DIY Cupcake Kits

Here we go with day 3 of Luvcrumbs’ 12 Days of Christmas.

This one is an easy half-handmade gift to make you seem like the world’s most thoughtful friend. Just throw together a few supplies in an adorable little caddy, and you have a perfect present for all the “creative types” on your list.

This project is much more cost effective in bulk, so make as many as you can. For each kit, you’ll need:

Some sprinkles, and decorations…and tiny adorable containers to put them in. I chose 3 different kinds for each of my kits, but it’s up to you.

Fun and colourful cupcake liners (24 for each kit).

Toothpicks and decorations to top the cupcakes. I made little glittery flags out of sticky-backed glitter paper (dollar store whaaat?), and picked up a few little felt cupcakes from Walmart. Do some hunting to find deals, or chose a theme that suits your giftee.

Finish off by popping all of your tidbits into a giftable vessel (perhaps a mini paint can?), and decorate it if you wish. Now your lucky recipients can follow in your crafty footsteps and get their bake on.

Check back tomorrow for an impressive holiday cake.

Spare Noses

It’s the 12 Days of Christmas here at Luvcrumbs!

After a major blogging hiatus during exam period, I am in full-on holiday mode. Leading up to Christmas, I will be posting a new gifting/baking/celebrating idea each day to make your season a little brighter.

While touring Dundurn Castle in Hamilton yesterday (one of my favourite Christmas activities), I learned that the 12 days of Christmas traditionally began on Christmas eve, and continued until the Epiphany on January 6th. Now, I’m all for tradition, but the idea of santa cookies after Christmas just seems ridiculous. Therefore, I will be bringing you a new project everyday from now until December 24th. Think of it as my gift to you.

First stop: Spare Noses. For Rudolph. From Santa. Get it?

These miniature cookies are perfect for the reindeer in your life who needs a little extra help guiding his/her sleigh. Be sure to make lots: we wouldn’t want Santa (and all of those glorious presents) to be held up by a red nose shortage.

This recipe will make about 6 small jars worth. You’ll need:

• 6 smallish jars (recycled or new) mine are about 3″x3″ at the base, and about 5″ tall (thank you Dollarama!)
• 6 labels to fit your jars
• ribbon or raffia for adornment
• about 3 tbsp red gel food colouring
• 1 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• plastic wrap
• 1 cup red sanding sugar
• small round cookie cutter (roughly 1″ diameter)

Cream together your butter and sugar until fluffy. Add your food colouring, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the salt, and stir in your flour cup by cup, kneading with your hands if necessary. If it doesn’t look red enough, throw in a little more colour. When it’s all combined, turn your dough out onto some plastic wrap, and flatten it out into a disc. Wrap it up and throw it into the fridge for about 1/2 an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. When your dough is chilled, roll it out onto a lightly floured surface. You may have to work it out a little before it softens up. When your dough is about 1/4″ thick, cut out as many tiny red circles as you can with your cookie cutter. Keep re-rolling your dough until you can’t cut any more circles. (Here’s a tip: if you can’t find a small cookie cutter, use the large end of a medium sized piping tip. If the dough gets stuck in the tip, just blow on the other side and it will pop right out. This may not be the best choice if you’re a germaphobe…just saying’.)

Now you have a choice. If you have time on your hands, and want some wow factor, go with style 1. Otherwise, use style 2.

1. Fill a shallow plate with some water, and another with a few spoonfuls of sanding sugar. Dip one side of each cookie into the water, then into the sanding sugar before placing it on a non-stick baking sheet. Keep the cookies about 1/2″ apart from one another.

2. Place your cookies on a non-stick baking sheet spaced about 1/2″ apart. Take a pastry brush, dip it in water, and brush it over the cookies. Sprinkle copious amounts of sanding sugar onto the cookies until you are satisfied with the amount that has stuck. Warning: the sugar that ends up on the baking sheet will likely melt, and may burn in the oven.

Bake the cookies for 5-6 minutes. It is essential that the edges do not brown (it’s not “Rudolph the Brown-Nosed Reindeer” people). Let your cookies cool, and divide them evenly among your jars.

Now you can get creative. I am technologically challenged, so printing labels was a stretch for me. I ended up printing basic labels with the lettering typed on them, and then found some cute stickers to jazz them up. Feel free to draw your own labels, or design them with a program. I tied on a little bit of twine for rustic appeal, and may I suggest adding a gift tag that reads: To: Rudolph, From: Santa?

These cookies will keep for 3-4 days at optimal levels of freshness, so don’t bake them too far in advance. You can, however, freeze your dough and thaw it out when you’re ready to bake.

These festive treats make great gifts for kittens (I mean children), teachers, and anyone on your list who likes a little whimsy. And if you have people on your shopping list who aren’t into whimsy, let’s be real, you should probably just give them a lump of coal.

Happy baking everyone! Stay tuned for day 2 of The Twelve Days of Christmas here at Luvcrumbs. I’ll be making a dime store version of one of your favourite coffee shop beverages.