Wednesday, August 11, 2010

A book cover celebration with cupcakes!

Hats off to the Berkley Prime Crime
cover artists! I just got the cover art
for cupcake bakery mystery number
two and I love it!!! (Note the lovely
cover blurb by our own Krista --
Thanks, blog buddy)!



Although, it won't be released until January,
I wanted to celebrate and what better way
than to bake a batch of cupcakes. The recipe
I'm
going share is one of the many to be
included in the upcoming book and
it's the one that inspired the cover
art.





So without further ado, I give you...

Kiss Me Cupcakes!

A mint chocolate
chip cupcake with
red and white
swirled mint
buttercream icing
and a big Hersey’s
Kiss planted in the
middle.






Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 tspns baking powder
1/8 tspn salt
1 tspn peppermint extract
1/2 cup milk
1 stick butter, softened
1 cupc sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup chocolate chips
1 bag Hersey's Kisses

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda
and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and
sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with
each addition, then stir in the peppermint extract. Add the flour mixture
alternately with the milk, beat well. Add the chocoalte chips after dusting
them with flour to keep them from sinking while baking. Bake for 15-17
minutes. Makes 16.


Peppermint Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 tspn peppermint extract
4 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons milk


Directions:

In a large bowl, cream the butter and the extract. Gradually add the
sugar, beating well on medium speed. Add milk and continue mixing
until frosting is light and fluffy. Divide in half into separate bowls.
Use red food coloring to dye one half of the frosting red. To decorate
the top of the cupcake use a pastry bag with a star tip and working
from the center of the cupcake to the edge, pipe the frosting in
alternating colors so that it resembles a hard candy.
Top with a Hersey's Kiss.


www.jennmckinlay.com


Jenn McKinlay ~
Sprinkle With Murder ~
Buttercream Bump Off

also writing as:

Lucy Lawrence ~ Stuck on Murder ~ Cut to the Corpse







Congrats to my blog buddy Cleo Coyle for

the hard copy release of ROAST MORTEM!

Way to go, Cleo!!!


20 comments:

  1. Jenn, I just licked my screen. Twice. Your new book cover is good enough to eat and your Kiss Me Cupcakes are to die for - and death by cupcake is Melanie's specialty! Thanks for the great recipe.

    Cheers!
    ~ Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  2. I am a total sucker for a great cover, and yours really draws me in. I guess it doesn't hurt that I like cupcakes as well.

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  3. LOL, Cleo! What are you doing up this late, child? Thanks for the kind words, now go to bed;-)

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  4. Pattie, are you a night owl, too? Thanks for the kind words! I love the colors on the cover
    and the title font.
    I made a batch of Mel's Moonlight Madness Cupcakes tonight. They're from Sprinkle With Murder -- it's the cupcake she makes when she can't sleep. I think I may go have to taste test another. (Chocolate cupcake, vanilla buttercream rolled in shredded coconut and topped with a Hersey's Kiss -- I do love the Hersey's Kiss!

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  5. Very pretty look... i have been assigned to make a red velvet cake for a B-day party next week... I want to steal this look and the peppermint icing taste to make an overused recipe (for me anyway) something different.

    Thanks for the idea, and The cover looks fabulous... Love the "Kill Me" candies.

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  6. Congratulations on the cover art. It is yummy-looking, definitely an eye-catcher. The recipe sounds delicious too. Cup cakes for breakfast has a nice ring too it. :)

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  7. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm! Kiss me happy. Pretty cover, delish recipe.

    ~Avery [Not up nearly as late as everyone else!]

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  8. Love the cover--particularly the "kiss me" "kill me" hearts! Yum!

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  9. Yummers! And so cute! These would be excellent on Valentines day too :)

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  10. Oh these look too good to eat ...oh what am I saying they wouldn't last 5 minutes in this house ha. The boys will want me to make these pronto. Congratulations on the cover it looks great.

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  11. Gorgeous cover, Jenn. Absolutely great! Wonderful recipe - thanks!

    Julie

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  12. I should NOT have read this before breakfast. Yum!

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  13. Delicious cupcakes, delicious cover ... Love them both!

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  14. Love the cover. Thanks for sharing the cupcake recipe. I can't wait to try them. Yummy!

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  15. LOVE the cover! Can't wait to get my hands on it! :)

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  16. CUPCAKES!!!!!!! We love cupcakes here :-) I may have to make these today along with my mom's cherished mocha frosting. Thanks for the inspiration and congrats on a great cover!!

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  17. The cupcakes look so good! Wish they were here!!!


    Carol Wong

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  18. I LOVE it! Good enough to eat! And that recipe is just as sweet. :)

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  19. The cover is wonderful! I can't wait to read the book when it comes out. :)

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