My oldest child, Lisa, graduated from High school this past Friday. What a milestone. As a parent, we are very proud when our children succeed and do well in school, but watching them walking up that stage is a feeling like no other. My heart was filled with lots of emotions: Pride, Joy and Sadness. I was proud, of course, of her and her accomplishments. I was happy to see her excitement when she received her diploma. And as you would imagine I was also a bit sad to realize that this young beautiful lady walking up that stage was my baby not too long ago, and that time has flown too quickly;-(

I am certain that if you have children, you have or will feel the same way I did. But for us, those feeling were even more important because she is and was the first person in our family to graduate from an American school!!! For my husband and I, this is something we had seen on TV until this past Friday. So it was very special to see our daughter walk that stage and receive her diploma;-) One that i will not forget!!!

Anyway, to celebrate this wonderful milestone, we had a few friends over for dinner. Nothing fancy, hamburgers, hot-dogs and a few other things. But for dessert, I had to make it special so we made:

 Tuxedo strawberries

Blueberries and White chocolate mousse

and Graduation Cupcakes.

Ingredients for about 25 mini cupcakes:

• 1 cups of flour,
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar,
•  3/4 tsp of baking soda,
• 1/4 tsp of salt,
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened chocolate powder,
• 1 egg at room temperature,
• 1/2 stick of butter,
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar,
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract,
• 1/2 cup of lukewarm water,
• 1/4 cup of buttermilk.

1. In a bowl, sieve the flour, baking soda, salt and chocolate powder, and set aside.
2. In a mixer, place the butter and the granulated sugar and the brown sugar and beat until it becomes light and fluffy.
3. Then add the egg and beat it in.
4. Add the vanilla.
5. In a bowl, mix the water and the buttermilk.
6. Incorporate the flour mixture in three times, mixing in the water mixture in between each time.
7. Beat at a very low-speed, just enough to mix the flour in well.
8. Beat on high for a minute until all the ingredients have been incorporated.
9. Empty the batter into a ziplock bag, cut a corner and fill each of the cupcake openings to about 2/3.
10. I used the mini muffin tray from Demarle.
11. I cooked the cupcakes 12 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool before piping the frosting.

Frosting:

• 1 bag of bittersweet Guiradhelli chocolate chips,
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter at room temperature,
• 1/2 cup of sour cream,
• 1/4 cup of sugar.

1. Place the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and heat the chocolate up for 90 seconds. Stir and cook it again for another 30 seconds. Repeat if necessary.
2. Let the chocolate cool a bit, then add the butter and beat it.
3. Add the sour cream and beat on high until it fluffed up. If it is still too soft, place it in the fridge for a few minutes to get cold.
4. Take it back out and beat it to fluff it up.
5. PLace the large round tip inside the pastry bag.
6. Place the frosting in a pastry bag and pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes.

For the Decoration:

• 1 bag of large reese cups
• 3 barks of bittersweet chocolate from ghiradhelli
• one bag of M&M
• Sour Patch candy
• 1 square of vanilla chocolate bark

1. Unwrap the reese cups. Then cut squares of chocolate of about 1 inch.
2. Place a bit of the frosting on top of the Reese and place the chocolate square.
3. With a bit of frosting, glue the M&M on top of the chocolate square.
4. With scissors, cut small strips into the sour patch candy, and attach the strip onto the chocolate square to make it look like the tassel.
5. Place the vanilla bark into a small container and microwave it for 20 seconds.
6. Pour the chocolate into a small piping bag, or even into a ziploc bag and write the date of the graduation year.

Et voila!!! Enjoy!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!