I am going to say something no teacher ever wants to say or hear. Summer is coming to an end. And while I love my job, I am not quite ready to go back to having to be somewhere before 8am or not being able to spend my days in sundresses and flip flops.
I had big plans to be productive this summer. I was going to reorganize my office, clean out my closet, blog three times a week, pick paint colors for the upstairs hallways and stairwell. Justin and I had started the summer with promises to cook/eat at home 4+ nights a week and go to the gym every morning. My digital classroom was going to be totally set up, I was going to have lesson plans completely done for the first week of school. I am actually laughing out loud as I write this.
As any teacher can tell you, the summer starts with so much promise of productivity. You are going to get on that schedule the craziness of the school year never lets you quite get on board with. You are going to be the most organized, healthy, and tannest version of yourself. Well, at least I did get a nice tan...
I may not have accomplished what I set out to do but I did re-read all five Game of Thrones books. I slept in late and I also got up early a few times only to get myself Starbucks and end up back in bed reading afterwards. I went to the beach; I had a few couples' spa days with Justin. We went to Sea World twice in one week. I sat at a friend's kitchen table with my girlfriends and we talked/gossiped from noon until seven at night when someone's husband called wondering where dinner was.
I spent an insanely relaxing week in the mountains of North Carolina with my family. I went swimming in the rain. I watched thunderstorms roll in over the ocean at a historical 75 year old bar while sipping Pain Killers. I watched all six seasons of Gossip Girl. I baked, cooked, photographed and had fun in the kitchen. I got asked to have recipes/photos featured in Sam's Club. I spent too much money on Lilly Pulitzer and not enough money on school appropriate clothes.
And as the summer draws to a close, I woke up this morning determined to do something constructive with my day. So I sent a few work emails, spent 20 minutes researching an interactive classroom app and then I gave up and pulled out my sprinkles. Because nothing can help me procrastinate reality then bottles full of brightly colored, hardened sugar.
These Buttermilk Cupcake Bites are the perfect mix of motivation and procrastination. They are made using a box mix with a few twists. They don't taste like your run of the mill box mix cupcakes and I have had people ask me for my "from scratch" cupcake mix more than once after having these.
I also love that they aren't topped with traditional frosting. Instead I dipped them in Candi-Quik coating which after it hardens gives a perfect creamy crunch to the top of the cupcake and gives it the ability to be stacked, stored in a ziploc bag and generally transported without fear of damaging the icing. (Want to more about icing damage in transit phobia? Ask Justin. I have almost pushed him to divorce with my screams of "take that turn slowly, the cupcakes!!!")
Looking to avoid reality? Then look no further than these cupcakes. Now that I have gotten them out of my system maybe I will clean my closet tomorrow. Or maybe Justin and I will go out to Thai for lunch and then walk the beach and savor the last few days of summer we have left. Yeah, that sounds about right.
Buttermilk Cupcake Bites
- 1 box of yellow cake mix (just the mix)
- 1 cup of low fat buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 4 eggs
- Vanilla Candi-Quik and sprinkles for the tops
1.) With an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, buttermilk, oil and eggs together.
2.) Line a mini cupcake pan with liners, and fill each one with a tablespoon of the batter. I use a small cookie scoop instead but you can do whatever works for you.
3.) Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes depending on your oven.
4.) Once cupcakes have completely cooled, melt the Candi-Quik according to the directions on the package. Dip cupcake tops in the topping.
5.) Top with sprinkles and let harden. Enjoy and be sure to store in an air tight container.
While I was not monetarily compensated for this post, I did get a pretty amazing box of mixes from Immaculate Baking company and used the Yellow Cake Mix in this recipe. Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by Immaculate Baking through Platefull Co-Op.
