In September, I started a cupcake adventure. If you haven't read about it yet, you can do so here. ***
This is one of those 'cupcake' recipes that isn't cake at all. But it's in the book, so go with it. I did.
Want to know the trick to getting lots of things done in the kitchen in a limited amount of time? Get your kids to help!
In all seriousness though, allowing your kids to help in the kitchen is amazing. It improves their reading skills, math comprehension, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and so much more. PLUS, it teaches them about cooking---a basic survival skill in this era of drive-thru dinners. Also, kids who help cook are generally less picky when it comes time to eat---something about having pride in their work makes it hard for them to say "I don't like _______." Try it with your kids and tell me what you discover!
I guess there's something magical and typically-for-adults-only about a plane zester. I don't know what the fascination is, but our 10-year-old was begging to try it, so I showed her how to remove the peel without getting too much of the white pulp and then I set her loose to do it ALL! :) That freed me up to take pictures.
Meanwhile, my 6-year-old nephew and our 7-year-old daughter (hiding) were using my one-bowl-at-a-time food processor to chop up graham crackers and cornflakes. They liked doing the 'pulsing' and this small processor is great for small hands.
After all the zest had been added to the sugar, we got to business.
The graham crackers and cornflakes made a nice powder...
Add those scoopfuls to some melted butter....
And it makes fine buttery crumbles, perfect for mini cakes.
A 1/4 cup scoop was the perfect size to smash the mixture flat in the silicon molds (thanks, Gina, for letting me borrow your mold!)
Now that the crust is ready, we are ready for the filling!
Juice from the now-naked lemon was squeezed and whisked together with some sugar.
Now for the healthy sinful part: whipping cream.
The sugar/lemon/whipping cream mixture gets poured on top of the crusts. Then, you stick the whole thing in the freezer for several hours.
Next, you grab some candy lemon slices and try not to eat them all while you're waiting for the cuppies to freeze.
Once you pop each little lemon freeze out of its mold, you top it with a lemon slice and display it on a cute plate.
Yummy! THE perfect treat for a hot summer day...if you can gobble it down before it melts, that is! Though I can promise you, gobbling them down isn't really a problem.
