Christmas sprinkle cupcakes

Around this time of year, we tend to experiment with different flavours in our baking, using such ingredients as ginger, peppermint and eggnog.

Christmas sprinkle cupcakes

Serving size 10

Now, we certainly aren’t going to knock gingerbread cookies or eggnog cheesecake, but there’s something to be said for the simplicity of vanilla cupcakes. And with the help of sprinkles, they can still be Christmas-themed!

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup milk

For the icing:

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

And of course, don’t forget the sprinkles!

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 10 cupcake baking cups in a muffin tin.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Alternate adding portions of the flour mixture and the milk to the wet ingredients, beginning with the flour. Stir until just combined. Don’t over-mix.
5. Scoop the mixture into each baking cup, being careful to not fill the cups up more than halfway.
6. Place the tray in the oven, and bake for 18–20 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the centres, and when the toothpick comes out clean, the cupcakes are done.
   Shopping tip: You can get inexpensive cupcake decorating sets at many department and dollar stores. But if not, a knife works just fine too!
7. Remove from heat and place on a rack to cool completely.
8. While the cupcakes cool, begin to make the icing. Sift the icing sugar to ensure it’s clump-free. Add 1 cup of icing sugar to the butter, and combine well. Add the milk and vanilla. Half a cup at a time, add the rest of the icing sugar until desired consistency is achieved. You want it to be smooth enough that it will come out of the piping bag easily but sturdy enough that it will hold its place on the cupcake.
9. Place the icing into a piping bag with a star tip and, starting at the outside, swirl icing in a continuous motion onto each cupcake.
10. Apply the sprinkles, and let the cupcakes sit before serving or storing.

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