Product Review: Cupcake Liners aka. How to Make Cupcakes in a Brownie Pan

Today, I really wanted to share with you how to make cupcakes just taste delicious and come out round & fluffy on top. But then I realized I didn't have a cupcake pan! Luckily, California Kitchenware had sent me this set of silicone cupcake molds to use and review and I was willing to take a chance and try them without a standard pan. Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

So, only 9 actually fit in my brownie pan, which wasn't a big deal, but I was already nervous. I half expected my cupcakes to turn out like that internet picture of the biggest cupcake fail of all time.

But that was a risk I was willing to take. So I set my oven to 350*, whipped up a standard cake mix per box directions, filled each mold about 3/4 full, and popped them in the oven. I turned the oven temp down to 325* when I put them in, because I had heard over on Pinterest that if you do that, they'll be lovely and round on top. And then they baked for 25 minutes and I waited and freaked out that they would look awful.

When my timer rang, they made their appearance and I couldn't have been more pleased. Most of them turned out a little warped, due to being on the edge of the brownie pan, but they were round on top and amazing. 

Taking them out of the molds was a breeze. I just stuck the tip of my (clean!) finger slightly in the side, slowly turned the cupcake around, and it practically fell right out. I did NOT grease/spray the molds prior to filling, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

I let them cool for about 10 minutes before tasting them, they ended up perfectly done. After cooling completely they got a little makeover from my favorite frosting recipe and then quickly devoured by Nick & myself.

I really loved these cupcake molds and have already suggested them to a few friends who saw my instagram post while I was making them. They're ideal for use up to 500*F in the oven, or can be used in the microwave & freezer. And as I've proved, you don't need a cupcake pan to use them as they stand really well on their own!

Want them? You can get them on Amazon, available for just $7.99 in both multicolor and white  {these are referral links} and if you try them out, let me know! These are definitely a great value with the price and the reusable longevity.

Have you ever had to just improvise in the kitchen? Or do you have a major blunder to share because your improvisation didn't turn out? Let me know in the comments below!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Product Review: Nut Milk Bag & How to Make Almond Milk

Hey, so today I want to share a sexy, new recipe with y'all (not mine, someone else's) and give you a review of a cool new product I got to try.

So, let me just start with a small disclosure, Zimtal sent me this nut milk bag, free of charge, in order to try it for this review, however I wasn't paid for this post and all opinions expressed are my own. I actually used so little effort that I didn't even search for a recipe to use, I follow Nom Nom Paleo on Facebook and shortly after they contacted me to do the review, this recipe for Vanilla Almond Milk showed up on my feed and has been sitting as an open tab in my browser since then.
Also, please note that many of the links in this post are affiliate links, so I get a tiny kickback from the website if you buy using the link.

So to start you have to get some raw almonds and then soak those babies for awhile, some nuts don't need to be soaked before making milk, but most do. I picked up a small bag of raw almonds at my local Sprouts, but the one I linked to has great reviews and a way better price, so that's likely how I'll get mine next time. Anyway, I soaked my almonds overnight, about 20 hours. Based on various different websites you can soak them for 8-12 hours with the limit being not more than 24. So I made it fit into my schedule to get them prepped around noon Sunday and then Monday morning I made my milk before walking the dog. Easy peasy. Here's my almonds before straining them.