It's

Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

This week's recipe is from

PUMPKIN SPICE PERIL

Book 12 in the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries

by Jenn McKinlay

In the twelfth Cupcake Bakery Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay, the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew follows the clever crumb trail of a killer who's anything but cookie-cutter.

Life is all sugar and spice for the Fairy Tale Cupcake bakers--Melanie Cooper is engaged to the delectable Joe DeLaura, Angie Harper and her husband Tate are savoring married life, and the bakery is bustling with happy customers. Until one of their most valued cupcake connoisseurs ends up dead.

Local glass artist and cupcake lover Rene Fischer-Klein has always suffered from a wide variety of health issues. In an effort to cheer her up, her doting husband, Peter, brings her a four-pack of her favorite cupcakes every week. But when the police discover that Rene has been poisoned, there's no sugarcoating the fact that the last things she ate were the bakery's signature pumpkin spice cupcakes! With their lives and bakery at stake, it's up to Mel and Angie to find out who poisoned their artist friend and why, before their future is frosted for good.

🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽

COFFEE MOCHA CUPCAKES

photo property of www.preppykitchen.com

A rich coffee cupcake with a mocha-flavored buttercream.

Cupcake Ingredients

2½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

3 tablespoons instant espresso powder

1½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

¾ cup milk, room temperature

1 cup strong black coffee, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

photo property of shutterstock

Directions

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

   Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg,, espresso powder, and sugar.

   In a large bowl, mix the oil, milk, coffee, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture to the coffee mixture and beat on medium speed until smooth. Do not over mix. 

   Scoop the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. 

   Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

Makes 24

photo property of Yummy PH 

www.youtube.comwatchv=eskQsn3my-I

Frosting Ingredients

1 stick salted butter, softened

½ cup cream cheese, softened

1½ tablespoons instant espresso (powdered)

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons milk

Chocolate-covered espresso beans, optional

photo property of www.ohmysugarhigh.com

Directions

   In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed for three minutes, until light and fluffy.

   Mix in the instant espresso, cocoa, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and milk until it reaches the desired consistency. 

   Spread or pipe on the cooled cupcakes. 

   Garnish with chocolate-covered espresso beans, if desired. 

photo property of www.ohmysugarhigh.com

 Your cupcakes will differ in appearance from those in the photos. 

Why drink 3 or 4 cups of coffee to keep you going when you can eat a dozen of these?!

🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽

Please keep reading to check out my 

installments of 

Book Beginnings on Fridays

and

The Friday 56

Both the BB and 56 are from

PUMPKIN SPICE PERIL

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a meme hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading.

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda's Voice

Rules: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's okay.) *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you. *Post it.

My Book Beginnings 

"Hi, how can I help you?" Angie Harper asked the customer across the bakery counter. She had her lips pulled back in what should have been a smile but looked like a grimace instead. 

 

My 56

He looked at her fleetingly as if he couldn't bear to hold her gaze. "It's just an appointment. Routine stuff."

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