Got visions of sugarplums dancing in your head? These yummy baked goods were dreamed up by Kelsey Lacombe, creator of www.cremedelacombe.com. Follow her @cremedelacombe for more recipes!
Bring your favorite sweet treat to your holiday parties with the help of some handy candy dandy tools:
Eparé Butter Keeper ← Tip: Store fresh soft butter on your countertop for easy access. No melting required
Short Stories Kitchen Scale ← Tip: Exact measurements are made easy with a food scale
Short Stories Rolling Pin ← Tip: Chill roller in the refrigerator before rolling out dough for even better results
BeauMac Battery-Operated Salt & Pepper Mill ← Tip: Bring out rich caramel and chocolate flavors by topping with course ground salt for a sweet ‘n’ salty treat
Bubbly Champagne Cupcakes
Yield: 15 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup champagne
For the Champagne Frosting
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream
3/4 cup champagne, reduced to 1/8 cup
Directions:
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 3 liners — this recipe makes about 15 cupcakes. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the wet, alternating with the buttermilk. Add the champagne and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full with cupcake batter.
- Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes cool on a wire rack.
For the Frosting
- In a small saucepan, bring the champagne to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, lower heat to medium and let simmer until the champagne reduces to about 1/8 of a cup. This will take about 5-7 minutes, but be sure to keep an eye on it.
- Once you have reduced the champagne down, remove it from the heat and let it cool.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together on low speed until fully combined.
- Add in the vanilla extract, heavy cream, and reduced champagne. Once everything is well combined, beat on high speed until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes.
- Once your cupcakes are cool, frost them with Champagne Frosting and top with sprinkles, luster dust, small sugar cookies, or whatever your heart desires!
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Yield: 32 large cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar plus 1/2 cup for rolling
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup white chocolate chips or white candy melts, melted
Sprinkles for topping
Sea salt for topping
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and spices. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract and mix until everything is combined. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined.
- Using a large cookie scoop (about 2 1/2 tablespoons), scoop balls of cookie dough and roll them in the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. Place the balls of cookie dough onto lined cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for about 10 minutes. The tops should look a little bit crackly when done.
- Let the cookies cool on a wire rack. Feel free to sprinkle the cookies with a little bit of extra sugar and some sea salt.
- Once cooled, drizzle with melted white chocolate and top with sprinkles of your choice!
P.S. Make these gluten-free by replacing the all-purpose flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour that has xanthan gum. Chill the cookie dough for at least an hour before baking and increase baking time to 12-14 minutes.
