Poinsettia Cupcakes

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Well would you look at that. December 1st. It officially ’tis the season for all things wintery and Christmasy! Not that I’ve been counting down or like I’ve already decked out our tree, hung up our stockings, organized my hand-painted Christmas village on the windowsill with lots of glittery fabrics, spent hours cutting out paper snowflakes or anything… And it’s not like I’ve already planned out a month’s worth of winter and Christmas themed deliciousness…

Ah, who am I kidding. You know me too well. So let’s launch into some Christmas awesomeness!

Because obviously, holidays are SERIOUS business. SUPER serious business. But not so serious we suck the fun out of them serious. Delightfully serious? But I digress…

Practically overnight, in time for the first Sunday in advent (most Norwegians observe advent, the four Sundays before Christmas, which are marked by burning candles), all of the local stores began selling poinsettias. Or julestjerne (Christmas stars) as they’re called here in Norway. Everywhere you looked, bright red blooms and tiny children in bright red “nisse” costumes marked the nearing of Christmas.

So it seemed high time to fill our own home with some Christmas cheer… of the buttercream variety! So with Michael Buble (Mmmm, Michael Buble…) in my ear and a vulture… I mean cat… at my feet, I settled in for a Christmas baking treat.

And I’m rhyming… That’s it, no more eggnog for me…

Poinsettia Cupcakes

• Author: The Simple, Sweet Life
• Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
• Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 cupcakes (I used this recipe)
• 3–4 cups of frosting
• Red and yellow food coloring
• A small round tip
• Wilton #352 tip
• Piping bags
• Parchment paper
• Flower nail (or circular meat thermometer)
• Sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut 1″x1″ squares out of your parchment paper (these don’t need to be perfect), as many squares as flowers.
2. Prepare your frosting (I used a buttercream- store bought or home made is fine) and frost your cupcakes with a single, even layer of frosting. I used a large round tip to do this. Reserve 3-4 spoonfuls to be tinted red, and 1-2 spoonfuls to be tinted yellow. If you plan on decorating your cupcakes with sprinkles, you’ll want to do it now before the frosting crusts.
3. Once your frosting is tinted, spoon the yellow into a piping bag with the small round tip, and the red into a piping bag with the Wilton #352 tip. Secure a square of parchment paper with a small dab of frosting on the top of your flower nail (or meat thermometer), and begin piping your poinsettia. With one of the metal points down, pipe three petals with their corners touching. Pipe three petals over the first three to fill in the open areas. Add a few dots of yellow frosting in the center. Remove the piece of parchment from the flower nail and set it aside on a baking sheet. Repeat this process for as many flowers as you want to make.
4. Once all of the flowers are made, put them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, or until the frosting no longer sticks to your fingers when handled. Gently remove the frosting flowers from the parchment and arrange them on your cupcakes. Don’t be afraid to re-freeze the flowers if they start getting soft. Decorate with a few extra sprinkles if you wish!

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