Spread Christmas Cheer by Baking for All to Eat

In the last post, I told you that I had only baked ONCE all of December- well, I have corrected that...I now have baked an additional 9 dozen cupcakes! Seven dozen of those being in one night...I get so excited about my baking plans they just tend to explode.  This year I really wanted to test out some new Christmas cupcake recipes instead of my standard Chocolate with Peppermint (don't worry I still made this flavor too just added some new ones to the mix). Everyone seemed to love these new flavors!

I finally settled on these four cupcakes:

Gingerbread

Eggnog

Chocolate with Peppermint

Snickerdoodle

Gingerbread Cupcakes - originally from Imperial Sugar
Makes 12 cupcakes

5 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake tin and set aside.
2. Mix butter and sugar with electric mixer about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
3. Add molasses and then the egg and egg yolk, stir to combine.
4. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon and baking soda. Add to the butter/sugar/molasses mixture alternating with the buttermilk.
5. Mix until just combined.
6. Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake cups about 2/3 cups full.
7. Bake for 20 minutes I turn the pan halfway through baking
8. Cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing Originally from Creme de la Crumb
I got this recipe from a different post because well, cinnamon and cream cheese how can you go wrong?!

Ingredients for Icing
4 cups powdered sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 teaspoons heavy cream

Steps
1. Beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
2. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and mix until smooth.
3. Gradually add in powdered sugar. Add 1-2 more tablespoons of heavy cream until you get the consistency you want for the icing.
4. Frost your cooled cupcakes and enjoy! I used the star tip for these cupcakes

Eggnog Cupcakes Originally from Life, Love & Sugar
Makes 24 cupcakes
I was quite honestly the most worried about these cupcakes, they didn't turn out as pretty and almost "caramelized" in the oven BUT everyone LOVED them so please don't discard them because they might not be pretty!

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2-3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup eggnog I just bought Barber's Eggnog
1/4 cup milk

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line cupcake tins and set aside.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add butter, egg whites, vanilla, nutmeg, eggnog and milk and mix on medium speed until just combined. Do not overbeat.
4. Divide batter among the cupcake tins.
5. Bake 18 - 20 mins again turning halfway through baking
6. Cool completely before frosting.

Ingredients for Eggnog Icing unfortunately, I can't find the exact eggnog frosting recipe that I used but I will share the one that came with the cupcake recipe
If using a piping tip, double the recipe.
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons eggnog
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Steps
1. Combine butter and shortening until smooth.
2. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
3. Add eggnog, rum extract and nutmeg, combine until smooth.
4. Add remaining powdered sugar and mix in until smooth.
5. Add a little more eggnog and mixed until desired consistency.
6. Decorate your cupcakes and enjoy!

Chocolate with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting, originally from Glorious Treats
Makes 24 cupcakes

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Steps
1. Line muffin tin and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute.
4. Stir in boiling water your batter will be thin, this is correct.
5. Fill liners about 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 22-24 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.
7. Cool completely before frosting.

Ingredients for Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter
6 oz. cream cheese
4 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Steps
1. Place butter in a mixing bowl and blend slightly. Add cream cheese and blend until combined.
2. Add powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed until fluffy.
3. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts.
4. Slowly add cream, a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.
5. Beat about a minute, until fluffy.

Because I use a piping tool to frost I usually 1 1/2 the icing recipe, the ingredients above are the original ingredients

Before filling the piping bag or tool, take some of the icing and color it with red food coloring and get a good bit on a knife and drag it down two sides of the piping tool then fill with the white frosting. This works best if every time you refill you make sure you apply plenty of red frosting all the way down the side of the tool. Once you frost the cupcakes add a Hershey's peppermint kiss on top, I tend to only put the kisses on half the cupcakes in case some prefer them without. Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes originally from Read it & eat
Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake tins and set aside.
2. Combine flour, cake flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and whisk to combine.
3. In a separate bowl beat with an electric mixer, butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg.
5. Blend in the vanilla.
6. On low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the milk beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat after each addition until well mixed.
7. Divide batter equally among the cupcake tins.  Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating halfway through.
8.  Cool completely before frosting.

Ingredients for Frosting
If piping double the recipe
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Ingredients for Garnish
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
Stir together and dust on top of each cupcake

Steps
1. Combine cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla extract.  Slowly add powdered sugar, mix well.
2. Frost the cooled cupcakes and add garnish to each cupcake.

Seven dozen cupcakes distributed among co-workers, friends, and my Pi Phi sisters and I still don't think that covered everyone sorry if you missed out on this go-round, promise it wasn't intentional!

 

One final recipe for today- I love when friends send me a link to a recipe or video or article that they just know I'm going to love and have to try (yes, this is a hint that you should send me over recipes that you'd like for me to try).  This is exactly what happened yesterday, Amanda sent me a video of how to make your own Peppermint tray. (It was on The Chew originally, thank you Clinton Kelly). This was SO easy to make and such a fun way to display my cupcakes at a recent Christmas party! I took pretty close to step by step pictures because I really didn't know how it was going to turn out, it turned out great!

You will need a cookie tray, wax paper, and a bag of peppermints.

1. Line your cookie tray with wax paper if you have any extra wax paper trim it so it doesn't hang over the tray.
2. Line up your peppermint candies with a little space in between each one.

3. Put it in the oven at 350 for 5-7 minutes- until the peppermints start to touch, once they are all touching remove the tray. 

4. Let it cool for about 30 seconds and then trim off the edges with a knife to make it nice and clean cut.

5. Use as a serving tray/statement piece at your next party!

 

 

Happy Holiday Baking!!!