Gingerbread has become as synonymous with Christmas as Santa. These gingerbread cupcakes are warmly spiced, topping with a sweetened cream cheese icing, and Sweets and Treats' gingerbread sprinkle mix.
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It's already Day 3 of Christmas Sweets Week! This week of Christmas treats is hosted by Terri from Love and Confections and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures! I hope you find lots of ideas to make your holidays a little bit sweeter. Don't forget to read about the prizes from our sponsors, and enter the giveaway.
Gingerbread has become almost as synonymous with Christmas as Santa. Children decorate gingerbread men to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve. People build gingerbread houses. Even other foods are flavored with molasses and ginger for a Christmas twist, like blondies, or pancakes.
Cake is an example of another baked good flavored with molasses and ginger (and other spices). Personally, I love gingerbread-flavored cake even more than traditional gingerbread cookies!
The warmly-spiced cupcakes are topped with a creamy, slightly sweet frosting made with cream cheese. I'm not ordinarily a fan of powdered-sugar-based frostings because they are often gritty. However, I've found that if you beat the frosting on medium-high speed once everything is incorporated, it gives the powdered sugar a better shot of dissolving into the butter and/or cream cheese, which improves the texture.
I topped my cupcakes with the most adorable sprinkle mix I've ever seen. Sweets and Treats sent me this Gingerbread Sprinkle Mix, with red and brown sprinkles, red and cream sugar balls, and the tiniest little gingerbread men! I've been a big fan of Sweets and Treats for years, so I was quite excited when they signed on to sponsor #ChristmasSweetsWeek.
So, if you need a dessert for a holiday party, try these gingerbread cupcakes. Easier to frost and decorate than traditional gingerbread men, and just as cute, especially with those sprinkles!
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Gingerbread Cupcakes with Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting
Gingerbread has become as synonymous with Christmas as Santa. These gingerbread cupcakes are warmly spiced, topping with a sweetened cream cheese icing, and Sweets and Treats' gingerbread sprinkle mix.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup water
For the frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
For topping
- Sweets and Treats gingerbread sprinkle mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.
- To make the cupcakes: Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, and egg.
- Add ¼ cup of the water to the melted butter mixture, then half the dry mixture, and stir. Add the remaining water and dry mixture, stirring until thoroughly combined.
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion the batter into the prepared baking pans, filling each about ⅔ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting: Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until creamy, stopping the mixer often to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add vanilla extract and salt and beat well to combine.
- With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined. After all of the sugar is added, turn the speed up to medium high, and continue to beat the frosting for another minute.
- Fit a piping bag with an open star tip, and fill the bag haflway with frosting. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake. Gently shake the sprinkle mix over all the cupcakes.
- Store, gently covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: cupcakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 260Saturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 132mgCarbohydrates: 38gSugar: 31gProtein: 1g
Cupcake recipe from King Arthur Flour; frosting recipe from Sugar Spun Run
More #ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes:
Beverages:
Boozy Salted Caramel Apple Cider from The Beard and The Baker
Christmas Punch from Juggling Act Mama
Frozen Caramel Hot Chocolate from Eat Move Make
Crockpot Red Velvet Hot Chocolate from April Golightly
Gingerbread Spice Caramel Latte from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Gingersnap Eggnog Shooter from Seduction In The Kitchen
Glogg from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
Hot Buttered Rum from Moore or Less Cooking
Peppermint Hot Chocolate from Mildly Meandering
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from The Bitter Side of Sweet
Salted Caramel Hot Apple Cider from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Sugar Cookie Cocktail from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
Vanilla & Spice Hot Mulled Wine from The Baking Fairy
Candies:
Almond Roca from Everyday Eileen
Christmas Cookie Bark from The Mandatory Mooch
Creamy Cheese Fudge from Take Two Tapas
Grinch Fudge from An Affair from the Heart
Milk Chocolate Toffee Fudge from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
Reindeer Food Snack Mix from Big Bear's Wife
Desserts:
Chocolate Mint Cookies from Platter Talk
Dark Chocolate Dipped Almond Shortbread Cookies from With Two Spoons
Gingerbread Bars with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting from Sweet Beginnings
Holiday Pavlova from My Suburban Kitchen
Hot Chocolate Whoopie Pies from Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
Joulutorttu (Finnish Christmas Tarts) from Tara's Multicultural Table
Merry and Bright Marshmallow Filled Christmas Cupcakes from Lady Behind the Curtain
Minty Grinch Dip from Who Needs A Cape?
Oatmeal Maple Cream Pies from Blogghetti
Pecan Pie Cheesecake from The Crumby Kitchen
Peppermint Stick Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Red Velvet Cookies from Live Love Texas
Red Velvet Truffle Sugar Cookie Cups from The Spiffy Cookie
Santa Belt Cupcakes from 4 Sons 'R' Us
White Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies from Cheese Curd in Paradise
Thank you ChristmasSweetsWeek Sponsors: Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, Lorann Oils & Flavors, Torani, Joyjolt, and Sweets & Treats Boutique for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The ChristmasSweetsWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Six (6) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The ChristmasSweetsWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the ChristmasSweetsWeek posts or entry.