Is it a pie or a cupcake?

Happy Memorial Day! When it comes to Memorial Day cookouts, the food possibilities are endless. My mixer and I could have whipped up many delicious dishes, but I had some people to impress with my culinary skills. I decided to stick with something that is tried and true. You guessed it...cupcakes! But these weren't going to be just any cupcakes. They are cupcakes that look like berry pies! Perfect for a start of summer cookout.

First, I found a delicious vanilla cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart. The recipe makes 24-30 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla


Mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt until combined. Add the butter until coated. The only adjustment I made was for the cake flour because I didn't have any. I used a little over 1 cup of regular flour, and 3 Tbsp. cornstarch.

Whisk wet ingredients together, then add to the dry mix in 3 parts.

Bake at 325 for 17-20 minutes.

Next - the surprise on the inside! This really makes it taste like a pie. I put some frozen berries on the stove, added sugar and cornstarch to make the berry filling.
Now it is cupcake filling time!

 

Time to decorate!

Making the icing look like pie crust.




Mini berry pies in the making! Cover the cupcake with a thin layer of icing.
Cover the top of the cupcake with M & M's. Lattice icing over the top to look like the top of the pie.
The outside crust is made with a star tip.

2 Dozen Cupcakes!



I ran out of M & M's, so I made some picnic ants on the grass. Simply put a few drops of green food coloring in a bag with coconut to make the grass. Then use brown M & Ms or other large brown candy to make the ants.

 Needless to say, my filled cupcakes again were a hit (and hopefully impressed some people)! Everyone thought they were adorable and love the fruit surprise in the center! But now it's bathing suit season. I think I need to lay off the cupcakes and make something healthier next time!