Mexican Madness

Although the last few recipes I’ve given you are super tasty and definite crowd pleasers, they haven’t been super summer-friendly. This next recipe is a citrusy, fun summer treat! I made these back in May for a Cinco de Mayo themed get together we had with Danny’s parents. As an early Mother’s Day celebration we had them over the weekend before which happened to be May 5-Cinco de Mayo. Since I love themes, we planned a delicious Mexican menu of chicken and steak fajitas with all the fixings: rice, corn, black beans, homemade guacamole, peppers and onions, salsa and lots of cheese! It was a hit! To top off our wonderful meal, I tried a new recipe: margarita cupcakes with lime buttercream frosting. They were light and refreshing and you could definitely taste a hint of the tequila. I love hosting themed parties and cooking entire menus that associate with special occasions; so, that week I had also tried a new cookie recipe in honor of Cinco de Mayo for my office: Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies. They were surprisingly tasty as well so I’ll throw that recipe in here as a bonus to this post!! Let’s get started!

MARGARITA CUPCAKES WITH LIME BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

What you’ll need for the cake:

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

3 limes, zested and juiced (this is what gives it such a refreshing flavor- grab an extra lime at the store just in case one of them doesn’t juice as much as you’d like)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk (use the real stuff here!)

2 tablespoons tequila

What you’ll need for the frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

4-5 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed

1 tablespoon tequila

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lime zest

Small lime slices or green crystal sugar for garnish, if desired

To make the cakes:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin pan with baking cup liners (look for some fun yellow and green ones at a craft store)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in lime zest, juice, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon tequila.

Put your mixer on low speed and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with flour.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups (made about 30 total). Bake 23-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and brush the other 1 tablespoon of tequila onto the top of each cupcake. Transfer cakes to a wire rack and allow cooling completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:

Cream butter in a bowl; beat until butter is fluffy. Add salt, lime juice, lime zest and tequila. Start mixing in powdered sugar one cup at a time until you have about the right consistency (I’d say 4-5 cups). You can pipe the frosting on with a decorating bag or just use an old fashioned knife or spoon. Garnish the tops of the cupcakes with small lime slices or green colored crystal sugar.

Sorry I don’t have a picture of these- they were really cute when all finished. If you try the recipe- please post a picture to share!!

ENJOY!

BONUS: MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

What you’ll need for the cookies:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (I used regular and it was just fine)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar (divided 1 1/2 and 1/4 cup)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

To make the cookies:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl as needed. Add eggs and beat to combine.

With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Form balls of dough (about a tablespoon) and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place, about 3 inches apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through (I’m not sure if this is necessary but I did it just to be sure)

Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a bit, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Another recipe I saw had you melt semi-sweet chocolate and drizzle it on top of the cookies after they cooled. These looked amazing, too but I wouldn’t suggest that if you rolled the cookies in the sugar mixture. Instead, you could mix the ingredients (cinnamon and cayenne) into the batter and then melt the chocolate on top. Just an added twist! The cookies will store for up to 10 days after making in an airtight container (and I did with mine for a week and they were great). And yes, I know I just said yesterday how I don’t much care for soft, chewy cookies but these are like a soft, chocolate snickerdoodle and I do like them. They are super yummy and great with a glass of milk or hot cocoa for an extra chocolaty treat!

ENJOY!

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