Sweet holiday treats

 
I absolutely love eggnog and I really only get to have it from November to January. So within that small window of time, I jumped at the chance to make eggnog cupcakes and happened to find a pretty good recipe to go off of [ not to mention I had these really cute cupcake liners I wanted to show off]. It also so happened that Josh's mom was hosting a big holiday party this past weekend and I was in charge of desserts. Along with the cupcakes, I also baked pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting [ which I will be posting about shortly] and the chocolate dipped pecan bars from earlier.

These cupcakes are delicious and I found some adorable edible pearls which added a touch of elegance to their presentation. The original recipe had a cinnamon stick as a garnish, but as I learned in culinary school- all garnishes should be edible and I don't think many people are interested in gnawing on some cinnamon bark.

 

Happy Holidays!!

 

Eggnog Cupcakes
(recipe adapted from Annie's Eats)

Cupcake Batter
 - 1 1/3 cups AP flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup dark rum [* I didn't have dark rum, so I just added extra vanilla instead]
- 1 1/2 cup eggnog [* I added 1/2 cup more than original, because I really wanted the flavor to stand out]
- 1/4 cup veg oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar

Frosting
- 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup eggnog
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon for sprinkling

[*This frosting originally had 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, but there is too much of a pure butter taste without the addition of more, & a little more eggnog for a yummy frosting]

Preheat the oven to 350F
Start by lining the muffin tin with paper liners. This should make about 20 cupcakes.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon.

In a stand mixer, combine the eggnog, vegetable oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and sugar. Beat on medium until the sugar dissolved and everything is combined.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer and beat until just combined.

Use an ice cream scoop to evenly spoon the batter into the tins.

Bake for 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean

Let the cupcakes cool in the tins for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting them.

For the frosting, beat the buter using a whisk attachment until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg and mix at a low speed to start with [ or else sugar will be everywhere] and then raise the speed once its incorporated.

Add in the eggnog and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until everything is fully mixed and the frosting looks slightly stiff or holds its shape, about 5 minutes.

Spread or pipe the frosting on as you'd like, and sprinkle some cinnamon over the tops with a mini sifter.

One cupcake had been compromised, you know, for quality control

Enjoy!