Candy Cane Cupcakes with White Chocolate Icing

"I passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops..."

Do you know who said that?

Why Buddy from Elf the Movie!

That movie just cracks me up and is a family favorite alongside Christmas Vacation and Christmas with The Kranks.  Over course, we love the animated classics too.  These are our favorite real people Christmas movies.  But, I digress...back to the candy cane forest...

What image do you think of?

No, not one of horror that you are stuck playing Candyland for hours on end 'cuz the game never ends!!!

I am thinking of a winter forest with beautiful candy cane trees dotting the landscape with crystalized snow along the path.  Are you with me?

Anyway, I think if I was wandering through that forest, I would come across a cute little cottage.  And in that cute, little, warm cottage would be a table filled with Candy Cane Cupcakes, just like these...

Candy Cane Cupcakes

 Wow!  Not only delicious, but awesome to look at...well, not for long!

These candy cane cupcakes have a white chocolate peppermint cake and white chocolate frosting.

SO DECADENT!

Here's what you need:

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 oz white chocolate, melted

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

4 Tbsps crushed candy canes 

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in bowl 1.

Stir together milk, vanilla and extract in bowl 2.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in bowl 3.  Add the melted, slightly cooled white chocolate.  Add the egg and egg white.

Add the flour mixture from bowl 1 and the milk mixture from bowl 2, alternating into the butter mixture of bowl 3.  Mix until combined.

Stir in the crushed candy canes.

Spoon the batter into cupcake liners and bake for about 15-18 minutes.  Cool.

Frosting Ingredients:

6 oz white chocolate, finely chopped

12 oz cream cheese softened

3 Tbsp butter

3/4 tsp vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together and frost cooled cupcakes.  Tiny bits of white chocolate will appear as you frost the cupcakes, which will leave the frosting with an extra special treat.

I sprinkled on some white pearl cupcake gems (from the grocery store) and pushed in a candy cane for decoration.

These are so yummy!!!

After all, the elves try to "stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup."

Can't get away from Elf the movie quotes.  Ha!  Ha!

Celebrate the little things that make life sweet!

Christine