Caffè Eggnog Cupcakes

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I have been on a quest to find eggnog goodies to make for my husband, because he loves eggnog.  This was my second attempt at it.  Thanks to Inside BruCrew Life's Eggnog Latte Cupcakes, I was able to give him a treat that made him go back for seconds!  I made very few changes to their recipe, because it was just so good to begin with, not much room for change.  They have a wonderful, subtle eggnog flavor in the cupcake, and the frosting has so much coffee deliciousness in it, my husband and I were eating it with a spoon.  Yep, that good!  Perfect combo for those that love their eggnog coffee drinks.

Caffè Eggnog Cupcakes

(Slightly adapted from Inside BruCrew Life's Eggnog Latte Cupcakes)


Makes 18-24 cupcakes, depending on how full they are filled

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes
• 1 vanilla cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 c. eggnog
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1/4 c. fat free Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. rum extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the Coffee Cream Butter Cream 

• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbsp. hot water
• 2 Tbsp. instant coffee
• 1/2 tsp. rum extract
• pinch of salt
• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp. eggnog

Instructions:

For the Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line pan with cupcake liners. Beat the cake mix, eggs, eggnog, oil, yogurt, extract, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg on low for 1 minute and then on medium for 2 minutes. 
2. Fill liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
3. Cool on a wire rack completely before frosting with coffee buttercream. Dust with nutmeg. Keep cupcakes refrigerated. 

For the Butter Cream 
1. Dissolve the coffee in hot water and set aside. 
2. Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. 
3. Add coffee water, extract, and salt. Beat in sugar slowly. After all the sugar has been mixed in, beat in eggnog to thin it slightly. 
4. Keep refrigerated.

Eggnog Shortbread Cookies

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My husband loves the flavors of eggnog.  So when he asked me to come up with some eggnog inspired recipes, I jumped at the chance to make something he was interested in.  There will be many more eggnog attempts, but here is my first one.  These are buttery, tender, flaky, flavorful, slightly sweet shortbread cookies that melt in your mouth.  The glaze adds just that extra bit of sweetness for the perfect touch.  If you aren't a big fan of strong rum flavor, then by all means, reduce the extract by half for just a hint.  Want to make these super simple?-Just skip the step of adding cocoa powder to some of the dough to make the swirl, and just go right to shaping the dough in to a log and freezing.

Guess it is time to start ringing in the winter holidays!  Cheers!

Eggnog Shortbread Cookies
(Heavily adapted from The Joy of Baking's Shortbread Cookies)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 teaspoons rum extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dutch process cocoa powder

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• milk, cream, or water  

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl  cream butter until smooth and creamy.  Add sugars and cream together for another minute, until smooth.  
2. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and rum and beat until incorporated well.
3. Add the flour, corn starch, nutmeg, and salt and mix until just combined.
4. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the dough into a small bowl and add the cocoa, mix until combined.
5. One a large piece of parchment paper, dump the larger portion of dough into a mound in the middle, and flatten into approximately a 10x6 inch rectangle (10 long and 6 wide).
6. Place the cocoa mixture on top of the dough square and smooth over it in as even a layer as possible.
7. Using the parchment, grasp the paper nearest to you with two hands and fold the parchment away from you slowly, so that the dough starts rolling onto itself.  Continue to pull the paper away from you until the dough has been completely rolled into a tight log.  Carefully peel back the parchment so the dough log is now sitting in the middle.  Take a large piece of saran wrap and drape it over the top of the dough log and carefully pick it up and roll it up in the saran wrap, sealing the dough.  Twist the ends tightly so that it is a uniform log. 
8. Place in freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.  After 30 minutes they can be take out for baking.  If you want to keep the dough frozen for another time, wrap it in one more piece of saran wrap and place in a ziploc bag and store in the freezer.
9. To Bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
10. Remove cookies from freezer.  Peel back saran wrap and slice into approximately 1/4 to 1/3 inch wide disks and place on prepared cookie sheet two inches apart.  If it is still to soft, place back in freezer until firm enough to slice.
11. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just slightly browned.  Cool on a wire rack. 
12. To make glaze:  Mix the sugar, vanilla, and enough milk, cream, or water to create a glazed of desired consistency.  Drizzle over cookies once they are cool.