), and using a 1M tip, inject filling into each cupcake by sticking the tip into the middle of the cupcake and squeezing a bit.
-Frost the cupcakes with blue buttercream.
-Dip tops into blue sprinkles.
-Use white candy melts for eyes and half oreos for mouths.

Yields 24 cupcakes
Adapted from Good Things Catered

Turkey Centerpiece

Materials Needed:
Pine cones: One per turkey.
Feathers: Available at most craft, dollar or mass-merchant stores.
Felt: Any color you've got will work just fine!
Googly Eyes: One pair.
White poster board
Craft Glue
Scissors
Twigs: Optional, if you want your bird to have legs.
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks: Kids and hot glue don't mix, so make sure you do all the gluing!
Markers or crayons
Glitter

Have your kids collect some pine cones from the yard. Live in a city or in the tropics and don't have easy access to fir trees? Go to a nearby park or buy some Ponderosa pinecones online to help the founders' Girl Scout troop. (So helpful! And so much less fattening than buying their cookies!)

Plug in your hot glue gun so it's out of your kids' reach and insert a glue stick.

If you want your turkey to have legs, have your child flip the pine cone onto its side so you can hot glue on some small twigs. (She may need to make a turkey tripod and glue on three legs to get the thing to balance properly.)

Next, have your child draw a silhouette of a small turkey head and neck onto a piece of the poster board and then color it in. (If you're artistically challenged, find a picture of a turkey online or use one of the zillion turkey coloring pages your kid brings home from school in November as a guide.) She can sass it up with some glitter, if she's making a fancy turkey!

Get your kid to cut the wattle (yep, the flap of skin that looks 'like your mother-in-law's neck…oh, sorry, that was mean!) and beak out of felt.

Have her glue the felt pieces onto the head and neck cutout.

Next, have your kid stand back while you grab the hot glue gun and stick one googly eye on each side of the turkey head.

Hot glue the head and neck onto the pine cone.

Have your kid use craft glue to glue on a fan of colorful tail feathers.

If she's inspired, encourage your kid to make a turkey for every place setting. Then she can make a name card for each place setting and you can hot glue it on!

Hand her some silverware and plates when she's finished. Why not get her to set the table while she's at it?

This idea was adapted from Parents Connect