Dreamsicle Cupcakes

Dreamsicle ice cream bars are my Mama's favorite!  The mixture of orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream is just, well dreamy.  When I was a little girl I used to buy Push Up Pops from the general store (Yes I said general store.  I lived in the middle of nowhere)  Do you remember Push Up Pops?  They were a paper cylinder filled with orange sherbet that you literally pushed up to eat.  They had The Flintstones on the wrapper if I'm not mistaken.  When I was sick, my Daddy would bring home orange sherbet and orange Gatorade to help me feel better.  So, orange is a good flavor memory for me.  It makes me remember being a kid.  So, when I stumbled across this recipe for Dreamsicle Cupcakes, I knew I had to try it.

DREAMSICLE CUPCAKES

1 (3oz) box orange jello mix, reserve 2 tsp
1 box white cake mix
1 (4 serving size) box cheesecake instant pudding mix (or vanilla)
1 1/4 cups orange juice
4 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

FROSTING:

2 tsp reserved orange jello mix
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
5 1/2 - 6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
zest of an orange
1 TBS milk, if needed

*Note about the frosting:  this recipe makes a lot of frosting!  I halved the recipe and had enough but I don't like a ton of frosting on cupcakes.  If you like a lot of frosting, make the entire recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 27 muffin cups with liners (because of the added ingredients, this makes more than the usual 24).

Set aside 2 tsp of the orange jello mix (to use in the frosting).

In a large bowl beat remaining jello mix, cake mix, pudding mix, orange juice, eggs, oil and vanilla until well combined.

Spoon batter into lined cups, filling 2/3 full.

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Next, make the frosting.  Here's a hint about zesting citrus:  Using a fine grater, only take the colored part of the peel.  The white part is bitter.  Like this:

You can see where I zested is a lighter shade of orange not white.  Don't push too hard and you'll be good.

In a large bowl beat softened cream cheese, butter, reserved jello mix, vanilla and orange zest until creamy.

Add powdered sugar (Start with 5 1/2 cups) and beat until spreadable.  If it's too thick, add a little milk (about a tablespoon) and mix until smooth.

Frost cooled cupcakes.

These cupcakes came out great!  They tasted just like a dreamsicle bar!  Orange and creamy and dreamy!  I was instantly transported to my childhood.  It made my heart smile.

Egg Nog Flavored Christmas Tree Cupcakes (made in ice cream cones)

We have walls!  The sheet rock is up and the painter will be here on Monday.  Dare I say it, I am starting to see the light at the end of the remodeling tunnel.  We still need flooring and cabinetry and granite and tile and lights, but at least we have walls.  (Can you tell I'm an eternal optimist?)

We are nearly a week into December and our town held it's annual Christmas Parade so, of course, Christmas is on the brain.  What dessert will I bring to the family Christmas party?  What will I make for the annual Christmas Eve movie marathon?  (These are the questions that keep me up at night).

I've been thinking a lot lately about Christmas tree desserts.  How can I make a cupcake look like a Christmas tree?  I recently found a special rack made for baking cupcakes in ice cream cones.  So, I thought I'd take a practice run.  (You don't need a special rack to make these.  You can stand them up in a muffin tin or on a regular baking sheet).  As I started assembling my ingredients, I noticed the quart of egg nog that the hubby brought home yesterday.  I had a light bulb over the head moment, egg nog cupcakes!  I wasn't sure how these would turn out, but I gotta say, they are so yum!  Here's how I made them:

EGG NOG FLAVORED CHRISTMAS TREE CUPCAKES

1 box yellow cake mix
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup egg nog
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
24 ice cream cones (the kind with the flat bottoms)
24 large marshmallows
red candy decorations (found in baking aisle or use mini m&ms)

ICING:
1 stick butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup egg nog
1 tsp vanilla
green food coloring, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line up the ice cream cones on a big baking sheet or in a muffin tin (or in the special rack if you have one).

In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix and pumpkin pie spice.

Add eggs and egg nog.

Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to combine, then on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Fill the ice cream cones HALF FULL.  (Seriously, if you fill them any more than that the batter will ooze over the side and be a big old mess).

Once they're all filled, bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean.  (Check them at 15 minutes).

Let them cool completely.  Here's what they look like on the inside.  I thought you might want to see that so I took a bite of one (you got to do what you got to do).

While they are cooling, make the icing.  Mix the softened butter until creamy and smooth.  Then, add the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Add in 1/4 cup egg nog and mix well.  If it's not smooth and spreadable, add a little more egg nog and stir until you get the right consistency. You can leave it white (like a flocked tree) or add green food coloring to tint it green.

Place the icing in a big zip top bag.

Squeeze it all down to one corner, like this:

Then, use scissors to snip off the corner and voila you've got a pastry bag.

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, squeeze a blob of icing in the middle of the cupcake (this acts as glue to hold the marshmallow).

Place a large marshmallow on the blob of icing and gently press down.  The marshmallow helps shape the tree and keeps you from using a ton of heavy icing.

Pipe icing all around the marshmallow to form a tree shape.

Use a butter knife to spread the icing.

Decorate with the red candies.

How cute are these?  What kid (or adult for that matter) could pass this up?  The cones get really crunchy in  the oven and let's talk about the egg nog flavor.  Delicious!  They have a wonderful spice, but not overpowering.  The creamy icing, moist, spiced cake and crunchy cone are a great combo!  If you're not a fan of egg nog, you can make these with any flavor cake batter.  Any way you make them, these cupcakes are a really special treat that are sure to bring a smile to anyone's face!  Merry Christmas!