Contessa's Cupcakes

In the world of celebrity chefs, there's a lot of choices.  Martha Stewart, of course, is a classic.  Her recipes...well, they're good pushing amazing, but they're also bit of trouble.  And sometimes hard to follow. Or they require special ingredients.  Now, that doesn't keep me from trying them over and over again.  I just have better luck with the Barefoot Contessa. Her recipes, for me, have been fail proof.  And that's what I need.  I'm a librarian; I work.  I have a family; time is short.  Cooking typically takes place during naptime or after bedtime & a full day's work. I'm almost never fully rested at either time and I'm prone to mistakes.  The Barefoot Contessa sees me through.  I still love Martha - hold her high, high in my kitchen's heart - but the Barefoot Contessa has seen me through some dark kitchen hours, and I love her, too.

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (incidentally with a forward by Ina's good friend Martha Stewart) was, really, one of the first cookbooks I fell in love with.  Any recipe I made was golden, and that's hard to forget.

These cupcakes are part normal cupcake and part Barefoot Contessa.  The cake itself is just a standard vanilla - you could even use a mix.  Go ahead, I don't judge & the icing will save it anyway.  The icing is the Barefoot Contessa's cream cheese icing- the one she puts on her coconut cupcakes. [Seriously, make these for your coworkers. They will love you forever and hold your baking skills in high esteem.]

Add some berries and voila - Happy Independence Day, everyone!