Beach Cupcakes

Directions to create Beach Cupcakes:  - makes 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes:
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk, room temperature

Frosting:
one stick unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces
4 cups powdered sugar (you might need 1/2 cup more)
1/4 c milk at room temperature
1 t vanilla extract

PLUS
Blue food coloring
1 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs
colorful paper umbrellas

Cupcake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 bake.  Put paper liners in cupcake tins.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl (use a mixer if you have one) beat butter until creamy - about two minutes.  Add sugar gradually, beating until light about three minutes.  Scrape the bowl at least twice during this process.

Beat in vanilla.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Scrape down bowl.

Add the flour mixture in four additions, alternately with the milk.  Begin and end with the flour.  Beat on low-medium speed.

Pour into cupcake wells.  Bake for 18 minutes (check at 16 minutes).  It will be done when you insert a toothpick into the center and there are crumbs but no liquid.  You can always bake more.  You can not take away baking time.  The center will spring back when lightly pressed.

Cool pan on rack for five minutes.

Remove cupcakes on a cooling rack to cool completely.

(NOTE if you want a marbled cupcake, melt 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate and allow to cool.  Divide batter in half and fold in melted chocolate into one half of the batter.  Divide yellow batter into cupcake wells evenly and then add chocolate.  Use a butter knife to marble the batters together)

Frosting Directions:
In a mixer beat butter until creamy (about two minutes).  Add 1 cup of powdered sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy (Three minutes).

Add one more cup of sugar and half of the milk.  Beat well.  Scrape bowl.

Add 1 more cup of sugar and milk and beat well.  Scrape bowl.

Add 1 cup of sugar and vanilla.  beat on high until light and creamy - 5 minutes.

If you need more sugar add the remaining half cup.

Assembly:
Tint the frosting blue.  Frost the cupcakes using an icing spatula.

Place graham crackers in a bowl.  Hold each cupcake over bowl.  Using a spoon sprinkle crumbs over HALF of the cupcake.  This is now the beach.

You can play with the waves to get them the way you want.

Insert umbrellas.

Serve