Happy Groundhog Day!

If you know me you probably know that I love to celebrate holidays and themes. I came across the idea for these cute little guys on Pinterest yesterday and knew right away that I wanted to make them. I realized that other than watching the movie "Groundhog Day" I haven't really ever done anything to celebrate. Not that there is much to do other than actually go to Punxsutawney, PA, which is on my bucket list by the way. Anyways, these cupcakes are simple and oh so adorable and seemed like the perfect way to celebrate.

The original ones I saw were made with white icing dyed green with a little food coloring and covered in green jimmies to look like grass. I decided to just go with a brighter green icing and I think I like the look better than the ones I had originally seen and they were easier to make!

Ingredients:
Devils Food Cake Mix (or your favorite chocolate cake recipe)
Green Icing
Teddy Grahams

As I stated above, these are super simple. Just follow the cake recipe and once the cupcakes are cool, you're ready to decorate. Start by icing them with the green icing. I started on the outer rim using a starburst looking tip and worked my way in. Next take a Teddy Graham and stick it in the middle of the cupcake so that just the hands and head are sticking up. Even though they're teddy bears, the heads look enough like groundhogs that it works. Finally, take a few Teddy Grahams and stick them in a ziplock bag. Crush them up into tiny crumbs. Then sprinkle the crumbs around each groundhog on the cupcakes. This gives it the effect of the dirt that would unearth when the groundhog pops up.

Once you're finished, you're all set to plop down on the couch and enjoy your groundhog cupcakes while watching Groundhog Day!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 19

For day 19 of my 25 Days of Christmas I made a batch of eggnog cupcakes. Similar to holiday cookies, there are a million different options for holiday themed cupcakes. Last year I made these adorable Reindeer Cupcakes. This year, instead of picking a decorative cupcake, I decided to go for a holiday flavored cupcake. When I saw eggnog cupcakes on Pinterest, I just knew I had to give them a try.

Ingredients Needed:
1/4 cup dark rum or bourbon (I used Kraken Black Spiced Rum)
1 cup soy eggnog
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
scant 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350F.
Step 2: Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with liners. (get holiday ones if possible, more festive!)
Step 3: In a small bowl, mix together rum, eggnog, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla.
Step 4: In a large bowl, mix together nutmeg, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Step 5: Pour in rum mixture and whisk until just combined. Divide evenly into muffin tins (a 1/4 cup measure is a good tool for this).
Step 6: Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed.
Step 7: Cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Ingredients Needed for Eggnog Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp soy eggnog (or regular)
2 tbsp rum (I used Kraken Black Spiced Rum)
generous pinch of nutmeg, freshly ground
2+ cups confectioners’ sugar

Step 1: Cream together butter, eggnog, rum, nutmeg and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Add in more confectioners' sugar if needed to make frosting stiff, but spreadable.
Step 2: Spread on cupcakes and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Step 3: My holiday liners came with little decorative picks so I added these for a more festive look!