Spring Snickerdoodles

Ingredients - Spring Snickerdoodles (Taken from Something Swanky's White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Pudding Cookies)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 package (3.4 oz) white chocolate instant pudding mix

2 & 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 bag white chocolate m&ms

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

Look at all that chocolate!  It's a miracle that the dough even makes it into the oven!

Preparation - Spring Snickerdoodles
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Cream the butter for 1-2 minutes, then add the sugar and cream for an additional 3-4 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla, mixing after each addition.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt.  Add slowly to the butter mixture, and mix until combined.
5. Fold in the m&ms and white chocolate chips.
6. Using a cookie scoop, create small balls to roll in the cinnamon sugar.  Coat well.
7. Place dough balls onto a baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (In other words, try not to eat them before they are cool.  These are to die for while they are still warm and gooey!)

Cinnamon sugar covered dough balls.

Mini Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Mini Car Bomb Cupcakes - Guinness Irish Stout Cupcake, Jameson Whiskey Ganache, & Bailey's Irish Cream Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients - Mini Irish Stout Cupcakes (From My Baking Addiction's Guinness Cupcakes)

1 bottle Guinness or other dark stout beer

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 T vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa

2 cups sugar

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 tsp baking soda

Preparation - Mini Irish Stout Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper cupcake liners in a mini cupcake baking pan.

2. Mix the Guinness, milk, oil, and vanilla together.  Beat in each egg and then the sour cream, mixing well after each addition.  

3. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, and baking soda.

4. Add the cocoa mixture to the Guinness mixture by the cupful, mixing until just combined after each addition.

5. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full with batter and bake for 12 minutes. 

6. Let cupcakes sit in the pan for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Recipe makes about 80 mini cupcakes.

7. Once cool, place in the freezer for approximately 10 minutes.  This will help the ganache in the next step set without running all over the cupcakes!

Mini Irish Stout Cupcakes

Ingredients - Whiskey Ganache (Taken from Sugar and Snapshots)
1 (4 oz) Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar, chopped
0.5 cup heavy cream
1 T butter, softened
3 T whiskey

  

Preparation - Whiskey Ganache
1. Put chopped chocolate and butter in a small bowl, set aside.
2. Bring heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan.
3. Pour cream over chocolate and stir until butter and chocolate are completely melted.
4. Add in whiskey, and stir until combined.
5. Refrigerate for 5-8 minutes, or until ganache is cool to the touch.
6. Remove cupcakes from freezer. Dip each cupcake in the ganache to the cupcake liner.  Twist your wrist and allow any extra ganache to run off before turning right side up and allowing to set.
7. Let the ganache covered cupcakes set for approximately an hour before adding the buttercream from the next step.

Whiskey Ganache

Ingredients - Irish Cream Vanilla Bean Buttercream (Taken from Sugar and Snapshots)

4 egg whites
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoons
1/2 cup powdered sugar
6 T Bailey's Irish Cream

Preparation - Irish Cream Vanilla Bean Buttercream

1. Whisk the egg whites and salt in a metal bowl (the metal Kitchenaid mixer bowl works great!)
2. Add sugar and whisk until combined.
3. Suspend metal bowl over a simmer saucepan of water and whisk until sugar is melted, 2-5 minutes. (The sugar is melted when you can no longer feel the granules and the mixture is smooth.)
4. Whisk mixture for approximately 8-10 minutes on medium/high. The mixture will have stiff peaks.
5. Add in butter a tablespoon at a time.  Take your time!  Make sure each tablespoon is incorporated before adding the next. Once all butter is added, the mixture will look curdles.  Mix on high for 5-10 minutes until it has come back together.
6. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined.  If not sweet enough, add to taste.
7. Add Bailey's and mix.
8. Place buttercream in a piping bag and swirl onto cupcakes.

Irish Cream Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

Vanilla Bean Sprinkle Cupcakes with Candy Chip Frosting

Ingredients - Vanilla Bean Sprinkle Cupcakes

2.5 cups plus 2 T all-purpose flour

6 T cornstarch

1 T baking powder

2 vanilla beans, split & seeded

2 sticks butter, softened

2 cups sugar

5 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

1 T vanilla extract

1 package Wilton Color Burst Batter Bits (or more, if you want to add additional colors!)

Preparation - Vanilla Bean Sprinkle Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and vanilla beans for 4-5 minutes.

4.  Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition.

6. In another bowl, mix the sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract.

7. Alternate adding the flour and sour cream mixtures to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture.  Mix on low after each addition until just combined.

8. Fold in the Batter Bits.

9. Fill cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full.  For regular sized cupcakes, bake 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  For mini cupcakes, bake 12-14 minutes. 

10. Let cupcakes cool in pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ingredients - Candy Chip Frosting

1.5 sticks butter, softened

0.5 block cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1.5 tsp heavy cream

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 jar Wilton Brownie Crunch Rainbow Chips

Preparation - Candy Chip Frosting

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese for 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the powdered sugar a cupful at a time and beat until light.

3. Add the cream, salt, and vanilla one at a time and beat after each addition until well mixed.

4. Fold in the rainbow chips.

5. Frost cooled cupcakes and refrigerate until ready to be eaten.