Ants on a Log Cupcakes

Ok, first things first. Thank you to everyone who entered the Keurig giveaway. Breanne from Honolulu is the winner! We got your address and your Keurig is on its way! I hope your husband enjoys it!

When Cliff and I went To Washington D.C./Virginia for my birthday last month we did a mini cupcake tour of the area. Each place we went we tried a classic cupcake flavor and then we got a “wild card.” Which was basically, in our opinion, the weirdest cupcake on the menu. One of the cupcakes we had was an “ants on a log” cupcake. We really had no idea what to expect. But it turned out to be a favorite. I knew right away that we needed to make our own version of an “ants on a log” cupcake.

First of all, everyone knows what “ants on a log” is, right? I am not sure if it is a regional thing or if everyone grew up on “ants on a log.” We went to Washington D.C. to visit our friends Amanda and Kyle. Amanda had never heard of “ants on a log” before. So, in case you don’t know, it is celery with peanut butter and raisins. I think it’s a popular snack among pre-schoolers but Kelly and I still eat them regularly.

We have made a lot of cupcakes in the past year, and I have to say this makes the top 3 for me. I loved them! I wasn’t sure how the candied celery would turn out, but it was actually pretty good! I wouldn’t eat a lot of it, but as a garnish I really liked it. We put rum in ours but if you omit the rum they would make great treats for a kid’s party. I am really excited about these cupcakes, so I hope SOMEONE tries them!

Here is what you’ll need

Cream the butter and peanut butter

Add the eggs and sugar

Add the vanilla

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients

Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mix

Add the milk

And the rest of the dry ingredients and fold in the peanut butter chips

Fill the cups 2/3 full and bake 15-20 minutes

Combine the butter and powdered sugar. Add the rum. Fold in the raisins.

Cook the celery in a water/sugar for about 10 minutes

Coat the celery with sugar

Once the cupcakes have cooled frost and garnish with the candied celery

A perfect treat for kids and adults alike!

 

[print_this]

Ingredients
Cupcakes
¼ cup butter, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups flour
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup milk
¾ cup peanut butter chips/morsels

Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon rum
1 cup raisins, roughly chopped

Candied Celery
Celery, cut into 1 inch long pieces
1 cup water
2 cups sugar, divided

Directions
Cupcakes
Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and peanut butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and eggs and continue to beat. Add the vanilla and mix for 1 more minute.

Add the dry ingredients to a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture, and mix until combined. Add the milk. Once combined add the rest of the dry ingredients. Carefully fold in peanut butter morsels. Fill each cupcake tin 2/3 full. You should have enough batter for about 12-14 cupcakes. Bake 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting
Add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until combined. Add the rum and salt. Mix 1 more minute. Fold in the raisins.

Candied Celery
Cut the celery into 1 inch pieces. Heat the water and 1 cup of sugar in a skillet; add the celery. Coat the celery in the sugar/water mixture. Cook about 10 minutes on medium/low heat. Remove the celery from the heat and transfer the celery to a Ziploc bag. Add 1 cup of sugar. Shake to coat the celery. Transfer the celery to a plate and the sugar will harden.

Note: If you are going to garnish the cupcakes with the candied celery, wait til just before serving so that the sugar doesn’t melt and leave a pool of liquid in the frosting.

Source: A Live Love Pasta Original

[/print_this]

BLOGROLL