Bringing International Childcare to Delaware!

On Sunday, 25 October, we enjoyed a beautiful fall day carving Halloween jack-o-lanterns at my house.  Since our au pairs don’t celebrate Halloween in their home countries, this was a first-time experience for them.  They had fun and did a great job!  There are pictures of their handiwork below.  We also enjoyed some snacks and drinks, including some fall favorites like apple cider and pumpkin cupcakes.  Since some of you were asking for the recipe, you can find it below, courtesy of marthastewart.com. 

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PUMPKIN CUPCAKES:

Pumpkin’s not just for pies. Mix up these cupcakes with canned pumpkin and lots of spice, and top them with your favorite cream cheese frosting for a sweet snack.

Ingredients:

Makes 18 (****Note:  It made more than that for me)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

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Also, a big thank you to the CCAP group from Cecil County, MD and their LCC Maggie, for joining us!