Pickle Cupcakes

Yep, you read it right! Pickle cupcakes! :) One of my favorite blogs is Cupcake Project and awhile ago one of her recipes was in People magazine, and I saw it and thought I wanted to try it out. Then someone sent me a link to 10 awesome cupcakes, and these were one of them so I knew that these just had to be made. Now, it seemed to me that there is only one occasion that you can make pickle cupcakes for...a baby shower! We were having a baby shower at the office, and so I demanded that I was going to make these and make them I did.Before we get into the actual making of the cupcakes, I have to show these, aren't they they cutest little pickles you have ever seen? We debated if they were meant for like a kid to take to school, and decided only a mean parent would send their kid to school with these, because after this there is no way that you wouldn't end up smelling like pickles for the rest of the day. But, they are adorable.
So here we go. I'd like to note that, no I'm not a big pickle fan. I don't mind them when they are on something, but I'm not one to just grab one out of the jar and have a snack. I just found these intriguing. Also, I decided to make these in a mini form, I thought that a pickle cupcake might be best enjoyed in small portions.Pickle Cupcakes from Cupcake ProjectMakes 8 cupcakes

• 1 C flour
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/2 t ground dill
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t onion powder
• 6 T butter, room temperature
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 C sour cream
• 1/3 C dill pickle juice (the liquid from the pickle jar)
• 1/3 C finely chopped dill pickles

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, dill, salt, and onion powder in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs and sour cream until blended.
4. Alternately fold in flour mixture and pickle juice, beginning and ending with the flour.
5. Fold in the chopped pickles.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean. (For the mini cupcakes, I baked for about 15 minutes and they were perfect)

What do you top a pickle cupcake with? At The Cupcake Project she recommended vanilla ice cream, and I had to agree with that. The final verdict? Well, to me they were little pickle-y cups. They weren't as strong and vinegary as pickles, but definitely had that distinct dill flavor. People who were pickle lovers wanted more, and people who hated pickles hated these. :) The cupcake itself sure isn't a sweet dessert, but is more of a savory muffin flavor.