Sugared & Stirred

dairy-free. still delicious.

Rachael Ng

Cranberry Coffee Cake (dairy-free)

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This moist Coffee Cake is dotted with tart cranberries and topped with a sweet cinnamon streusel crumb! Grab a slice while it’s still warm and pour yourself a cup of coffee for the the perfect snack.

What is Coffee Cake?

Okay, so here’s the deal: there’s no coffee in this cake. If you’re wondering why it’s called “coffee cake” then you’re not alone. From what I’ve gathered (through a whopping 30 second scan of Google search results), coffee cake can be any cake that is intended to be eaten with a cup of coffee. And in all honesty, this ultra moist yellow cake with the classic cinnamon filling and crumb topping goes wonderfully with a hot coffee.

This cake is the dairy-free version of the coffee cake we all know and love: fluffy and sweet with notes of brown sugar and cinnamon. I added cranberries to help balance the sweetness of all the brown sugar, but you could add cherries or blueberries, or even apples! However you make it, I think you’ll love it – Nathan and I ate nearly all of this cake over the span of a few days. Yeah, it’s really good. Bake it for yourself or bring it to your next small gathering. Whatever you do, serve it with a side of coffee and enjoy.

Some of the ingredients + substitutions:

All-purpose flour + cornstarch = cake flour. So if you’d rather use cake flour (for the cake, not the filling or crumb topping), go ahead and use that in place of the AP flour & cornstarch. I haven’t tried this cake with any other starches. Flour also thickens both the filling and crumb topping, and all-purpose flour is what you’ll want to use.

Plant-based butter adds that familiar, buttery flavor that we all love with our sweet, cinnamon desserts. If you’re not dairy-free, regular butter will work, too.

Sugar is necessary for any good cake. And, for this cake, you can use coconut sugar, raw cane sugar, or white cane sugar. For the filling and crumb topping, I highly recommend sticking to brown sugar – light or dark will work.

Eggs help bind the cake together. If you’re vegan, you can try using flax eggs in place of the eggs, but I haven’t tried this (so I can’t guarantee the results).

Unsweetened applesauce adds moisture to this cake. In its place, you can use a dairy-free yogurt (or regular yogurt if you’re not dairy-free).

Cranberries add a lovely tart bite to this otherwise very sweet cake. I used fresh cranberries in my cake, but frozen will also do – just be sure to thaw them and drain off any excess juice/liquid.

Yield: 10 Slices

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Cranberry Coffee Cake

A sweet coffee cake filled with tart cranberries and a ribbon of cinnamon sugar. All topped off with a cinnamon streusel crumb, this cake is the perfect companion to your afternoon coffee (or tea)!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

Cinnamon Filling

  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Cake

  • 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup unrefined cane sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temp
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 1/4 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen), divided

Streusel Topping

  • 3/4 cup raw cane sugar
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 6 Tbsp plant-based butter, cold

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a 9" springform pan (or 8x8" baking pan) by spraying it with nonstick spray and lining the bottom and side with parchment paper (see Note 1).
  2. Make the cinnamon filling: in a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour; set aside.
  3. Make the cake: in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at at time, and then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the applesauce, and then, finally, the dry ingredients. Stir in 2 cups of the cranberries.
  5. Add 1/2 of the cake batter to your prepared pan, smoothing out the top. Spoon the cinnamon filling over the cake batter. Then spoon the remaining cake batter over the filling and smooth out. Top with the leftover 1/4 cup of cranberries.
  6. Make the streusel topping: in a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter to the bowl and use your fingers (or a fork) to mash the ingredients together. You should start to see larger crumbs forming. If the streusel seems dry, add another tablespoon of butter.
  7. Generously sprinkle the streusel topping over the cake batter, allowing some of the cranberries to peek through. Bake the cake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes (mine took 55 minutes). At the 45 minute mark, start checking your cake for doneness every 5 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  8. Allow the cake to cool in the springform pan for 10 minutes (if you're using a square pan, you can let your cake totally cool in the pan). Release the side of the pan and allow the cake to cool for another 20 minutes before serving warm.
  9. Store cooled cake in an airtight container at room temperature - this cake keeps moist and stores well for a few days.

Notes

  1. I like to cut a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of the pan, and then I cut one (or two) long, thin strip to line around the inside. A square 8x8" pan doesn't require any parchment paper, unless you'd like to remove the whole cake prior to slicing/serving.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cake

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Orange Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies (dairy-free)

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These orange-flavored Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with olive oil instead of traditional butter, and they are out of this world delicious. The sweet orange zest and fruity olive oil pair so well with the semi-sweet chocolate chips in these brown sugar-heavy cookies!

Orange Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Few things are better than warm, fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. Add orange zest and extra brown sugar and you’ve got what may be my new favorite cookie! These cookies rely on olive oil for their fat, which helps create a cookie that’s tender on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, and there’s no way you can eat just one. I made these cookies substantial in size and added extra chocolate chips to get more of “bakery cookie” look and feel.

Since these cookies are made with a liquid oil, chilling the dough is necessary for a thicker cookie. You can technically bake this dough as soon as it’s mixed, but your cookies will be thin and crispy (and still delicious). After three batches, I can confidently say that I much prefer the thicker cookie. I allowed my dough to chill overnight for maximum flavor, but 3 hours should be all you need to stiffen the dough enough to bake!

Yield: 10-11 Cookies

Orange Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Orange Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Big, orange-flavored chocolate chip cookies made with olive oil instead of traditional butter! The orange zest and semi-sweet chocolate chips pair so well with the fruity olive oil in these brown sugar-heavy cookies!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg, room temp (see Note 1)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/4 cup unrefined cane sugar (or white granulated sugar)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp orange extract (see Note 2)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
  • Zest from 1 large orange

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and sugars. Whisk in the olive oil until totally combined - this will take a few seconds.
  2. Whisk in the extracts and then the baking soda and salt. Use a large wooden spoon or spatula to gently mix in the flour.
  3. Finally, mix in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips (reserving the other 1/4 cup for pressing into the dough balls) and the orange zest. Cover and chill the dough for 3 hours or overnight.
  4. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop and roll six dough balls 3 Tbsp in size, and then place the remaining dough back into the refrigerator.
  5. Press extra chocolate chips (optional) into the dough balls and place them on the baking sheet. Bake cookies at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until the edges have just started to brown. If the cookies need even more chocolate chips, press them in as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. Then allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
  6. Allow your baking sheet to cool (or transfer the parchment paper to another baking sheet) and repeat steps 4-5 to bake up the rest of the dough.
  7. Sprinkle orange zest over the baked cookies. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

  1. You can bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes.
  2. I highly recommend picking up orange extract from the baking aisle at your grocery store. It adds so much flavor to any recipe that calls for orange flavor! If you don't have any on hand, replace it with more vanilla extract + add more orange zest.
  3. For extra circular cookies, use the back of a spoon to gently manipulate the cookies' shape as soon as you take them out of the oven. Obviously this is optional (and simply something I like to do before taking photos)!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

11

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 279Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 174mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 2gSugar: 23gProtein: 3g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

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Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies (dairy-free)

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Mini Brownie Cookies sandwiched together with a cool peppermint frosting. These fudgy and festive cookies are rolled in crushed candy cane for extra minty flavor and that delicious candy crunch!

Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies

It’s official. You all love brownie cookies…and brownie sandwich cookies. Two of my most popular recipes here on the blog are brownie cookies! I don’t blame you. There’s something exciting about a cookie made with brownie batter. A brownie in cookie form? Yes, please!

These Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies are just like my other well-loved brownie cookie recipe, except I swapped the peanut butter frosting for a simple peppermint buttercream (a rendition I was hoping some of you would try when I first posted them to Instagram!). These cookies are everything you want in a holiday cookie: indulgent, tantalizing, and familiar (who doesn’t love a chocolate + peppermint combo in December?). Bake these up this week – or really, any week this Winter – and take them to whatever small gathering you’ll be at. I promise you that whoever you’re with will be delighted by these cookies!

Some of the Ingredients + Substitutes:

  • Chocolate chips work wonders in my brownie recipes – they produce the best, crackly top (for my recipes!). So of course I use them for these cookies. I haven’t tried these cookies with baking chocolate or chocolate bars, but I know that only chocolate chips work in the original brownie recipe I based these cookies off of. In other words, just use the chocolate chips 😉
  • Olive oil is the go-to oil in our house. If you prefer something more neutral, avocado oil would be a great substitute. Vegetable oil or light olive oil will work as well.
  • Eggs whip up to add height to these cookies. As of now, I don’t have any egg replacers for you – sorry! 🙁
  • Sugar helps create that classic crackly brownie top. I like to use unrefined cane sugar to help balance the richness of the Dutched cocoa powder. You can use coconut sugar (which tastes less sweet) or regular white granulated sugar.
  • Dutch-process cocoa powder is richer in flavor and darker in color than regular, natural cocoa powder. You can use regular cocoa powder if it’s all you have on hand, but your cookies won’t be as rich or chocolatey.
  • Peppermint extract is added to the frosting to get that perfect (and light) minty flavor. Two things to note: do NOT use mint extract, and if you’d like your cookies to be even more pepperminty, you can use it in place of the vanilla extract in the cookies.
  • Plant-based butter and milk are what I use in the frosting since they’re dairy-free. Feel free to use regular butter and whatever milk you’d like!
  • Powdered sugar is necessary for the frosting. Don’t even try to make this a healthy cookie. Real talk. Just use the powdered sugar and enjoy your cookies!
Yield: ~18 Sandwich Cookies

Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies

Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies

Mini brownie cookies sandwiched together with a cool peppermint frosting! These fudgy gems are rolled in crushed candy cane for a delicious, festive crunch - perfect for the holidays!

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

Brownie Cookies

  • 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • 3/4 cup granulated cane sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla (or peppermint) extract
  • 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (like Hershey's Special Dark)
  • 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Peppermint Frosting

  • 1/4 cup plant-based butter, softened
  • 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3-4 tsp plant-based milk
  • 3 candy canes, crushed (for rolling)

Instructions

Make the Cookies

  1. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and olive oil. Heat in 15 second intervals, stirring each time, until chips are melted and smooth; set aside.
  2. In a stand (or hand) mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk on medium-high until thick, fluffy, and light in color, about 3-5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Add the melted chocolate mixture and gently mix with a large spoon until everything is combined.
  3. Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a large spoon until totally combined - your dough will be very sticky, like a thick brownie batter.
  4. Allow the dough to sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. This allows the batter to stiffen up enough for you to scoop and roll the dough balls.
  5. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop cookies, 12 at a time, 1 Tbsp in size (.6oz) onto one of the baking sheets. Roll each dough ball smooth and evenly space them on the baking sheet.
  6. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 5-6 minutes or until the centers no longer look wet. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack.
  7. While the cookies bake, prepare the next batch of dough balls on the second baking sheet. Continue until all cookies are baked, being sure to only use a cooled baking sheet each time.


Make the Frosting + Assemble

  1. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and peppermint extract. Beat in the powdered sugar. Finally, beat in the milk 1 tsp at a time until the frosting comes together. You want it to be smooth enough to pipe but thick enough to hold its shape.
  2. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip (I used a Wilton 1A tip). Assemble the cookies by piping an even layer of frosting onto one cookie and then sandwiching it with another.
  3. Immediately roll the edge of the cookie in crushed candy cane. Continue until all cookies are sandwiched.
  4. Store cookies on their side (like how macarons are stored) in an airtight container at room temperature.
© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

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Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms (dairy-free)

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Dark chocolate thumbprint cookies filled with sweet peanut butter frosting “kisses”. These Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms are the “inside out” version of the popular Christmas cookie!

Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut butter and chocolate. A classic combo that’s known to get people really excited. I’m one of those people. And these cookies are an absolute dream. Soft dark chocolate cookies coated in crunchy sugar and “filled” with the easiest peanut butter frosting. Pipe the frosting to resemble the chocolate kisses of the original peanut butter blossoms, and I promise that these cookies will excite any chocolate + peanut butter lover.

These cookies come together quickly and easily (no chilling!!) and then the frosting is made up of runny peanut butter and powdered sugar. Get out your piping bag and a Wilton 2A tip and start practicing those peanut butter “kisses”! And if you’re not the best piper (hello, it’s me), don’t worry. The frosting is thick and pliable (not sticky) so you can re-pipe the kisses as many times as you need to – you can literally peel them out of the thumbprints and add the frosting back to your piping bag without a mess! The result is a stunning little cookie, perfect for any movie night or small gathering.

Ingredients You’ll Need + Substitutes

  • Dutch-process cocoa powder is richer in flavor and darker in color than regular cocoa powder. It really elevates the chocolate flavor of these cookies! Hershey’s Special Dark is what I use as it’s affordable and easily available!
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Sugar sweetens the cookies AND decorates them. For the cookie dough, you can mix in white granulated sugar, coconut sugar, or unrefined cane sugar. For rolling the dough balls, you want to use white granulated sugar.
  • Egg binds the cookies together. For a vegan option, you can use a flax egg – mix 1 Tbsp of flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp of warm water; allow to thicken for 5 minutes.
  • Olive oil is my go-to baking oil (you won’t taste it in these cookies). Avocado oil or light olive oil would work as well.
  • Peanut butter makes up the frosting kisses. You’ll want to use runny “natural” peanut butter made with only peanuts and salt. In order to get the perfect frosting, the peanut butter must be room temperature (in its runny state).
  • Powdered sugar thickens and sweetens the peanut butter. If you’re looking for something less sweet, you can replace 1 Tbsp of the sugar with a starch such as arrowroot.
Yield: 13 Cookies

Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms

Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms

Dark chocolate thumbprint cookies filled with sweet peanut butter frosting "kisses". These festive cookies are the inside out version of your favorite peanut butter blossoms!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookies

  • 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (coconut, unrefined cane, or white cane)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup white granulated sugar (for rolling)

Peanut Butter Filling

  • 1/2 cup natural runny peanut butter (made with just peanuts and salt), room temp (see Note 1)
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, and olive oil. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix until totally combined.
  4. Add 1/3 cup of white granulated sugar to a small bowl/dish. Begin scooping dough balls (6 at a time) 1.5 Tbsp in size. Roll the dough balls smooth and then roll each one in the granulated sugar until well coated.
  5. Bake the sugared dough balls at 350°F for 5 minutes. Immediately press light "thumbprints" into the center of each hot cookie (I used the cap of my vanilla extract bottle). Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Then, re-press each thumbprint to make a deeper well. Repeat until all cookies are baked.
  6. Once the cookies are cool, make the frosting by combining the peanut butter and powdered sugar in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Heat the frosting for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
  7. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 2A tip. Pipe peanut butter "kisses" into each of the cookie thumbprints. If you mess up, don't fret; the frosting is thick enough that you can pull it off, add it back to the piping bag, and pipe it again without making a mess - yes, I did this multiple times!
  8. After you've piped all of the kisses, you can use your fingers to gently twist the tips of each kiss for a cleaner, pointier look.
  9. Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container.

Notes

  1. Your peanut butter must be in its runny, room temperature state in order to get the perfect frosting consistency. If you use cold, thick PB, then your kisses won't hold their shape after being piped.
  2. The cookies won't spread much in the oven, so you will flatten them out when making the thumbprints.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

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Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes with Marshmallow Mint Buttercream (dairy-free)

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The classic holiday flavor is made extra sweet with these Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes! Topped with a Marshmallow Mint Buttercream, these cupcakes have a delightful, light ‘sweet mint’ flavor.

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Peppermint and chocolate are a match made in heaven. Give it to me all year round, but especially during the holiday season. I’ll take it in my cookies, my lattes, and, obviously, my cupcakes. These cupcakes have a light peppermint flavor along with lots of dark, chocolatey cocoa (you’ll want to use Dutched cocoa for these!). The frosting is an easy American buttercream made with marshmallow creme (fluff), which gives it a sweet-mint flavor. I opted for unflavored sprinkles and snowflake candies for my toppings to keep the peppermint under control. For maximum minty flavor, you can decorate with crushed candy cane pieces or even whole candy canes!

Some of the Ingredients You’ll Need + Substitutions:

  • All-purpose flour: I like to use the unbleached kind for my cupcakes. For a healthier option, you can replace up to half of the AP flour with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
  • Dutch-process cocoa: this dark cocoa powder gives the cupcakes a richer flavor and color. Look for the Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder for an affordable, easy-to-find option.
  • Unrefined cane sugar: white granulated sugar will also work.
  • Eggs: for a vegan option, try using flax eggs in place of the eggs. Mix 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 8 Tbsp warm water; allow to thicken for five minutes.
  • Oil: I usually use olive oil in all of my baked goods. You can use your favorite liquid oil. Avocado oil is tasteless and healthy. Melted coconut oil will also work.
  • Plant-based milk: any plant “milk” will work!
  • Coffee: this adds depth to the chocolate flavor and you won’t taste any coffee in the final cupcake. If you have no coffee on hand, you can use more plant-base milk in its place.
  • Peppermint extract: be sure to use peppermint extract and not mint extract!
  • Plant-based butter: you can use either stick butter or tub butter for this recipe. Whichever you choose, make sure it’s softened.
  • Vegetable shortening: I like to add shortening to my dairy-free buttercream frostings for structure. If you’d like to omit it, you can use more butter in its place. You may need to omit the milk in your frosting if you do this.
  • Powdered sugar: there is no sub for powdered sugar 😉
Yield: 18 Cupcakes

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes Marshmallow Mint Buttercream

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes Marshmallow Mint Buttercream

Vegan-friendly cupcakes made with dark cocoa and peppermint! Topped with a delicious sweet-mint buttercream, these are perfect for the holidays!

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unrefined cane sugar (or white granulated sugar)
  • 3 large eggs (or 3 flax eggs)
  • 2/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup plant-based milk
  • 1/2 cup strong coffee
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract

Frosting

  • 7oz marshmallow creme/fluff
  • 3/4 cup plant-based butter, softened (see Note 1)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (or more butter)
  • 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
  • ~1/2 Tbsp plant-based milk
  • 5 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line cupcakes pans with paper liners (this recipe makes 18 cupcakes).
  2. In a large bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt until all is incorporated.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs. Whisk in the oil, milk, coffee, and peppermint extract. Slowly beat the liquid ingredients into the dry until totally combined - your batter will be runny.
  4. Fill muffin liners roughly 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F for 13-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcakes comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before gently removing to a cooling rack.
  5. Once the cupcakes are totally cool, you can make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat the marshmallow creme, plant butter, and shortening. Beat in the peppermint extract and plant milk. Finally, beat in the powdered sugar, cup by cup, until your frosting is smooth and stiff enough to pipe.
  6. Add frosting to a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip and begin frosting your cupcakes. To add sprinkles, pause between each cupcake to immediately add the sprinkles (the frosting begins to stiffen quickly).
  7. Finish each cupcake with a centerpiece topping (I chose candy snowflakes from the holiday baking aisle). Peppermint candies or other candy cane candies would be beautiful.
  8. Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

  1. Plant-based butter: you can use either stick butter or tub butter for this recipe. I've had success with both. I've found that I don't need the tub butter to sit very long at room temperature in order to be soft enough, so don't let it get melty.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cake

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