Eggnog Cupcakes

I have never liked the idea of eggnog. To be completely honest, I'm not sure I ever tried it before Hunter made me buy him some and have a taste a few weeks ago. Something about the raw eggs always turned me off. 

While my small taste of eggnog wasn't life changing, and I'm not sure I could even handle a whole glass of it, I liked it enough to bake with. We had a little get together this last weekend and I made a number of goodies, this being one of them. It was a hit. When I heard, "Oh my gosh, this is so good" (accompanied by a dreamy, best food ever look) after the first bite, I knew they were a success.

As I'm sure you can tell from the picture, I finally broke down and bought a cupcake decorating kit. Totally worth every penny of the $20 I spent on it. I mean, aren't they pretty? And this is just the beginning. There will be many pretty cupcakes to come, rest assured. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention how ridiculously easy this recipe is. It might have taken me 5 minutes to prepare the batter. 

Recipe:
Yield: about 16 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
1 1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/4 cup eggnog
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar

For the frosting:
20 tbsp (2 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg
3 1/2 tbsp eggnog

For garnish:
Ground cinnamon and nutmeg
Cinnamon sticks

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In another medium bowl, combine the eggnog, vegetable oil, vinegar, and sugar. Beat on medium-low speed until well blended. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake 22-24 minutes. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then remove to cool completely.

To make the frosting, place the butter in a bowl and beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, and mix on medium-high until incorporated and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the eggnog and whip on medium-high until light and fluffy.

Put frosting in a pastry bag and decorate the cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg and garnish with cinnamon sticks if desired.

Source: slightly adapted from Annie's Eats