Gingerbread Cupcakes
The heavenly aroma wafting in the air while these gingerbread cupcakes bake is sure to add to that holiday-cozy feeling around your home.
Recipe Ingredients:
For Cupcakes:
1/2 cup molasses
3/4 cup very hot water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons unsalted California butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
For Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted California butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 small gingerbread-man cookies
Cooking Directions:
- For Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour insides of 12 muffin cups or insert paper liners.
- Mix molasses, hot water and baking soda together in a large bowl. Cool to room temperature.
- With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg.
- In a large bowl, sift together salt, ginger, cinnamon, flour and baking powder.
- In three additions, alternately add dry ingredients and molasses mixture to butter mixture. Mix thoroughly after each addition to make sure there are no lumps.
- Evenly divide batter between cupcake molds.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cupcakes from the pans. Cool completely before frosting
- For Frosting: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. If cream cheese is very soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- With a piping bag, swirl cream cheese frosting on top of each cupcake. (You can also frost them with a table knife or small spatula.)
- Place a gingerbread-man cookie on top of frosting or wedge the cookie into each cupcake.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of www.realcaliforniamilk.com; through ARA Content.