White Chocolate Eggnog Cupcakes

Christmas Cupcake Murder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

#### Cupcake

* 1 box white cake mix (the kind that will make a 9-inch by 13-inch cake or a 2-layer cake) with or without pudding in the mix (I used Duncan Hines)
* 1 cup eggnog
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil (use pure vegetable oil; NOT canola, olive oil, or corn oil)
* 3 large egg whites
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best, of course)
* 1 package (4 ounces by weight) Baker’s White Chocolate, chopped (or 1/2 cup white chocolate or vanilla chips, chopped)

#### Frosting Ingredients

* 1 package (8 ounces by weight) cream cheese, softened (NOT whipped cream cheese—I used Philadelphia in the silver package)
* 1/4 cup salted butter (¼ stick, 2 ounces), softened
* 1/2 teaspoon rum extract (if you can’t find it, substitute vanilla or brandy extract)
* 3 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar (no need to sift unless it has big lumps)
* 1 cup original Cool Whip, thawed (measure this—even a small tub contains more than a cup)
* 1/2 cup additional powdered sugar to use, if needed, to thicken frosting
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best, of course) to sprinkle on top of each frosted cupcake
* Before you begin to make these cupcakes, prepare your cupcake pans by lining them with cupcake papers. (You will need 2 cupcake pans, the kind that will hold 12 regular-size cupcakes.) If you use the kind of cupcake papers with foil on the outside, you don’t have to use more than one. If you don’t, use double cupcake papers so it’s easier to peel off the paper before you eat them.
	+ **Hannah’s 1st Note:** *Both Lisa and I still call them “cupcake tins” when we bake cupcakes at The Cookie Jar, even though they are no longer made of tin. Lisa's mother used to refer to them that way and so did my Great-Grandmother Elsa*.

### Directions

#### Cupcakes

* Open the package of cake mix and dump (yes, that’s a baking term at The Cookie Jar) it into the bowl of an electric mixer.
	+ **Hannah’s 2nd Note:** *It’s possible to make these cupcakes by hand, but it’s a lot easier with an electric mixer!*
* Add the cup of eggnog and mix it in on LOW speed.
* Add the oil and continue to mix on LOW speed.
* Crack the eggs, separate the whites from the yolks, and add the whites to your bowl. (You can put the yolks in an airtight bowl, refrigerate them, and add them to scrambled eggs in the morning.)
* Mix in the egg whites on LOW speed.
* Add the half-teaspoon of ground nutmeg and mix that in at LOW speed.
* Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and remove it from the mixer.
* Give your cupcake batter a final stir by hand with a wooden spoon or your favorite mixing spoon.
* Use the mixing spoon to stir in the chopped white chocolate pieces.
	+ ***Hannah’s 3rd Note:** Lisa and I chop the white chocolate in the bowl of a food processor. We chop it in an on-and-off motion with the steel blade until the pieces are the size of coarse gravel.*
* If you haven’t done so already, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
* Transfer the batter to the paper-lined cupcake cups, filling them three-fourths full.
	+ **Hannah’s 4th Note:** *The easiest way I’ve found to transfer the cupcake batter to the baking cups is to pour it into a measuring cup with a spout. Then all you have to do is pour and that prevents batter spill in the spaces between the cupcake cups. You can also use a 2-Tablespoon scooper to do this, but you’ll have to be careful that it doesn’t drip.*
* Bake your cupcakes at 350 degrees F. for 18 to 20 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a cake tester, thin wooden skewer, or long toothpick in the center of a test cupcake. Pull out the tester and if any sticky dough clings to it, your cupcakes are not yet done. Bake them for another 2 or 3 minutes and then test again, using a different cupcake.
* When your cupcakes test as done, remove the cupcake pans from the oven and set them on cold stovetop burners or wire racks.
* Begin to make the frosting now.

#### Frosting

* Rinse out the bowl of your electric mixer and dry it with paper towels. Do the same with the beater(s).
* When everything is back in place, put the softened cream cheese in the bottom of the bowl.
* Add the softened, salted butter and the rum extract.
* Turn the mixer on LOW and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly blended together.
* Beat in powdered sugar at LOW speed, one cup at a time.
* Turn off the mixer, move the bowl to the kitchen counter, and stir in the cup of thawed Cool Whip.
* Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
* If you choose to use a pastry bag with a large, round tip, spoon the cold frosting into the pastry bag.
	+ **Hannah’s 1st Frosting Note:** *If you’d rather not use a pastry bag, you can use a bulb turkey baster or a cupcake injector (similar to a large syringe without a needle). The cupcake injector is sometimes called a Jell-O shot injector and is available online.*
* Insert the point of the pastry bag (or cupcake injector) into the center of each cooled cupcake and inject approximately 1 Tablespoon of frosting inside the cupcake.
	+ **Hannah’s 2nd Frosting Note:** *Don’t worry about the little hole that the pastry bag or the cupcake injector will leave in the top of each cupcake. It will be covered with frosting.*
	+ **Hannah’s 3rd Frosting Note:** *If the frosting is too thin, this is where you will mix in the additional half-cup of powdered sugar to thicken it.*
* Spread the tops of your White Chocolate Eggnog Cupcakes with the remaining frosting. (If you’re using the pastry bag, just pipe it on and then spread it out with a frosting knife.)
* Store the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them, then sprinkle on the extra nutmeg just before you plate them.

**Yield:** 18 to 22 regular-size cupcakes, depending on how full you fill the cupcake papers. Both adults and children will enjoy these light, tasty, and flavorful treats. Serve with cups of hot chocolate or strong coffee.

**Hannah’s 4th Frosting Note:** *Most grocery stores consider eggnog to be a seasonal item, and it is available only over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. I’ve included my recipe for English Eggnog-2 located in Christmas Cupcake Murder.*

**Editor's Note:** If you like eggnog, try English Eggnog recipe in Sugar Cookie Murder

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.