Gooseberry Patch 101 Cupcake, Cookie & Brownie Recipes {Zuchinni Cupcakes & Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes}

Good morning everyone and Happy Thursday!!!!! Today as one of the Gooseberry Patch Early Bird Reviewers" I am bringing you yet another yummy cookbook review. I have to say I have really enjoyed reading and cooking my way through all the new Gooseberry Patch Titles that have come my way.

Are you a Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Fan? If not just buy one of their wonderful cookbooks and you will instantly fall in love. Just when I think I have all the books I need Gooseberry Patch comes out with one more must have title. I bake a lot here at Mommy's Kitchen. Especially when it comes to the holidays. I just I can't help it Dessert is one of my favorite things.

Do you love to bake for family and friends? I do especially if the recipes are really easy to throw together. If there is one thing I cannot tolerate it's a recipe that is so complicated and calls for ingredients that I never have on hand or even heard of. That really takes the fun out of the whole baking experience.

The latest edition added to the Gooseberry Patch Series is 101 Cupcake, Cookie & Brownie Recipes. By the title alone you know this book has to be yummy. What I immediately loved about this new cookbook was all the eye popping color photos. Yes folks all of the recipes in this easy to read cookbook have mouthwatering photo's right alongside each recipe. My favorite thing is seeing photos in cookbooks. That's what really grabs my attention and gets me excited about making a certain recipe. 101 Cupcake, Cookie & Brownie recipes is broken down into five chapters.

• Baking Tips
• Tasty Little Cakes
• Cookie Jar
• Best Loved Brownies & Bars
• Sweet Celebrations

Let's talk about some of the yummy recipes that are listed in this cookbook. Tasty Little Cakes is all about lots of different cupcake recipes. From regular sized or mini they have plenty of recipes. Here are few samples....... Grandma's Banana Cupcakes, Taffy Apple Cupcakes, Cookie Dough Cupcakes, Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes, Snicker Doodle Cupcakes and Double Maple Cupcakes.

Time to move on to the Cookie Jar Chapter. Everyone loves a good homemade cookie. With 101 Cupcake, Cookie and Brownie Recipes you can make some easy yet yummy cookie recipes. How about Tasty Cookie Lollipops or Homemade Fortune Cookies, Granny's Chocolate Fudge Cookies, Rainbow Swirl Cookies or Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies. Goodness!!!

Brownies and Bars dear lord this is my favorite chapter. Wouldn't you love to sink you teeth into a Divine Praline Brownie? I know I would and that one is on my list to make. Lets not stop on just one. There are recipes for Rocky Road Brownies, German Chocolate Cookie Bars, Peanut Butter Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Squares.

And lastly is Sweet Celebrations. This chapter is all about those special occasion treats. Baby Rattle Cupcakes, Be Mine Cherry Brownies, Easter Ice Cream Sandwiches, Bride & Groom Cookies, Tom the Turkey Cupcakes, Frosty the Snowman Cupcakes and much more. I can't wait to make the Scaredy - Cat Cookies for Halloween and Dad's Giant Cookie for Fathers Day. The kids are going to love helping me make that one.

Well in the end it came down to choosing what I wanted to bake. I am not kidding you this was a hard task as you can tell from my list above. Well the first one I chose was Zucchini Cupcakes W/Peanut Butter Icing on page 25.

Oh goodness these were so good. I made mini cupcakes and surprised the kids after school. Carson eyes about popped out of his head when he saw the on the counter. He said Chocolate Cupcakes. It didn't take him long for him to pop down two of these and give me the biggest smile.

Little does Carson know he is eating zucchini which he dislikes, but in these chocolaty cupcakes you can't even tell it was added. So a huge thumbs up for these cupcakes. Who would of thought to mix chocolate, zucchini and peanut butter in one. Love these........

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins W/Peanut Butter Icing

2 - cups zucchini, shredded

3 - eggs

2 - cups sugar

3/4 - cup oil

2 - teaspoons vanilla

2 - cups all purpose flour

2/3 - cup baking cocoa

1/2 - teaspoon baking powder

1 - teaspoon baking soda

1 - teaspoon salt

3/4- cup chocolate chips

Combine zucchini, eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt and baking chips. Fill paper lined muffins tins with 2/3 cup batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in ins 5 mins then remove to baking rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Icing

1/2 - cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 - cup butter, softened

1 - tablespoon milk

1/2 - teaspoon vanilla 

1  1/2 - cups powdered sugar

Beat peanut butter, butter, milk and vanilla until creamy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Frost cupcake when completely cooled.

For my second recipe I chose Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes on page 12. Don't they look so cute?

While I was away last week in LA with the kids we missed my husbands birthday. Pineapple Upside Down Cake is is favorite of cakes. So as soon as we arrived back home I made these yummy little mini pineapple upside down cupcakes.

My husband loved that they were bite size. He is very picky on his Pineapple Upside Down Cake, but he said these were perfect. The next recipe on my list to make is the Snicker doodle Cupcakes so be on the look out for that recipe.


Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

20 oz - can pineapple tidbits, drained {reserve 1/2 - cup juice}
1/3 - cup brown sugar
1/3 - cup butter, melted
1 - cup all purpose flour
3/4 - cup sugar
1/2 - teaspoon baking powder
1/4 - cup butter, softened
1 - egg, beaten
Garnish- maraschino cherries

Pat pineapple dry with paper towels. In a bowl, combine brown sugar and melted butter. Dive evenly into 12 greased muffin pans. Arrange pineapple tidbits over brown sugar mixture. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder. Mix in softened butter and reserved pineapple juice. Beat for 2 minutes and then beat in eggs.

Spoon batter over pineapple filling in each cup about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of muffin tin and invert cupcakes onto rack so pineapple is on top. Cool completely. To each with a cherry. Makes one dozen.

Final Thoughts: I loved this yummy little cookbook!!!! Perfect photos and easy to read and simple recipes. Some even utilized a cake mix and y'all know how I love that. All of the recipes are kid and adult friendly so this cookbook is for everyone. Vickie and Jo Ann you picked another great title, but then you always do.

OK now for a little fun. Gooseberry Patch has been kind enough to send me an extra copy to share with one of my readers. Isn't that so generous of them? Vickie and Jo Ann are kinda of awesome like that!!!! 101 Cupcake, Cookie and Brownie Recipes is temporarily out of stock at Gooseberry Patch due to high demand. But it does look like Amazon.com has some copies for $10.17 which is a great deal.

Don't worry though they are working hard on getting the cookbooks back in stock. Right now you can still Pre Order a copy that way when they are back in stock come February you be one of the first to receive a copy. Click here to Pre Order your copy from Gooseberry Patch today. Now onto the Giveaway rules.

How To Enter The Giveaway:Just leave a comment on this post letting me know what your favorite sweet treat is. Cupcakes, Cookies or Brownies? (mandatory entry) For me it's Brownies!

Additional Entries:You can do any or all of the following for extra entries. Please leave a separate comment for each one.

1. Become a fan of Gooseberry Patch on Face book. When you have done that, return to this post and leave a separate comment letting me know that you are now a fan.
2. Join Gooseberry Patche "Circle of Friends" so you can stay Gooseberry Patch updated.
3. Become a Fan of Mommy's Kitchen on Face book.4. Mention this giveaway on your face book page. Come back and tell me so.
5. Become a New Google Follower to Mommy's Kitchen (left side of my blog page)
6. Tweet the following for another entry: Win a new yummy cookbook title from @gooseberrypatch at @mommyskitchen. http://tiny.cc/zgyor

Last day to enter this giveaway will be Tuesday February 1st at midnight (CST). I will pick a random winner using random.org and announce the winner on this blog, face book and twitter. Good Luck to everyone. Contest open to U.S & Canadian Residents only due to shipping charges. If you leave an anonymous comment please include your email address. That way I can contact you in the event that you are the winner.

Disclosure: Gooseberry Patch provided me with a copy of "101 Cupcake, Cookie and Brownie Recipes" for the purpose of this review. They also provided me with an additional copy to use in a reader giveaway.