After receiving a flurry of incredibly sweet comments on my previous posts, I decided to come back and update this dusty blog with a couple of other recipes I uncovered and fell in love with. (Tracy Jordan said “you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition at”, but because I’m dreading the end of 30 Rock and I can only wallow in my sadness, I will.) I hope you all love these winter wonderland/holiday themed treats; I know I do!
This particular treat, named “let it snow cupcakes” by the blog, Not your momma’s cookie requires a bit of an arts and craft station. *this could be really fun to do as a group activity.
Here’s what you’ll need: (taken straight off not your momma’s cookie‘s page) To keep the recipe and instructions as accurate as possible, I will provide the instructions provided by her page, but you are welcome to click directly on the link).
- One box of white cake mix (to make your mix extra yummy, add an extra egg and replace the water needed with milk. For a vanilla mix, add a couple teaspoons of vanilla extract)
- 2 containers of white frosting (any flavor, as long as it is white!)
- Cupcake liners
- 2 bags cocoa candy melts
- 1 bag white candy melts or white chocolate
- Sparkling sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Zipper bags
- Sheet protectors
- Tree clip art (Not your momma’s cookie provides this link; the tree bark)
1. Print out a piece of paper with several copies of your tree. Insert the piece of paper into a sheet protector and grease it up.
2. Melt the brown candy melts according to the directions on the package. Place melted candy melts into a zipper bag and snip off one of the corners (you can use pastry bags, if you have them). All you have to do is pipe the candy using the picture as your guide. Use a toothpick for even more control, smoothing out areas or adding definition to others. The melts will begin to harden as you work, but you can re-melt the chocolate as needed (transfer to a heat-proof bowl for melting, then add back to the zipper bag).
3. Allow the trees to sit on the counter until firm to the touch, about 30-45 minutes. This is a good time to prepare and bake your cupcakes, using the white cake mix.
4. Once the trees are “dry,” we are now going to add the snow onto the branches. Melt some white chocolate according to the package directions. Place chocolate in a zipper bag and snip off the tip (make a smaller hole for this than you did for the candy melts, since you want to be able to make smaller lines).
5. Pipe random line-y blobs onto the tree branches (to represent the snow on the branches!)
6. Now, while the white chocolate is still warm, douse the tree with sparkling sugar! (Once the trees are removed, you can roll up the sheet protector and pour the sprinkles back into the bottle to re-use).
7. Allow to dry completely, which should only take about 30 minutes.
8. Frost cooled cupcakes with white frosting. It doesn’t have to be perfect at all. Just use a butter knife to mound the icing onto the cupcake.
9. Mix some sparkling sugar and granulated sugar together into a small bowl. Dip the frosted cupcakes upside down into the sugar mixture, rolling around to coat. If your frosting becomes lumpy, you will be able to re-shape it once it is covered in sugar – it won’t stick to your fingers!
10. Carefully remove the a chocolate tree from the sheet protector and insert it the frosted cupcake. If your tree needs additional support to remain upright, you can insert a toothpick directly behind it to hold it up. For an edible alternative, use a pretzel stick!
11. Repeat for all cupcakes.
Happy New Year, everyone! Ring in the new year with these snow-friendly cupcakes for all of your end of the year parties and I have no doubt it’ll be a doozy.
Forks up!
