Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Cinnamon Swirl Frosting

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes – cinnamon sugar cupcakes topped with delicious brown sugar buttercream. A holiday cupcake recipe inspired by the classic Christmas cookie, created by our contributors, ellenJAY.

We’re sure your holiday to-do’s are a mile-long by now, and you’re in the process of whipping up all your family-favorite holiday cookies and cakes to share with friends and neighbors. We’ll we’re here to suggest one more recipe for you to add to this year’s holiday baking list. Our Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream are a spin-off of the always popular snickerdoodle cookie and are sure to be a hit at your next gathering.

This easy-peasy recipe will leave you feeling quite accomplished amongst the hustle and bustle, and we guarantee you will get two thumbs up from anyone who has the pleasure of enjoying one! These cupcakes can we whipped together in no time and are sure to be a crowd pleaser, especially with the kiddos! (Our kids sure did love gobbling up these cinnamon-sugar laden treats…after all they are our #1 taste testers!) They’re also the perfect little helpers to get involved in the kitchen to help with the sprinkling of the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Ingredients
Cupcakes

• 2 3/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 5 egg whites
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups milk

Cinnamon Frosting

• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Garnish

• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Steps

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt; set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat shortening with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Gradually add 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar, about 1/3 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, about one-third at a time, and 1 1/4 cups milk, about half at a time, beating just until blended.
4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each with about 3 tablespoons batter or until about two-thirds full.
5. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans; place on cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
6. In large bowl, mix powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and the butter with electric mixer on low speed. Beat in 1 tablespoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk. Gradually beat in enough remaining milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make frosting smooth and spreadable. Frost cooled cupcakes. In small bowl, mix garnish ingredients; sprinkle over frosted cupcakes.

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Peach Mojito Cupcakes + Free Printable Liners

absolutely love peach season! When I was younger, I lived in South Carolina so peaches were a summer staple. These peach mojito cupcakes are the perfect combination of my love for peaches and mojito cocktails! Add in some free printable cupcake liners to jazz up the sweet treats and you’re ready for a party! You could even style up an entire peach-themed summer party (or baby shower!) which I think would be fabulously delish.

I’ve been growing mint each year in my backyard, and I have to say, it’s one of the easiest plants to grow. Not only that, but it makes the perfect garnish for these peach mojito cupcakes. So even if you have a black thumb, plant some mint. Trust me, it’s hard to kill. You’ll find yourself using it for cocktails and food too! Yum!

Looking for another fantastic summer cupcake, we got to a very unusual place for food bloggers, the site ForRent.com. Maybe you will ask yourself what do cupcakes have to do with renting an apartment but believe it or not, on this great site, we found a guest post written by Courtney from Pizzazzerie for really delicious Mojito Cupcakes.

And what to say about them – peaches, mint and lime? Really, all the ingredients for a beautiful summer dessert! And if you maybe imagined them like a treat for a party, with the recipe for this delicious cupcake, you will find some printable liners. Really fantastic!!! It leaves us with nothing else but to thank Courtney for everything she gave us in this post!

INGREDIENTS
For the Cupcakes:

• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• Zest of 1 lime
• ¼ teaspoon mint extract
• 2-3 large peaches diced

For the Frosting:

• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons peach juice
• Peach food coloring optional
• Mint and peach slices for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with wrappers.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar on medium for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add eggs, beating between each addition. Add lime zest and mint extract.
5. Add dry ingredients, a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk until thoroughly combined. Do not overmix.
6. Fill liners with batter and drop in diced peaches.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. For frosting, beat butter until fluffy in a mixing bowl on medium.
9. Add sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly.
10. Add juices and coloring. Beat on medium for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy
11. Frost cupcakes and garnish with mint sprigs and peach slices!

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Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

In early April, I received an email from KitchenAid with an invitation to join them in promoting their Cook for the Cure® program, designed to raise funds and awareness of breast cancer. I didn’t have to think very long about my response

I quickly pressed the “reply” button and wrote, “I’d love to participate. My mom had breast cancer and was a survivor times 2 (cancer in one breast and then 10 years later, the other)! She passed on several years ago at 92, after living a very full life. Mom was quite an amazing woman; never complaining all through the bouts of cancer (colon cancer too); except one day when I called, she said that she felt sort of “icky”. I hope I can be half of what she was, if I ever have to go through something like that. Definitely count me in on the Cook for the Cure® program”.

I’ve got sweet and tangy, farm-stand fresh Pink Lemonade Cupcakes for you today. So pull up a front porch rocker and get ready to enjoy the appeal of this summertime sensation.

Summertime encompasses so many wonderful things…

Warm lazy evenings on the deck. Swimming pools. Spaghetti straps and tanned legs. Casual parties. Beach trips. Backyard grilling. Fresh seasonal produce. Iced tea and lemonade. Lots of laughter.

We’ve got some exciting travel plans this summer, but we also plan to do a lot of lounging at home, enjoying the sun and the season’s bounty.

And how appropriate that this post was due just a few days before Mother’s Day! Although it’s been four years since my mom passed away, there’s rarely a day goes by, that I don’t think of her. I miss hearing her cheerful voice on the phone, the good advice she always gave and the way she called a “spade a spade”. I never worried that mom wouldn’t tell me exactly what she thought (even though there were times I didn’t like hearing it!). She also had a wonderful sense of humor and, quite frequently, Scott and I will recall one of her many funny sayings, and have a good laugh over it.

As I was working on this post, I thought about the fact that, although mom never had a fancy house or a wonderful kitchen with all the latest appliances, she did own a KitchenAid mixer. And I have a feeling that she would have been hard-pressed to carry on without it. This little work horse of a lady made homemade bread once a week (ten loaves at a time!), even after all six of us kids grew up and left home. She loved how that machine could whip up a big batch of dough in a hurry, and used it religiously, for the bread, and also for all sorts of delicious treats right up until shortly before she died, at 92!

Ingredients
Cupcakes

• 1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ natural vanilla cake mix
• 3/4 cup frozen (thawed) pink lemonade concentrate
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 eggs
• Pink food color, if desired

Frosting and Garnish

• 2 containers Betty Crocker™ Whipped fluffy white frosting
• 6 tablespoons frozen (thawed) pink lemonade concentrate
• Pink food color, if desired
• Pink candy sprinkles, if desired

Steps

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box, using cake mix, 3/4 cup lemonade concentrate, 1/2 cup oil, the water, eggs and food color. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
2. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

• In large bowl, beat frosting, 6 tablespoons lemonade concentrate and the food color with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Frost cooled cupcakes. Garnish tops with candy sprinkles.

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Rainbow Cupcakes

Rainbows make everything better, especially when it rains. You could be having THE worst day but the second you see a rainbow you can’t help but smile. Personally I think everything is more fun when it’s full of those beautiful rainbow colors. These rainbow cupcakes are the perfect example of something that’s better with color. If I walked into a bakery and they had a rainbow cupcake I would be buying it without a second thought.

Rainbow Cupcakes have been a looooooong time in the making for this blog. They are one of my absolute favorite desserts to make which most people who know me would immediately guess. When I would make surprise cakes or birthday cakes for my favorite clients I would usually make them towering rainbow cakes. In fact, these rainbow cupcakes have been on the calendar for me since before I even started this blog 10 whole months ago (I can’t believe it has been 10 months already!) and I can’t think of a better way to toss aside all the hearts, pink and cupid and celebrate the month of March.

Let’s just get this out of the way ahead of time… yes, these cupcakes have food coloring. No, I don’t normally use food coloring in recipes and yes, I know it isn’t healthy/good for you/GMO free/it kills baby seals and kittens around the world I’m sure. 99% of the things I make/bake in our house are made with whole foods, not processed or minimally processed and be it important or not, organic. Which is exactly why I have no qualms about making these gorgeous cupcakes for us to enjoy the one time a year that we do. And yes I gave them to the little ones too. But c’mon, if you were a kid, wouldn’t this make you smile?

You may be wondering how I got my colors so vibrant. Well, I didn’t use liquid food coloring. I have found that liquid food coloring doesn’t give me the colors I desire. My boyfriend got me this set of gel food coloring for my birthday and ever since then I have been in love. If you use a lot of food coloring it’s definitely worth purchasing. When my little bottles empty I plan on buying the bigger ones.

The really nice thing about gel food coloring is that a little goes a long way. With liquid food coloring I probably would have had to use a hole bottle and it still wouldn’t have turned out as vibrant. I used about a pea sized amount for each bowl of cake batter and the colors turned out this bright.

A few tips/tricks for these awesome Rainbow Cupcakes just to make your lives a bit easier since there’s quite a few little bowls of batter:

1. Don’t bother weighing out the batter to ensure it is evenly dispersed. Use a 1 cup measure and any little bit left over can be extra of your favorite color. This isn’t a cake, so if one layer is a bit more prominent in some, no big deal. 🙂
2. If you would like to bake these without the cupcake wrappers, I highly recommend a silicone muffin tin.
3. Ziploc bags! I pipe them into the muffin tins with ziploc bags to make life SO much easier than spooning and spreading each layer.
4. Clear vanilla keeps your frosting a bright white! If you want blindingly white frosting swap out your butter for shortening. Butter tastes better though.
5. Don’t overbake, you don’t want the tops turning brown.
6. Use a large closed star decorating tip for your frosting.

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CUPCAKES:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• Food coloring (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple)
• Rainbow sprinkles

FOR THE FROSTING:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

INSTRUCTIONS
MAKE THE CUPCAKES:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tins with wrappers.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition then add the vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the stand mixer in three increments each, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating between each addition. Divide the batter into six bowls then dye each with the red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple food coloring.
5. Spoon a portion of the purple batter into each cupcake cup, top it with the blue, then green, yellow, orange and red, careful not to mix any of the layers. (Alternately, transfer each color into sealable plastic bags and pipe the batter into the cups.) Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 18 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and transfer them to a rack to cool completely while you make the frosting.

MAKE THE FROSTING:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined then add half of the powdered sugar and continue beating until well combined.
2. Add the heavy cream and continue beating and then add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until the frosting is thick and creamy. (See Kelly's Notes.)
3. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe or spread the frosting onto them then top with rainbow sprinkles and serve.

KELLY'S NOTES:

• Beating the frosting in between each addition of the powdered sugar lightens the color of the frosting and will make it more white in color (rather than yellow).
• If the frosting is too thin, add additional sifted powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time, or if it’s too thick, add additional heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.

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