Mini Gingerbread House Cupcakes

Merry Christmas!  I hope you are having a wonderful day.  We've been busy with many family activities and parties with friends, and I wanted to share with you what I thought would be a Pinterest fail.....but actually turned out okay.

Shanley Belle and I decided to bake Mini Gingerbread House Cupcakes and assemble the little house toppers.  Here is the original pin:

via

Mini Gingerbread House Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cans creamy white frosting

24 Gingerbread Cupcakes  (see recipe below)

Little Debbie Nutty Buddy cookies or other chocolate covered peanut butter wafer cookie

Honey and oats chewy granola bars (make sure they are chewy!)

Frosted Shredded Mini Wheats

Chocolate wafer cookies

Variety of white dusting sugar and other decorative sugars

Fresh thyme sprigs

Decorative dragees 

Directions:

Set aside 1/3 cup of the Creamy White Frosting. Frost tops of cupcakes with the remaining frosting.

For houses, cut 2-inch pieces from chocolate-covered peanut butter wafer sandwiches. At top of each piece make an angled cut on each side to create a place to attach roof. For each roof, cut two 3/4-inch pieces of granola bar; gently press onto angle cuts on a wafer sandwich piece. If necessary, attach with frosting.  Frost roof as desired.  Cut a small 1/2 " X 1/8" piece from chocolate wafer cookie for chimney and attach to roof.  It works best if you cut it at an angle on the bottom where it meets the roof.

Add shredded wheat for doors and dragees for doorknobs, using frosting to attach.

Carefully place houses on cupcakes. Decorate with fresh herb sprigs as desired, using rosemary sprigs for evergreen trees and thyme sprigs for garlands. 

If desired, sprinkle tops of cupcakes with edible glitter for snow. Makes 24 (2-1/2-inch) cupcakes.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 package 2-layer-size vanilla cake mix

1 tablespoon Penzey's cake spice

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/3 cup molasses (I used Plantation brand Black Strap Molasses)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line twenty-four 2 1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside. Prepare cake mix according to package directions, except omit one of the eggs. Add cake spice and ginger to the cake mix. Add molasses and vinegar with the eggs. Fill muffin cups; bake according to package directions for cupcakes. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

NOTE:  I replace vegetable oil with grapeseed oil when a cake mix calls for vegetable oil.

This one is a little mill house!  ;P

These cupcakes are truly the most delicious and moist cupcakes I've ever had.  I hope you try them!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill