Key Lime Cupcakes

This was not supposed to be the first post.

It was supposed to be this glorious coconut peach crisp that I was inspired to make a few weeks back. However, said peach crisp unfortunately exploded in my oven - not once, but twice. What was left still tasted good, but was in no way ready for a photo shoot.

I think these make a pretty good substitute.

I love cupcakes. And when I say love, I mean L-O-V-E times a bajillion. They are like single servings of happiness. A friend (who obviously knew of my obsession) sent me to this recipe and I knew I had to try them!


Here's what you will need to get started:

Flour, Graham Cracker Crumbs, Baking Powder, Salt, Butter, Sugar, Sugar, Eggs, Vanilla, Milk, Cream Cheese, Powdered Sugar, and Lime Juice

In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup of flour.

Then you're going to add in the graham cracker crumbs. I cheated and used ready made crumbs from a box. If you are super motivated you can make your own by simply chopping up whole graham crackers in a food processor. Me, I'm not that motivated. I like to keep things simple.

Add 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs to your flour.

Add 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder....

and 1/4 tsp. salt

grab a fork and stir 'em all together.

Keep going!

A little bit more!

Until it's completely combined and looks kind of like this.

Now, bring your bowl over to your trusty stand mixer.

And grab a stick of butter

And cut it into large pieces. It doesn't matter if they are perfectly sized....you are just going to add it in gradually.

Mix in butter, piece by piece, until your mixture starts to resemble corse crumbs....like this.

Then add in 1 cup of sugar and continue mixing until it is all incorporated.

Like this.

Next, add in your two eggs and continue to mix.

Until your dough looks something like this.

Take 1/2 cup milk

and add it to your egg mixture.

Measure out 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and dump that in as well. (You can use regular vanilla.....this is just the kind I had lying around)


Mix it all together until it is just incorporated. (Don't over mix! Resist the temptation to beat your batter to death. Trust me.)

Here's Chase pretending that he didn't just maul a plastic bag while my back was turned.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. While you're waiting, line your muffin tin with cupcake liners. (Maybe it's my cheapo bakeware, but if I don't use liners I have to pry my cupcakes out and they look a little homely. Plus...liners are pretty.)

Divide your batter evenly amongst the cupcake holes.

mmmm.....cupcake batter.

I got a little over enthusiastic with filling the tins and accidentally flung some on Chase.

He didn't mind.

Once they're all filled, they are ready to go in the oven! Bake them for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Mmm.......it only gets better from here.


Let them cool. Take a walk, watch a tv show, whatever. Just let them cool off before you try to do anything else to them. It's hard, I know. I have a music therapy song about waiting if you simply can't contain yourself.

Once they are nice and cool you can start to make the frosting!

Cut an 8oz. brick of cream cheese in half. Throw one half into a clean mixing bowl. Save the other half for a special occasion. Perhaps to make these cupcakes again.....because you couldn't get enough the first time. :)

Add in a half a stick of butter.

and give them a good mix.

Add 2 cups of powdered sugar

and 2 Tbsp. lime juice. Again......I cheated a bit. I bought the little squeezy bottle of lime juice at the grocery store. You can go ahead and squeeze your own limes if that's how you roll.

And mix together until it's all creamy frosting gorgeousness.


I could eat this whole bowl.....by itself....right now.


But I will contain myself. Partly because I might not be able to live with myself if I downed a whole bowl of frosting and partly because I will have people walking through the door any minute. People who are counting on getting some key lime cupcakes. Must not let them down.

Slice yourself up some limes. Make them pretty thin and then cut them in half to make wedges.

I love limes. and I really love taking pictures of citrus.

Take your cupcakes and start frosting! Just to warn you....this frosting goes a long way. Go ahead and pile that stuff on there. The more the better.

Chase always hangs around waiting for me to drop something.....which I usually do. We make a good team.

Top it off with some extra graham cracker crumbs.

And a lime wedge.

and BAM! Key Lime Cupcakes. Don't these just make you happy?

Enjoy!!!


~ Megan