So, as you can imagine, it snowed again up here in NJ, and this time it stuck. Though I absolutely adore the snow, since it makes singing “Let it Snow” and “Winter Wonderland” so much more fitting, I vastly underestimated my dislike of ice.
Ice, my friends, is not fun.
Ice makes my commute to work a sliding, slippery, mess of death.
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Well, maybe not death, but falling down on an ice patch in the cold is definitely uncomfortable to say the least.
Oh and finding out you have a hole in your snowboots while walking to work? Not a good way to begin your Tuesday.
You know what’s a good way to begin your Tuesday, or any day?
With cupcakes.
(Duh).
Funfetti cupcakes are just one of those sweet treats I can’t get enough of, regardless of the season or holiday. Although a classic on birthdays, you can pretty much make them into any holiday version you need with the right kind of sprinkles.
And oh, do I have the right kind of sprinkles.
I absolutely adore sprinkles. If any day is turning out to be less than stellar, involving sprinkles in some way is sure to brighten my mood.
On top of my ice cream (which is totally not just for the summer months), on top of cookies…..
on top of AND in my cupcakes….
sprinkles make everything better.
You know what else makes everything better, though?
EGGNOG!
Not quite as versatile as sprinkles, to be sure, but nonetheless an absolutely remarkable way to make any cupcake more festive this month.
So these cupcakes have a mound of soft, pillowy, almost snowy frosting, plus plenty of sprinkles and eggnog to keep you smiling while you eat them all.
Did I say all?
I definitely meant one. Eat one cupcake. Just one.
…
Or six. It is Christmas right?
Maybe I should have been a grizzly bear. They are the ones that get to hibernate right? Eat a bunch of food, go to sleep for a few months, I could get used to that.
Oh and then you wake up in the spring and all the fat is gone. Rather brilliant, don’t you think?
But then if I was a bear, I wouldn’t have opposable thumbs…
so making cupcakes would be out of the question.
Ugh. I guess I’ll stick to being a human.
THOUGH I’ve seen those polar bears in Coca-Cola commercials cracking open those bottles of soda…
If you need me, I’ll be pondering hibernation while eating the rest of these cupcakes.
Happy Baking!
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup eggnog
- 1/4 cup red and green jimmies/sprinkles
For the frosting:
- 5 tbsp flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line one 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt until well combined. Remove a little of this flour mixture (maybe 3 tbsp) and toss it with the red and green sprinkles in a separate, smaller bowl. Set aside until ready to use.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer) beat oil with sugar until well incorporated, about 60-90 seconds. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated, then beat in vanilla.
- On the slowest speed of your mixer, alternatively beat in dry ingredients and eggnog to the oil mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. (Example: stir in 1/3 flour mixture, then 1/2 eggnog, and repeat until all is mixed in). Gently fold in flour-coated sprinkles.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 way full with cupcake batter and bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for a few minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
While they are cooling, make the frosting:
- Stir together the flour and milk in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it begins to bubble and sputter. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens to the consistency of thick cake batter (this can happen anywhere between 3-7 minutes, so watch carefully!)
- Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and let cool completely. While this is cooling, beat granulated sugar and butter for a full three minutes until pale and fluffy. Once the flour/milk mixture has cooled, beat this into the butter/sugar mixture for a full minute or two until fully incorporated.
- Pipe/frost cupcakes, dust with cinnamon, and serve
