White Chocolate Cranberry Poke Cupcakes

Did you get a chance to see my Sugared Cranberries recipe? Well, here is where I used some of mine.  They paired well with my white chocolate cream cheese frosting on top of the cranberry poke cupcakes. I tried these out on my family at Thanksgiving. They were well received. If you can’t find cranberry Jello gelatin, substitute with raspberry Jello gelatin. And if you prefer to use a shortcut, just use a box of your favorite white cake mix. I won’t tell. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS:

• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened (Do not soften in microwave)
• 1 package (3 ounces) cranberry JELL-O gelatin
• 1 cup boiling water

FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 package (6oz total) Baker’s White Chocolate bars
• 1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 cup powdered sugar

CUPCAKE DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Add cupcake liners to cupcake pans.
2. In a small bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, almond extract, milk, & sour cream. Whisk until blended & set aside.
3. Mix the dry ingredients (cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt) in the mixer for 30 seconds so the baking powder and salt will be well incorporated into the flour and sugar.
4. Slowly add the pieces of butter a few at a time while the mixer is on medium speed. Beat for approximately 1 minute or until the dry ingredients are crumbly and moistened by the butter, giving it the look of coarse sand. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl.
5. It is important to SLOWLY add approx. 1/2 of the egg mixture with the mixer on very low speed then increasing to medium speed for 1½ minutes — the batter will be thick and fluffy. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 pourings, scraping the bowl and beating for 20 seconds after each addition. It is now ready to pour into cupcake liners.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Pierce tops of cupcakes with fork immediately after cooking.
7. Combine boiling water with JELL-O gelatin. Stir until dissolved. Spoon gently over cupcakes, allowing to sink into fork holes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight is best.

FROSTING DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt chocolate according to package directions.
2. Beat cream cheese and butter in large mixing bowl for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
3. Add melted chocolate, vanilla extract, lemon juice and powdered sugar. Beat for another 2 minutes.
4. Pipe onto cupcakes and garnish with sugared cranberries.

Sugared Cranberries

Hello everyone! It’s officially the holiday season once again. It’s also my favorite time of the year for baking and cooking. I thought I’d start off with something really easy to make. Sugared cranberries are great for garnishing your desserts or dessert trays or even as a sweet and sour treat all on it’s own.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups granulated sugar divided (2 cups & 1 cup)
• 2 cups water
• 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine 2 cups of sugar with the 2 cups water in a small sauce pan. Heat over low heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Do not bring to a boil!
2. Remove from heat as soon as sugar is dissolved.
3. In a large bowl, add cranberries. Top with the sugar syrup you just made and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight is best.
4. After your cranberries have soaked, drain off syrup completely and allow to sit in strainer for at least 15 minutes.
5. Pour remaining  1 cup of sugar in a gallon Ziploc bag.  Add cranberries and shake until all cranberries have been well coated.
6. Empty contents of bag onto a wire rack (with pan or foil underneath to catch excess sugar.)
7. Let cranberries dry for at least an hour.
8. Store in refrigerator until ready to use as garnish.