Morning Munchies

Would I ever sit down and eat a bowl of cereal? No. But if you put them in cupcakes….

Cupcakes

250 g ( 2 C ) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (like Diamond, half amount if using Morton)
150 g ( 3/4 C ) caster or granulated sugar (organic, vegan-friendly)
2 T cashew milk powder ( can skip or use coconut milk powder if you can’t find it- I used this one here
85 g ( 6 T ) vegan butter (room temp/soften )
8 oz (1 C ) plant milk ( room temp, I used extra creamy oat)
1 T vinegar (white)
3/4 C frosted flake-type cereal (vegan-friendly version here- there are others as well)
1 T vanilla extract (pure)

Buttercream

454 g (3 1/2 - 4 C) confectioner/powder sugar (sifted)
1 C (225 g) vegan butter (softened, unsalted preferred)
1-3 T plant milk
2 T dried cashew (or coconut) milk powder ( if you can’t find it, that’s ok just leave it out, but it does add to the “milky” flavor)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt (can leave out if using salted butter)

Cereal Topping

You will need:

Prep

Preheat oven to 320° F

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and powder, sugar, milk powder (if using), and salt- mix with whisk or mixer until nicely combined (30- 60 seconds).
Add butter (85 g ) to the dry ingredients and mix on medium-low speed until mixture becomes a bit sandy and crumbly.
Add vanilla and milk with cereal. Mix on low until just combined and no dry spots showing.
Use a spoon or a rubber spatula and scrape down the bowl to ensure that the mixture is well combined.
Mix again for another 30 to 40 seconds- making sure that all the ingredients are fully combined, but don’t over mix.
With an ice cream scoop or spoons, fill tins 3/4 of the way with batter.
Place cupcakes on the middle rack and bake 25-27 minutes (depending on your oven and your pan ) or until tops spring back when pressed and a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from tin and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
WHILE CUPCAKES ARE COOLING, MAKE CEREAL TOPPING AND BUTTERCREAM

Set oven to 400 ° F
In a medium-sized bowl, add butter, maple syrup, and light corn syrup- place in microwave on high in 20-second spurts until butter is melted- alternatively, you can melt butter in a small saucepot on the stove
Mix butter mixture together until fully combined. Add cereal and mix until well coated.
Place cereal mix on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until cereal has turned golden and toasty- careful not to burn. Set aside and let the mixture harden up- 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Next, in a large bowl or stand mixer, mix room temp butter on a low speed for 3-4 minutes so that butter becomes soft and fluffy. If you want nice silky buttercream, don’t skip this step.
Add half the sifted powder sugar into butter with a spoon or spatula (so the sugar doesn’t fly everywhere). Continue to mix on low speed until fully incorporated.
Add in extract, a bit of milk (start slow, you can always add more), milk powder, and a pinch of salt- then mix for another 3 to 4 minutes or until buttercream is soft, fluffy, and smooth (no air bubbles).
Add buttercream to a piping bag and top cupcakes with the frosting. Or if your old school, just slather it on with an offset spatula or butter knife.
Crush the cereal mixture into small-ish pieces, leaving some bigger chunks, if you like.
Either sprinkle on top or dip and roll cupcakes in the pieces- add some larger bits to the top.
That’s it, you’re done! Enjoy!

I hope you give this recipe a try and share them with someone you love. If you do, let me know how it turned out!

Thanks for spending some time,

xxx Debbie xxx