Candy Cane Cupcakes

The single best thing about the holiday season may be the infusion of peppermint into everything. I love it. I really can't get enough. And there is something about peppermint that just doesn't taste quite the same any other time of the year.

My absolute favorite holiday treat is peppermint stick ice cream, preferably from the local dairy back home... But I can't get that down here, in San Diego, so every year I have to settle for something sub-par (usually the generic store brand). That is why, this year, my Christmas List is topped with a homemade ice cream maker... I hope Santa is reading this, because that's what I really want. Oh, and a microwave that goes above my oven. That too, Santa.

I came home from dinner with a friend Wednesday night and, although I could have easily gotten ready for bed or sat down to grade some papers, I decided it was time for some holiday baking. Perhaps it had been a conversation about the previously mentioned ice cream over dinner. Perhaps it was my festive holiday decorations. Perhaps it was the smell of REAL Christmas tree wafting through my house. Whatever it was, the results were delicious.

Candy Cane Cupcakes

adapted from Glorious Treats

photo by Jessica Y.

These guys will give the real thing a run for their money. Candy Canes, look out!

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (best quality available)
• 1 cup boiling water

1. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
2. Mix together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add each item individually and blend until just combined. Once all ingredients are added, beat on medium speed for about a minute.
4. Stir in boiling water. Yes, this will make it more like cupcake soup. Don't worry--it will be ok!
5. Fill liners slightly more than half full with the batter. They are going to puff up a lot, so don't over fill the cups! It was a heck of a lot easier to do this with a glass measuring cup than trying to use my cupcake scoop.
6.  Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.
7. Allow to cool completely before you fiddle with them! They will collapse if you pester them too much.

Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup (1 stick, 8 Tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
• 6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature (about 3/4 of a regular block of cream cheese)
• 4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 to 3 Tablespoons milk

1. Put the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until fluffy. Add cream cheese and beat until creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar (a little at a time) and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
3. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts
4. Add small amounts of milk until you achieve the desired consistency.
5. Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.

To make it LOOK like a candy cane (not just taste like one):
 Before filling a large piping bag with frosting, add some red gel food coloring to a small paintbrush, and draw two (vertical) lines with the red dye on the inside of the piping bag. You can also pipe red frosting directly into the creases of the bag (which is what I did). Then carefully fill the piping bag with frosting.  Squeeze some frosting into a bowl until you begin to see the red stripe, then frost the cupcakes using a swirling motion.