MSC: Gingerbread Cupcakes and Fluffy Vanilla Frosting

It's time for another cupcake adventure this month from the Martha Stewart's Cupcakesbook.  This one, Gingerbread Cupcakes (with optional cookie cutouts not shown here), is found on page 246 of the book, and was my pick for the group for this month. 

 

I debated, I really did, on doing something less prosaic than picking one of the Christmas seasonal selections from the book, but then I figured that this was the only time of year when this one would see most appropriate, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to make gingerbread cupcakes and enjoy that lovely smell in the house while they were baking. 

 

The recipe is easy with common pantry ingredients, assembled in just a few minutes, and put in to bake for about 25 minutes.  I used the recommended frosting in the book, Fluffy Vanilla Frosting, found on page 302.  The frosting was just as easy (butter, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla) and went smoothly on the cooled cupcakes, complimenting the gingerbread flavor of the cupcakes nicely. 

 

The book showed a photo of the cupcake with little gingerbread men cutouts perched on the side or on the top and I thought originally I would do this, but as the season advances, we are having way too many extra sweets around the house, so I decided to forego the extra cookie option and just sprinkle a few little gingerbread men sprinkles on the top. 
We thought the cupcakes had just the right gingerbread flavor without being too over-powering, and although I made only half a recipe (12 cupcakes), I can tell they won't be around long enough for me to wonder if I should have made fewer.  This is a very nice recipe for the holidays...easy, quick, flavorful, and fun! 

 

Next month's recipe selection is Coconut Cupcakes, found on 28-29.   Blogroll and Schedule found here.