A couple of weeks ago, as our family was going through a very difficult time, a dear friend showed up at my door with a big kraft-colored shopping bag with a single word on it…Sprinkles.  Inside was a stack of kraft-colored boxes…three to be exact.  She explained to me that these were full of cupcakes:  Salty Caramel, Summer Cherry, Red Velvet and Vanilla Milk Chocolate, to name a few.  She asked me if I had ever had Sprinkles before, to which I replied “no”.  As she walked away from the door, I heard her say, “Oh, it’s a bad, bad thing I have done.”  It would soon become apparent that she was right.

I have always been perfectly satisfied and happy with cupcakes made with regular cake mixes.  I think they are delicious and are just my speed for quick desserts.  The phrase “you don’t know what you’re missing” comes to mind.  The living room was full of people and with so many choices, we couldn’t decide which to try first.  We decided to cut up one of each flavor and let everyone take a bite.  You would think that would help, right?  Nope!  They were all so yummy that it made the deciding even more difficult!

 
It worked out in the end – they all got eaten!  When I ran into my friend’s husband at Costco the next day, I thanked him for the Sprinkles.  He informed me that his wife was obsessed with them, that she is always tweeting him the whisper word hoping that he will go out for her.  I didn’t know exactly what he meant, but I let it go, thinking that I would figure it out later.  I was just starting to get back to my regular routine, when I got a text from my friend: The whisper word of the day is “bake a wish”.  What was I supposed to do with that?  Then I found out – this is dangerous information, so don’t proceed if you are subject to an addictive personality. 

 
Everyday there is a new whisper word – this is the secret word (or phrase) that you pass to one of the cute “cupcake dispensers” behind the counter.  They smile and happily bring you the whisper word cupcake of the day…which varies depending on the day of the week or month of the the year or special seasonal flavors.  There is a daily limit of the whisper word cupcakes (like 25 or 50 each day) so this is the proverbial “early bird gets the worm”…not equating this to worms, of course, just not to those that linger in bed or are off to work at the crack of dawn.  While exclusive to fans, you too can be the receiver of the whisper word.  All you have to do is click here and “like” them on Facebook…or you can sign up on their website and they will tweet you the whisper word.  I signed up for the email list, so this morning I got this bit of information.

The founder of Sprinkles and a judge on “Cupcake Wars” on the Food Network, Candace Nelson and Orlando Hudson, second baseman for the Padres, will be at the La Jolla Sprinkles shop ( 8855 Via La Jolla Drive – in the Whole Foods shopping center) on July 29th, from 11am to 1pm to kick off a fundraiser to benefit the fight against Autism.  Orlando will be helping with the sale of Padres Vanilla Cupcakes…100% of the proceeds from the sales of the Padres Vanilla Cupcakes will go to CATCH Foundation, a non-profit which provides grants to schools and other organizations that support the fight against Autism.  Click here for more information.

 
I have yet to try all the flavors at Sprinkles.  For now it is a close race for my favorite between the Salty Caramel and the Red Velvet, with the Salty Caramel slightly ahead.  If you want to try the Salty Caramel, don’t hesitate as they go off the line-up after July 31st.  But I’m sure that I will be able to find a favorite replacement until this time next year. 

 
See all those little crystal bits?  I think it must be the salty part, which makes the caramel not quite so sweet. 

This is not everything99cents store merchandise, and you know I am a frugal shopper, first and foremost.  But there are times when you allow yourself to splurge and this is better for me than a day at the spa or a manicure!  So prepare to eat, drink and be early…for tomorrow there will be a new whisper word and it would be a shame to miss out!