Blueberry Lemon Crunch Cupcakes

Blueberry Lemon Crunch Cupcakes
Dorcas Annette Walker

In keeping with the holiday spirit this month my recipes will focus around the colors red, white, and blue. All the recipes that I give are first done in my kitchen to ensure that the end result tastes good. As my father often said, whenever I tried a new recipe in my teenage years, the proof is in the pudding! My father was raised on a farm growing up where simple yet filling food was served. Being Pennsylvania Dutch he lived by the motto, waste not, want not so we ate simply and economically. The few times I ventured to be creative in the kitchen my father would frown and eye the new dish suspiciously. I’d hold my breath as he’d grudgingly take a small portion while mumbling under his breath about such nonsense; watch him hesitantly take a bite as if it were poison, not relaxing until a smile would break out. If my father took seconds it was a triumphant moment. I feel the same sense of achievement from emails that I receive telling me of my recipes listed on my cooking blog that have been tried and have turned out terrific.

Condensed milk was first developed in the United States in 1856 and canned in Liberty, Mississippi as a safer method for milk storage by Gail Borden Jr. Prior to the nineteenth century drinking milk posed a health risk. Even so Borden’s new condensed milk was not well received in those early days as customers were used to watered-down milk with chalk added to make it white and molasses for creaminess. In 1861 the Union Army purchased Borden’s condensed milk for use in field rations. Although Borden received a patent in 1854, his condensed milk was not successful until 1885 when a competitor began marketing condensed milk. Probably of equal importance for the future of milk safety, was Borden’s requirements that farmers wash udders before milking, keep the barns swept clean, and scald and dry their strainers thus gaining a reputation for purity. By the late 1860’s condensed milk was a major product used in recipes for pies, candies, and other desserts. Condensed milk is made with cow’s milk and sugar reduced by evaporation to a thick consistency. One can of condensed milk equals one quart of whole milk and seven ounces of sugar.

I spied the Blueberry Lemon Crunch Cupcake recipe one day in a magazine (under a different name) using condensed milk and was intrigued as these cupcakes are frozen; a perfect dessert for summer. In anticipation I followed the instructions carefully but was disappointed with the end result. So I began to experiment and switch some of the ingredients until I came up with a nifty dessert. These Blueberry Lemon Crunch Cupcakes have a cool fruity, tangy taste, takes around a half an hour to prepare, and makes twenty-four cupcakes.

Blueberry Lemon Crunch Cupcakes

Mix together thoroughly in a large bowl:
24 lemon cream-filled cookies (crushed)
1 (21oz) can blueberry pie filling
1 c reconstituted lemon juice
Divide evenly into 24 cupcake papers lined in muffin pans.

Fold together with a Wisk:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz) container cool whip
Spoon on top of cookie mixture and freeze for eight hours or until firm. Garnish with candies or sprinkles!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.