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If it takes a little nudging to get you into the holiday spirit, try some Christmas baking early this year.
Make an event out of it, though – one laden with traditions and rituals that you can observe year after
year and pass on to the kids. Put on some Christmas music – Dean Martin is a favorite and a sure-fire
way to get you thinking about holiday cheer – then break out the recipes and start baking. No Christmas
baking ceremony would be complete without some merry cupcake recipes in the mix.
If you’ve not yet begun amassing special Christmas recipes for holiday baking, here are four delightful
cupcake recipes to get you started. Be sure to bake them all — it’s good to have a treat on hand to serve
drop-in holiday guests.
Red Velvet Cupcake Delights
Red Velvet is Christmas, not just in color but in the elegance of the light chocolate flavor and the
decadence of the snow-white drifts of cream cheese frosting. Use a vegetable peeler to easily create the
shaved chocolate curls for garnishing.
Ingredients
• 1 pkg. (2-layer size) red velvet cake mix
• 1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) chocolate instant pudding
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
• 1 cup thawed nondairy whipped topping
• 1 square white chocolate, shaved into curls
Directions
• Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 24 cupcakes, blending dry pudding mix
into batter before spooning into prepared muffin cups. Cool.
• Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Gradually beat in
sugar. Whisk in whipped topping. Spoon 1-1/2 cups into small freezer-weight resealable plastic
bag; seal bag. Cut small corner off bottom of bag. Insert tip of bag into top of each cupcake to
pipe about 1 Tbsp. frosting into center of cupcake.
• Frost cupcakes with remaining frosting. Top with chocolate curls. Keep refrigerated.
Brownie Cupcakes
Nothing is more comforting on a winter’s night than hot chocolate and brownies. You get both in one
delicious little package with these cupcakes. Leave some for Santa and you’re sure to make it onto
the “nice” list.
Ingredients
• 30 chocolate chip cookies
• 1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz.) brownie mix (13×9-inch pan size)
• 4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tub (8 oz.) non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Directions
• Heat oven to 350
OMG *drool* *drool*