The other day I received a big package of goodies from my friends at Zatarain’s. At the very top of the box was a bottle of their Root Beer Extract, including a recipe for making homemade root beer.

The box couldn’t have come at a better time as I was in the middle of making my “things we want to do this summer to make the summer fun” list for the kids. You know that list, with all the great expectations on it, that no matter how hard you try to achieve everything on it you fail? Then, at the end of the summer you look back at the list of things you didn’t get done then feel like a failure of a mom for not making summer the absolute best it can be? Yeah, that’s the list. And yes, I know how it turns out each and every year, but every summer I still make the darn list in hopes of a better turn out “this time around”.

Anyway, I immediately added “make homemade root beer” to our summer bucket list. That should be an easy one to cross off, right? There’s nothing incredibly grand involved… just some Zatarain’s root beer extract and a few simple instructions and voila…. root beer! I’ll let you know as soon as we’ve checked this one off. I may make it be first on the list, just so we can start off summer with a bang!

So, since it isn’t quite summer break yet (1 more week!) I have to wait to make homemade root beer, but I still wanted to do something with the root beer extract now. I decided to give Root Beer Float Cupcakes a try!

I knew I wanted an extra creamy frosting for the cupcakes because everyone knows the very best part of a root beer float is the melted ice cream / root beer mixture at the very end of the glass. I then went on a search for a Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe. Swiss Meringue is a delicious, silky, creamy frosting made with an egg white and granulated sugar base and lots and lots of butter! It’s a little bit of extra work, but oh my… so very worth it in the end. I combined the recipe over at Martha Stewart’s website (replacing vanilla extract with root beer extract) with the awesome instructions from my friend Rosie over at the Sweetapolita blog. Thanks to them, I had incredible success with my Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

These Root Beer Float Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream are the bomb, if I do say so myself. Any root beer float fan will be as big of a fan of cupcakes made to their liking.

Do you have a summer bucket list? If so, add these cupcakes to your list… in the number one spot. Even if you fail at everything else this summer, you’ll have started your summer off on the right foot! Enjoy!

These other friends have tempting (and all unique) Root Beer Cupcake recipes too!

• Root Beer Float Cupcakes from How Sweet Eats
• Root Beer Float Cupcakes from Smitten Kitchen
• Root Beer Float Cupcakes from Coconut & Lime

Disclosure: I am a 2012 brand ambassador for Zatarain’s. All opinions expressed are my own.

The post Great Expectations {Recipe: Root Beer Float Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Fresh out of school and at my first job, happy hour was a regular occurrence. My colleagues and I would leave the stressful day at the office behind and head to the local posh restaurant or bar to unwind and put on our social hats. If we were lucky, our boss and owner of the company would join us and would pick up the tab.

Most often, the evening would end much later than an “hour” from when it started. Laughter, karaoke and getting to know each other past what we saw in a typical office day. In those times, my co-workers were who I spent the majority of my time with and because of that were the people I considered my greatest friends.

Happy hour has changed so much since I was a young twenty something. Working from home and being a mom means other stay at home mom’s are my colleagues. Happy hours no longer happen in posh bars and establishments… instead we greet the end of a long week surrounded by our kids laughing and playing, in lawn chairs under the big tree in our yard. There are no corporate cards, no fancy hors d’oeuvres… just me, my good friends and our kids spilling over with joy into our yard. Pizza and goldfish, juice boxes and cocktails… nothing fancy but in this life of mine, it is perfection.

Choosing my signature drink of the season is a big deal. Last year I often shared an Arnold Palmer with friends. This year, with the discovery of the selection of flavors of Pinnacle Vodka, I can guarantee you my happy hour cocktail of the season will include a concoction made with a Pinnacle Vodka flavor.

After trying the Creme Cake Cocktail last week I couldn’t help but wonder how awesome the Whipped Pinnacle Vodka would be with root beer. It took me a few days, and some seriously difficult recipe testing (insert sarcasm) to figure out what combination would work best for a creamy, cold, root beer float inspired cocktail. Friends, I think I found it… and I’m sharing the recipe below.

Here’s to the many more happy hours to come. Gathering with friends, connecting with others and celebrating together the end of another week “on the right side of the grass”.  Enjoy.

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Whipped Root Beer Float Cocktails

Whipped Root Beer Float Cocktails

Author Dine & Dish

Ingredients

• 2 ounces chilled Whipped flavored Pinnacle Vodka
• 1 ounce chilled Bailey's Irish Cream or heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup cold root beer
• 3 large scoops vanilla ice cream divided
• Maraschino cherries and whipped cream for garnish if desired
• For a non-alcholic version, replace the amount of vodka and Bailey's Irish Cream with heavy whipping cream

Instructions

• Place all ingredients but 2 scoops of ice cream and garnish into a blender. Blend until smooth.
• Pour blended ingredients into 2 tall milkshake glasses. Add 1 scoop of ice cream into each glass. Garnish with maraschino cherries and whipped cream, if desired. Serve cold.

The post Happy Hour {Recipe: Whipped Root Beer Float Cocktails} appeared first on Dine and Dish.