The Training Wheels Are Off & Celebrating With #CoolWhipFrosting

I have a 5 and 3-year old. Our life is filled with little everyday moments to be cherished, celebrated and remembered. Right now my son is learning to ride his bike without training wheels. This is a huge step in his life and ours.

I always think of riding a bike as a simple thing. People often talk about things being easy to remember, "like riding a bicycle." But, after watching my son on his bike, I see it from a whole new perspective. My son gets so easily frustrated and wants to quit. My heart brakes for him when he says he's finished and wants to go inside. I want to share the love I had of riding my bike all around the neighborhood as a child with him.

My husband and I have very different teaching styles, but we both have the same goal. My son is ready to ride on his own and I wanted to show him how proud I am of all his hard work. A simple, "I'm so proud of you!" goes a long way, but today I wanted to do something extra special to celebrate this riding lesson.

My kids love it when I bake, but I don't always have time to make something special from scratch. To celebrate this everyday moment I wanted a fast and simple treat my 5-year old could make with me. This recipe ended up being so easy, he made it almost entirely by himself.

So we headed to our local Walmart for all the supplies I needed.

Have you tried the new #CoolWhipFrosting yet? I found it in the desserts and toppings area in the freezer section. In fact, it is right next to the other Cool Whip products. I was excited to see it came in 3 flavors, cream cheese, chocolate and vanilla. For this project I used the cream cheese, but picked up all 3 flavors to have ready in my freezer for next time we want to celebrate an everyday moment.

I was thrilled that the frostings were okay for my children to eat with their metabolic condition (PKU). That is why I usually keep Cool Whip topping on hand. It comes in handy as a dessert topping alternative.

You can follow my entire shopping trip in my Google+ album.

Because Fall is here and I love seasonal flavors, I chose a Pumpkin Cupcake recipe to make. This one is super easy because it uses a boxed mix base with only a few added ingredients. My kids love decorating their own cupcakes, but I made it a special treat for my son to help me make them.

At 5-years old my son is pretty comfortable in the kitchen. He broke the eggs himself, added the ingredients and even scraped down the sides of my mixing bowl. I operated the mixer and scooped batter into the cupcake liners.

The Cool Whip frosting is so easy to use! Just take it out and let it thaw on the counter. I used some to pipe onto my cupcakes with a ziplock bag. Just snip off a corner and gently squeeze. Since this was a simple everyday treat I didn't feel the need to even get out the decorating tips. I am thrilled at the frosting consistency. It was easy to mound and pipe.

I gave each child a knife, some candy leaves and a sugar pumpkin to use for decorating. The kids had no problem scooping or spreading the Cool Whip Frosting. 

The result? The frosting was a lighter and not overly sweet alternative to the traditionally heavy and rice version. I loved how it had the light taste and feel of regular Cool Whip topping. We all enjoyed the flavor and how it complimented the pumpkin and spices in the cupcakes.

Fast Pumpkin Cupcakes with 
Cream Cheese Cool Whip Frosting

You Will Need:

• 1 box yellow cake mix (plus the oil and eggs listed on the box directions)
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 tub Cream Cheese Cool Whip Frosting

• 
  
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 - 12 hole cupcake pans with liners and set aside.

Mix the cake ingredients, using the pumpkin puree in place of any water called for on the box. Use a muffin scoop to divide the batter between the pans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Let cool completely before frosting with Cool Whip Frosting.

Find more great recipe ideas on the Kraft Recipe page. Also be sure to connect with Cool Whip on Facebook for product announcements and promotions.

*Disclaimer - I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Kraft Cool Whip.  #CoolWhipFrosting #CBias #SocialFabric