date night: pineapple froot loop cupcakes

Mr. Jolley had Friday off this week, and even though that meant he had to work Saturday, we were determined to make the most of an unexpected week day off. Our day culminated with the creation of some of the most delicious cupcakes EVER!

For my birthday last week, Mr. Jolley bought me a cookbook that is full of cupcakes. So we took a recipe, tweaked it just a little, and then baked our hearts out together. Both of us are a little bit controlling, so baking is a good exercise for us to get used to sharing responsibility with each other. Who knew right? ;)

Here is the simplified recipe. Let me know if you have any questions!

Pineapple Froot Loop Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 box white cake mix
3 eggs (We used egg yolk from a carton to save on fat!)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup crushed pineapple drained
1/4 cup pineapple juice (We used the juice from the can of crushed pineapple!)
1/3 cup red/orange cereal pieces
1/3 cup blue/green cereal pieces
1/3 cup purple cereal pieces
1 1/2 cup butter softened
5ish cups of powdered sugar
extra cereal pieces for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, milk, pineapple and pineapple juice. Then add cake mix.
3. Fill cupcake liners and bake for 15ish minutes based on your oven. (Ours is a little sketch, so just keep a close eye on them!) They are ready when a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
4. To make frosting, crush each of the cereal piece color groups seperately then put in three separate bowls.(We used our magic bullet, but you could even use your hands or a food processor). Mix butter with a stand mixer. Slowly add powdered sugar until frosting reaches a good consistency.
5. Separate frosting into the three bowls with the different cereal piece color groups. Mix in cereal pieces with a fork. (The great thing is the cereal adds color, no food coloring necessary!)
6. Be creative! You can spread the frosting on with a knife, or pipe it onto the cooled cupcakes with a plastic bag and a corner cut off. (Mr. Jolley did the frosting in the above picture. Hidden talents folks.)
7. Enjoy and share! They aren't good for your body, but they are good for the soul. So #spreadthejolley and share the calories  cupcakes with neighbors and friends!