Thin Mint Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

One of my surprises for the boy this weekend was cupcakes - thin mint chocolate cupcakes. Here's the recipe. Try it. So easy.

• Buy thin mint Girl Scout cookies. If you don’t know any girl scouts selling cookies, use your smart phone cuz there’s an app for that. I used the Cookie locater app - for Androids or for IPhone users. It’s pretty cool – and was accurate. I found some Saturday evening at 5 p.m.! (And I kind of felt like a stalker afterwards.)



• Crush one sleeve into your favorite batter of chocolate cake mix – or just chocolate box cake (which is what I did).



• Bake for 15-17 minutes at 350 degrees.



• Top with cream cheese icing – out of a can or make your own.

Want to try your own? Mix room temperature cream cheese (8 oz) and unsalted butter (6 tbsp). Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Then slowly add 1 cup of powder sugar (or less if you want it to be less sweet; I usually only add 3/4 cup).

Sprinkle cupcakes with more crushed cookies ~about 2-3.

Seriously. Delish.

A lot of random thoughts tonight... or this morning

I just found some pictures of Tim and I when we first started dating. Wow, we have aged a LOT in under eight years.

I am having anxiety over our future wedding… and we’ve not even started planning it.

I've only had two types of dreams since we got engaged. I'm either being courted by other men even though I'm engaged or I'm freaking out to or about someone doing something for the wedding.

I really want to be swept off my feet.

I really want to be surprised – by one of the MANY ideas I suggest. Or a great idea that Tim actually puts thought into.

I’m still disappointed and sad about how we got engaged.

But I’m still an amazing girlfriend/fiancée/future wife to be. Today I mowed the lawn. And I really mowed it. I didn’t discover how to activate the self-pull until I had already mowed half the lawn! My 2-week-old garden boots look like they're old now.
And I baked thin mint chocolate cupcakes for him.

And I packed a pretty thoughtful care package for Tim’s trip.

It’s been two months since we got rid of the Christmas tree – and I’m still sweeping up needles.

It’s been five months since we saw Rocky Horror Picture Show – and I’m still sweeping up confetti.

He gets brownie points for buying me tulips.
I’m not used to wearing my engagement ring yet. I only wore it to the store today. The rest of the day, it was off.

I locked myself out of the house today. With no phone. The neighbors tried to help. Luckily, I found one tiny unlocked window and managed to get three panes of window opened (our windows are double paned – in addition to a screen). Arg.

I will always make sure this window is locked. Ugh.

It is so early in the morning that I can hear the birds already chirping.

Headed to bed. Good night or morning!

Summer List Update

Here is an update on my summer list.

Make fresh pasta.

• I need to go buy a pasta machine. A cheap one - and probably not a great one - costs about $30. It's worth a try, right? This one might be put on hold until further notice. The ideal situation would be for me to get a KitchenAid stand mixer and get attachments to make pasta. But that could be years down the road!

Make a REALLY pretty cupcake.

• I did get really close to this with the cupcakes I made for my sister's bachelorette party. I made red velvet cupcakes with pink cream cheese icing, topped with white whipped icing piping. I don't have pictures though! If I get some, I'll post them!

Try a recipe with an ingredient I’ve never used.

• I've used parsley this summer for the first time. I don't think I'm a fan. I also cooked with shallots - and they were incredible. I still want to try something a little more difficult though. Maybe a root here or there. I don't know. We'll see!

Use the steamer my mother bought me.

• Nope. I think I'm going to cook fish with this, but I haven't decided when yet.

Go out dancing in a fabulous outfit.

• I've gone out dancing twice already! But not in a fabulous outfit. I think I will just go ahead and say I can mark this one off though. Don't think fabulous and dancing will ever work out. I don't think I can stand wearing 4 to 6 inch heels that long!

Use the backyard for something – anything!

• I finally treated the backyard for mosquitos so we need to do something ASAP. Ugh. Maybe I'll go out there and read tomorrow or this weekend...

Find a new recipe to make a chocolate cake from scratch. The last one I made was just OK.

• Nope, not yet.

Summer List

If you can’t tell, I like lists. So here’s another list – list of things I’d like to do before the end of summer.

• Make fresh pasta.
• Make a REALLY pretty cupcake.
• Try a recipe with an ingredient I’ve never used.
• Use the steamer my mother bought me.
• Go out dancing in a fabulous outfit.
• Use the backyard for something – anything!
• Find a new recipe to make a chocolate cake from scratch. The last one I made was just OK.

Three thoughts

One/

How is it that I JUST discovered Cupcake Wars? I decided to record a few episodes this week and so far, I’m obsessed. It has taken me two episodes to get used to the format, because unlike other cooking competition shows I watch (like Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, etc), the competitors change each episode. It’s truly inspiring to see how chefs have infused unusual flavors into their cakes! I hope I’ll get to bake again soon because I’d love to try some of the things these people are doing.

Two/