Strawberry Sauce

1. Pulse 6 ounces hulled sliced strawberries, until pureed.
2. Combine in a small saucepan pureed strawberries, cornstarch and sugar. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat and bring to a boil, boil 1 minute. Pour into a small bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Cool.

Shortbread Crust

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Pulse cookies in food processor until fine crumbs form.
2. Combine in a bowl cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter until blended. Divide crumb mixture evenly in paper liners and press over bottom evenly. Bake 5 minutes. Cool completely.

Swirled Strawberry Cupcake

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine cake flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl.
3. Combine milk and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup.
4. Beat in a electric mixing bowl on medium speed butter and sugar 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until blended. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and flavoring blending after each addition until smooth starting and ending with flour mixture. Divide batter evenly in prepared muffin cups. Dollop 1 ½ teaspoon cool, cooked strawberry sauce over each batter filled cup. Reserve remaining strawberry sauce for frosting. Using a knife or narrow spatula, gently swirl sauce through batter. Bake 18 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Strawberry Buttercream

1. Beat in electric mixing bowl on medium speed butter, confectioners sugar and milk 2 minutes or until creamy. Fold in remaining strawberry sauce. Frost cupcakes and garnish each with remaining strawberries, hulled and halved.
2. Recipe developed by San Francisco food blogger Anita Chu. Anita is a Bay Area native, living and working around San Francisco, with a lifelong addiction to all things sweet. After attending a six-month professional pastry course at Tante Marie's Cooking School and then working in a little bakery in the East Bay Anita started her blog, Dessert First, as a way to combine several of her interests: baking, photography, and writing. Anita does freelance work as a food writer, stylist, and photographer. She is also the author of two cookbooks, Field Guide to Cookies (2008) and Field Guide to Candy (2009). Anita's Swirled Strawberry Cupcakes reflect her love for both cupcakes and strawberries.