I am in full baking mode this year. Blame it on The Great British Baking Show and The Great American Baking Show for making me want to have a three day event where I will be creating the trifecta of holiday baking -cupcakes, brownies and cookies. It'll be the most baking I've done in years, but I'm looking forward to it.
The cupcakes will be the star of the show. I plan on using Duncan Hines lemon cake mix and turning it into Christmas Funfetti cupcakes. This is where you add half a cup of sprinkles to the batter. This creates a fun and pretty polka dot look. Many home bakers are getting on the trend and making these for birthday parties and showers. The tubular jimmy kind has to be used. The tinier rounded sprinkles just don't cut it. I bought mine at Stop & Shop. They always have large tubs of them, left over from their own baking. The icing will be my favorite cream cheese one dyed a festive green and decorated with what else - more red, green and white sprinkles
.If this works out I may try pink and red Funfetti cupcakes for Valentine's Day. The icing will be elevated - I'm using the good Irish Kerry Gold butter to kick it up a notch. I am thinking of using it in a champagne buttercream icing for a friend's birthday.
As for the cookies and brownies
.the cookies are from the Betty Crocker packaged mixes. Fingers crossed that it works out well, because I have yet to use that brand thus far. It is an oatmeal one that I am going to amp up with mini chocolate chips. It should be very buttery tasting, Again I will be using the Kerry Gold
butter which will work well with the oatmeal. If these are successful I will move onto the brand's sugar cookie mix. The brownies are my go to, Duncan Hines dark chocolate brownie mix. I love this mix. Use two eggs when making it and the brownies come out
perfectly cake like.
with a
tender moist crumb. Home bakers can add crushed peppermint candy or walnuts for a fun spin. The company does have a decadent brownie line (which
my store unfortunately does not carry)
.The various mixes have walnuts, caramel and even large milk chocolate chunks along with peanut butter pieces added to them. If you want to jazz up the regular ones, think of serving them with eggnog or peppermint ice cream and Stop & Shop's Limited edition peppermint whipped cream.
My oven will be working overtime this week. I
can;t wait to bake and share these experiences with you. It'll be fun and actually better than any baking competition, British or otherwise.
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