Carrot {Cake Mix} Cookie Cups

Carrot Cake Cookie Cups - made with carrot cake mix and topped with homemade cream cheese frosting and Carrot Cake M&M's.

Well....we are in the process of transitioning Nora from her crib to her new "big girl" bed, and I must say...it is not a pleasant process! I'm not exactly sure if it seems harder this time around because it really is, or just because it's been three years since we've done it and I don't remember what it was like the other two times. But either way, I'll be glad when it's over and we can go back to some sort of normalcy. I'm just a little worried about what our new "normal" will be!

Right now, it feels like we're all having to give up something we love. For Nora, of course, it's her crib. And not just her crib, but her entire bedroom! I know....having her switch rooms was probably our first mistake....but at this point, what's done is done. There's no turning back! For Jorden, it's a decent chunk of time at night, where Nora wants him to lay in bed with her. I'm guessing it won't last long, and to be fair, it was his idea in the first place, but it's definitely a commitment! And for me, it's the peace of mind of knowing I'll get two hours to myself while she's in her crib for naptime!

Let's be clear: it has been months since Nora has truly napped with any sort of consistency. In fact, I would say she's all but given up naps, completely. But I've been committed to having her still take "quiet time" and I've made it happen....every day! BUT. It's a lot easier to enforce quiet time for a non-napping two year old when she is stuck in her crib and can't get out....if you know what I mean!

Yes, this past week we have found Nora in all kinds of places she's not supposed to be....during quiet time AND at night! In the bathroom, up in her sister's bed, in the nursery, in the hallway reading books.....and just last night, we found her up in the hallway playing with a Lala Loopsy doll over an hour after we had put her in bed! Needless to say, we have our work cut out for us. And we have to stay strong! The easiest thing to do would be to give up on quiet time, altogether....just to avoid the trouble! But I'm not convinced that's what's best for Nora....and I'm DEFINITELY not convinced that's what's best for me!! I need a few moments of peace in the day, and Nora's "naptime" is the only real time for me to get that. So this is one battle I WILL be fighting!

One battle I don't have to fight? Finding the time to make these amazingly delicious, incredibly poppable Carrot {Cake Mix} Cookie Cups! Since they're made with a cake mix, they couldn't take any less time to make....leaving me with more time (and energy) to fight the (many) other battles in my life! Namely, Nora!!

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Carrot {Cake Mix} Cookie Cups

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Author Cathy Trochelman

Ingredients

Cookie Cups

• 1 box Carrot Cake Mix
• 1/3 c. oil
• 2 eggs

Frosting

• 6 oz. cream cheese softened
• 1 stick unsalted butter softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 c. powdered sugar for a sweeter frosting, add 1 additional cup
• Cinnamon
• Carrot Cake M&M's for topping

Instructions

Cookie Cups

1. Spray 32 mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Spoon into mini muffin tins ((slightly less than 1 Tbsp. per tin) and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
4. Cool 10 minutes in tins, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting

1. Combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed 1 minute.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat on medium speed 2 minutes.
3. Pipe frosting onto cooled cookie cups; sprinkle with cinnamon and top with 1 M&M.

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