Pumpkin Gingerbread Cupcakes

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: December 19, 2022

We have been having some cold, wet weather here lately. This kind of weather just makes me want to stay in bed. But at least it’s not as bad as the snow and ice that some folks are getting. I surely don’t miss that. If bad weather keeps me in the house, I usually end up baking something. I had some leftover pumpkin puree in the pantry that I wanted to use and I thought it would pair nicely with gingerbread. I was right!

I also had some Crystallized Ginger Chips I have been dying to use. I bought these at World Market, but I also have seen them at T.J. Maxx, Sur la Table, and Amazon.com.

The spices all together smell so wonderful. I need to get myself a gingerbread candle or room spray.

Here comes the pumpkin. I love how pumpkin makes baked goods so nice and moist. I hate dry cupcakes.

The crystallized ginger chips are what really make this cupcake pop. They have a strong ginger taste with a little bit of sweetness. A great compliment to all the other spices.

Napkins com sent me a few samples of baking cups, mini loaf liners, and paper straws to try out. The baking cups are made of a glossy, translucent paper with beautiful silver and red designs. I didn’t even need a muffin pan for these. I love the scalloped edges. You can find out more about them on their website. They sell in bulk wholesale, but with the holidays coming around and all the parties you may be attending, wouldn’t it be nice to have pretty and durable baking liners.

My muffins came out perfect. The baking cups really held up. They are oven and freezer safe, so you can bake ahead of time. Napkins com has other decorative baking cups available as well as napkins, plates, tablescloths, cups and cutlery in a rainbow of colors for all your party needs. They even have eco-friendly and custom print products.

I tried the mini loaf liners also. I made some bread to give out as gifts. These are the perfect size for a single serving. There are bigger loaf liners available if you need them.

Getting back to the cupcakes, the original frosting I had intended was an eggnog buttercream frosting, but it was too sweet and heavy. I thought it was take away from all the wonderful ginger flavor of the cupcakes. I would have gone with my usual whipped mascarpone frosting, but I didn’t have any whipping cream or mascarpone cheese in the fridge.

But I did have some cream cheese and Cool Whip. I found an easy recipe online for a light fluffy frosting. I like how it came out. The light taste of the frosting was the perfect pairing for my spice cupcakes and it had a nice glossy sheen that reminded me of snow. The cupcakes came out of the wrapper in perfect condition, the inside of the cupcake was moist with lots of bits of chewy ginger chips, and the frosting was just the right amount of sweet with a hint of cream cheese. I definitely had a winner.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cupcakes

by The Sweet Chick

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert snack ginger cinnamon cloves pumpkin Christmas cupcake cake American winter

Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

For the cupcakes

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup crystallized ginger chips

For the frosting

4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 oz. Cool Whip whipped topping

Instructions

For the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flours, baking soda, spices, and salt until well blended.

In a large bowl or stand mixer place the butter, sugar, molasses, and egg. Mix on low until well blended. Then add the water and pumpkin puree mixing until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture a little at a time as you continue to mix, making sure all ingredients are fully combined.

Next add the ginger chips and mix until all incorporated.

Divide batter evenly into 12 cupcake liners or a greased muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting

In a medium bowl or stand mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Then add Cool Whip and continue to mix until well combined.

Using a piping bag with your favorite tip or a spatula, frost your cupcakes and place in the fridge. (If there is any left over frosting, it makes great fruit dip!)

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Cupcake recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

Frosting recipe adapted from Babble com

Disclaimer: Napkins com did provide me with some of the products used in this post, but I was under no obligation to develop a recipe for them nor provide a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This recipe may be linked to these fabulous parties.

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Carnitas And Tacos

Mains

Christiana George

Updated Date:
June 8, 2023

I love meat unabashedly. This isn’t to say I’m eating steak every night of the week. Like a lot of people, my diet is vegetarian for the greater part of the day, at least up until dinner. That’s when my inner carnivore comes out and craves the wholeness that meat provides. Call it my ultimate comfort food? (My mom used to joke that my love for meat was due to the fact that I was born in the year of the tiger—a Chinese zodiac thing) Chris and I like to consume it in slivers and bits, shredded sometimes, ground other times. Which is why tacos are my ideal food.

The best tacos I’ve ever had were, predictably, in Mexico. We’re so accustomed to loading them down with all kinds of goodies, but at base, they’re all about the meat (or vegetarian substitute), along with a few choice toppings: a smathering of cilantro, onions, salsa, a squirt of lime juice, and some radishes maybe. There’s something so well-rounded yet pure about the authentic taco. When we lived in San Francisco, our favorite taco truck dispensed tacos in very much the same way. I’d always dip into the tub of communal pickled jalapeno and carrots, but otherwise, the major decision revolved around choice of filling. My favorites: carnitas, al pastor, and lengua.

With such simplicity comes much responsibility. After all, when a food boils down to so few ingredients, all the elements have to shine. And in the case of these carnitas tacos, it’s all about the meat. My friend Vanessa, who’s three quarters Mexican, used to tell me about her dad’s famed carnitas, which he’d make every Christmas in a huge copper pot. “The key ingredient… is lard,” she’d say, with the flourish that the ellipsis is meant to convey. At the time, this sounded quite intimidating, much too daunting for the average home cook. I mean, who’s got lard sitting around on their counters?

Well, I will have you know that no lard was involved in the making of this recipe. And it is delicious. I made it about a year ago, choosing the non-lard route, and loved it. It’s a cinch to put together, yields a ton, and tastes pretty damn authentic (and I’ve had enough carnitas to know when I’ve nailed it). And when placed in a corn tortilla, all sorts of memories come rushing back to me. Just goes to show the conjuring powers of food—nostalgia in the best of ways.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to do something I’ve been meaning to do for some time: share wedding photos! I know I promised I would a long (long long) time ago, and since our wedding was recently featured on Wedding Chicks, I thought it’d be a good opportunity to also create a Flickr set to share more favorites. Check it out if you’re interested! (And Sarah, if you’re reading this, thank you so so so much again for documenting our wedding so beautifully!)

CARNITAS

Adapted from Leite’s Culinaria
Makes… a lot. Enough for 2 dozen tacos maybe?

Ingredients

4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2″ pieces
3 cups cold water
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 orange, preferably seedless, cut into 2 wedges
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or lard, if you’re so inclined)
8 garlic cloves, peeled
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
3 to 4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp dried oregano

For the tacos:

Small corn tortillas
Salsa
Chopped onion
Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
Sliced radishes
Pickled jalapenos/carrots

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot (oven-proof preferably), and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the contents is simmering vigorously (medium to medium-low), and skim the scum that floats to the surface. Continue simmering for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender and the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally, especially towards the end. If the meat’s sticking, you might need to reduce the heat to low to cook off the rest the liquid. About half an hour before the liquid has evaporated, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

If you’re using an oven-proof pot, slide it into the oven. Otherwise, transfer the meat to an ovenproof dish before placing it in the oven. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, uncovered, until the meat has browned.

Before serving, shred the meat with a couple forks.