Easy Red Velvet Mini Tres Leche Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 box Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Cake Mix
• 3  eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extracts
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tube Betty Crocker red food coloring gel
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 ounces evaporated milk
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting

Directions:

In a stand mixer, beat together the Betty Crocker chocolate cake, eggs, butter, vanilla, almond extract, water, and the entire tube of red gel coloring until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees line your muffin tins with aluminum-foil lined cups. This will help support your cupcakes once you drizzle your tres leches into them. Using an ice cream scoop fill each liner with a little more than 1/2 way full in order to bake up into perfect cupcakes.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Then, use a small spoon or scoop and remove a bit of cake from the center of each cupcake. Now pour each of your three leches into this center console. Pour slowly! You want to give time for the cupcake to soak up all of the milks!  Allow to set for about an hour before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

After they have set, spread or pipe a bit of Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting over each cupcake.

Cast Iron Skillet Bacon Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry pasta (recommended: elbow macaroni, shells, penne, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• 1 cup, plus ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 ½ cups Panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 6 slices bacon, cooked, reserve ¼ cup rendered bacon fat

  Béchamel Sauce:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 cups hot whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt, to taste.
•  Pepper, freshly ground

Preparation:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until nearing al dente, but not fully cooked (2 minutes short); drain. Preheat the oven to 400° F. 

In the meantime start with the Béchamel Sauce Melt the butter in a 12 inch heavy-bottomed saucepan or oven safe skillet (like cast iron). Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, avoid browning, about 2 minutes. Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring the sauce to a boil. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat.

Finish Building:

Over low heat, stir the dry mustard and cayenne pepper into the béchamel sauce. Gradually add the Cheddar, Gruyere, and 1 cup Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until all of the cheese has melted into the béchamel sauce. Add an additional cup of milk and cream. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.

In another skillet cook the bacon until crispy and golden brown. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet, reserve 3 tablespoons rendered bacon fat.

Add the cooked pasta to the béchamel and stir to coat evenly with the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, chopped parsley, and reserved bacon fat. Coat the bread crumbs and chopped parsley with bacon fat and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the macaroni. Sprinkle the top with ½ cup Parmesan cheese.

Bake until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Top with crumbled cooked bacon.

Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Chocolate Indulgence Red Velvet Cup Cakes

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ! package Philadelphia Cream Cheese Indulgence Chocolate Flavor

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld or stand  mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Spread the top of the cupcake with Philadelphia Cream Cheese Dark, White or Milk Chocolate Indulgence.