Cinnamon Vanilla Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

Perhaps you are not familiar with Speculoos Cookie Butter. It's ok. I was not acquainted with it until recently. Tales of it's addictive goodness were being spread (haha, get it, "spread" - because it's a spread...oh, nevermind) among a few of my fellow Facebook foodie lovers. The word on Cookie Butter is that it's a seasonal item available at Trader Joe's. My pusher, I mean, "good friend," bought me a jar. That's how they get you hooked: the first taste is always free (or so I've heard). Cookie Butter is a spread with the consistency of peanut butter but made from ground up gingerbread cookies and elven magic. It's like the Nutella of Christmas. Hell, Nutella is also the Nutella of Christmas. But this really does remind me a non-chocolate, non-hazelnut Nutella (trust me, if you tried it you'd understand exactly what I mean). Naturally, this stuff begs to be made into a frosting.

A luscious, finger licking frosting.

Enter the holiday party season. My contribution to the pot luck table: Cinnamon Vanilla Cupcakes with Cookie Butter frosting. NOM.

CINNAMON VANILLA CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cream the butter in a stand mixer until smooth and light. Add sugar and continue to mix until fully incorporated and fluffy.
2. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Preheat oven to 350° degrees F.
4. Combine milk and vanilla. Add portions of the flour mixture and milk mixture to the electric mixer, alternating, starting and ending with flour. Pour evenly into cupcake pans lined with paper liners, about ½ – ¾ full.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cupcakes spring back to the touch. (Mine didn't take nearly this long to bake, so as always, be mindful that your oven times will vary.)

 COOKIE BUTTER FROSTING

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup Speculoos Cookie Butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

• Place the confectioners' sugar, Cookie Butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

I may or may not have licked leftover Cookie Butter from the piping tip after I was done frosting the cupcakes. I mean, not that I would DO such a thing....

Ready to party! Happy holidays!

(Note: The pink cupcakes are Cherry-Almond Vanilla with Cherry-Almond Buttercream Frosting, posted right 'thar.)