Eggnog Christmas Cupcakes

Scrum-diddly-upmtious! Can I make up words? I tend to do that anyway, so I’m going to pretend that using my own unique vocabulary is allowed.

I get sick of using the same taste words over and over again: yummy, delicious (delish if you want to be hip), so good, tasty…you get the point. Of course I like to describe my food as such, but can you say b-o-r-i-n-g??? I need some fresh vocab, ya feel?!

Along with a new array of descriptive words, I was feeling some need for a new flavor profile today. Me and eggnog got all “up and personal” in the kitchen this afternoon. It was nice, real nice.

Eggnog is one of those foods that I love in small occasional doses. The flavor is so unique with it’s sweetness and warm spices. I like to drink it cold some days, and warmed with extra cinnamon on others. Today was a cold rainy day, so you can imagine which way I drank it.

I used to hate eggnog. I think it was more of a texture thing rather than a taste issue. I’m not a fan of thick, frothy drinks. It took me only about 20 years to realize that I could mix half skim milk and half eggnog to achieve my perfect texture preference. For me, this is the only way to drink eggnog. All those years I missed out.

So if the flavor of this wintery drink is so delicious, why not bake with it? People bake with milk, cream, and eggs all the time. It doesn’t seem that far fetched. But what to bake???

You know me. I turn just about anything into a cupcake, so that’s where I started and I’m sure glad that I did. These Eggnog Christmas Cupcakes turned out delicious on the first attempt. Now that is a Christmas miracle right there!

The cake is light and fluffy in texture with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. I decided to bake half of the cupcakes on top of a gingersnap crust which was a perfect pairing of flavors. If you have the extra time to mash up the crust, I highly recommend it, but these cupcakes are just as divine without.

Now the frosting! Holy Hannah this frosting! I topped the cakes with a smooth eggnog buttercream. I could just sit on my kitchen counter and eat this frosting by the spoonful. If I was two years old and had no concept of what a sugar high is. But unfortunately I know better, so I will just stick to licking the smudges of frosting off my fingers.

Braelyn was quite excited to see these festive cupcakes sitting on our countertop after school. I was using our “Elf on the Shelf”, aka Jingles, as a prop while taking photos. Since he was moved from his original spot that morning, Braelyn assumed that Jingles might have made the cupcakes. Uh, sorry buddy! I’m not letting you take credit for these! Maybe next time.

Are you an eggnog fan?

Eggnog Christmas Cupcakes

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Light and fluffy eggnog cupcakes spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg baked on top of a gingersnap crust and topped with smooth eggnog buttercream.

Author: Brielle

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• For Cake:
• 1½ sticks salted butter, room temperature
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 cups King Arthur brand multi-purpose baking flour
• 1 cup eggnog
• For Crust:
• 1 cup crushed gluten free gingersnap cookies
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• For Frosting:
• 1 stick salted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar, divided
• ½ cup eggnog
• dash of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two standard sized cupcake tins with paper liners. Begin making batter by creaming the sugar and butter together in a large mixing bowl or in a stand mixer until pale and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and xanthan gum. Mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
2. Add flour and mix on low until combined. Slowly add in eggnog and mix until incorporated. Beat for an additional 2 minutes. Set aside.
3. To make gingersnap crust, crush up cookies and dump into a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and mix together with fork. Melt butter in microwave and pour over mixture. Toss mixture with fork to incorporate butter throughout the crumbs. Add about a tablespoon of mixture to the bottom of each paper liner. Press down firmly with fingers.
4. Add cupcake batter on top of crust to fill liners ⅔ way full. Bake cupcakes at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until cupcakes spring back at the touch of a finger. Cool on wire racks.
5. To make frosting, beat butter in a large mixing bowl until pale and smooth. Add 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat until it looks like a thick frosting. Add eggnog and beat on low speed until smooth. Add additional 2 cups of powdered sugar and dash of salt. Beat until smooth. Add more powdered sugar (thicker) or eggnog (thinner) to reach desired consistency. You may add cinnamon and nutmeg to the frosting if you prefer.
6. Once cupcakes have completely cooled, pipe or spread frosting on top of cakes. Serve immediately at room temperature.
7. Freeze cupcakes for up to 3 months or keep in fridge for up to 5 days.

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