Celebrating solstice with Lemon Angelfood Cupcakes and thumbprint cookies

Tonight is the longest night of the year! A few friends came over to celebrate. We had tea and lots and lots of sweets!!

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones my sister put together. I think the recipe is from Betty Crocker, though I'm not sure which book, or what page...

Some cute little sugar cookies Amanda put together. They have this 'glitter glue' looking decoration frosting on them. Edible though.. Ha!

I made tapioca, which I won't post cuz it wasn't great, and lemon angel food cupcakes...

..and a couple types of thumbprint cookies..

Vegan "Pumpkin" bottoms

Today I was craving something with pure decadence...



Mmm yes. I ran across this recipie in MIX magazine from the girls down at Sweetpea Baking Company. I did alter it a bit though. I'm not vegan but enjoy expiramentation, so I was happy to try it. I was invisioning, after reading through the recipie, melty muffin cake w/ a gooey cakey oozy middle. And thats what I got...






I was suprised it called for chocolate chips. I just chopped up some good dark block chocolate that I had.

Vegan Pumpkin Bottoms: from the girls at Sweetpea Baking Company

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

Cake batter:
1½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
½ cup canned pumpkin purée (or squash)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:
4 ounces (½ tub) Tofutti cream cheese (non-hydrogenated)
¼ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
¾ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, pie spice and ginger together in a large bowl. Add the water, oil, pumpkin and vanilla and whisk until the batter is smooth.
Make the filling: Blend the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the corn startch, vanilla, lemon zest and salt until the mixture is smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
Line or oil a standard-size muffin tin. Fill each cup with 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter. Drop 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling into the center of each and then top with the remaining pumpkin batter (about 1 heaping tablespoon on each). Bake about 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy! I gave one to my dad and ate the rest within a couple days... But they were definently worth it!