Category Archives: Dessert

Lemon French Macarons

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On my list of “things to tackle”, French Macarons were high on my list (not to be confused with the American macroon – with 2 ‘Os’ and chock full of coconut). French Macarons along with souffles are a bit of the plumb line by which good bakers (in my mind anyway) are measured. They are like the holy grail of pastry chefs. So, tackle the macarons I did, along with my two sou chef’s – mom and sister. So glad they were up for the challenge! It was great to have a third pair of hands and lots of talking, laughing and double-checking to make sure I was doing it right. Also, I don’t know if I’d have ever got the macarons perfectly round without my sister there. She has much finer piping skills than I. The other great thing about having more hands is that I could actually capture some of the work being done with my camera. Yay.

After lots of research and browsing the internet to learn the typical hang-ups when making macarons, I finally felt armed with enough education to tackle a recipe. My personal favorite (and just so happens to be my sou chef’s favorites as well), I decided to make lemon macarons filled with lemon curd and vanilla bean buttercream – inspired by Bouchon’s lemon macarons.

But before we begin. What are those ‘key’ ingredients, you ask? It seems like there are a few of important steps to making a good macaron:

  1. Aging the egg whites. What is the purpose of this? According to the French Pastry School Experience, aging egg whites allows some of the moisture to evaporate and losens the protein coils. (protein coils? huh? yeah, I don’t really get it either, but I did it and it worked, so I’m not asking. he’s the pastry chef – not me)
  2. Letting the macarons rest for 1 hour before baking them, creating what is known as the “foot” of the macaron. (This one I mainly got from David Lebovitz. He tried one batch with the rest and one without the rest. The first batch didn’t have feet. The second did. I’ll learn from his experience and let mine rest!)
  3. Use your food scale. This one is just because over the years, I’ve learned that weighing is a much more accurate measurement of ingredients than volume (hey, flour can get ‘packed’ or have air pockets – trust me, use your scale).

I did both these crucial steps and… success! Not only did my macarons have ‘feet’, but they were also delicious. I think even more delicious than a lot of the cheap and wannabe macarons that can be found at wannabe bakeries. They don’t quite live up to Bouchon’s amazingly fabulous perfection of a macaron. But really, who am I to even try to compete with Bouchon?

They were ultimately delicious morsels of crunchy, soft, creamy, lemony goodness. And oh so addicting. I could have kept eating them forever. I highly recommend. I’m so glad I took the challenge.

Here is the journey of the macaron… (and recipe at the very end)

Here’s the batter all ready for piping.

See the circle guide? It works! (I talk more about the guide in the recipe)

Meticulous piping skills combined with the guide = perfect circles! (thanks, sis!)

Resting… For one hour. So hard to wait!

Look! Feet! They have feet!!!

Starting the curd

The swiss meringue butter cream is piped (I did these. See? My piping skills aren’t nearly as neat as my sister’s)

In goes the lemon curd! (Don’t let the fact that they look like little eggs detour you)

Done! They were so addicting, we couldn’t stop eating them. I cannot wait to make them again. I will. Trust me, I will.

Lemon French Macarons

From Use Real Butter

Macaron cookies

  • 110g almond flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour)
  • 200g powdered sugar
  • 1 small lemon (preferably meyer), grated peel of
  • 100g egg whites, aged for day and brought to room temperature
  • 50g sugar
  • 2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
  • Lemon curd
  • Swiss meringue buttercream

Lemon Curd

  • 2 meyer lemons, zest of
  • 1/2 cup meyer lemon juice (about 3+ lemons)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 egg yolks

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 3 egg whites, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tea vanilla bean paste
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly soft (but slightly cooler than room temperature), cut into 12 pieces

Make the Lemon Curd:

  • Stir together the lemon zest, juice, and sugar in a small saucepan.
  • Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
  • Beat the yolks together in a medium bowl and very very slowly add a little hot lemon mixture at a time while quickly whisking until combined. Continue to add hot liquid slowly until completely combined.
  • Pour the egg mixture into the sauce pan and stir constantly over medium heat until the liquid thickens (about 5 minutes). It should hold a path when you run your finger down the back of a spoon.
  • Remove from heat. Strain the curd through a mesh sieve to remove the zest. Let cool completely.

Make the Macarons:

  • Combine almond flour, powdered sugar and lemon zest in a food processor. Pulse until well-blended.
  • In a small bowl, mix the sugar and food coloring together until well blended (i.e the sugar turns yellow).
  • Whip the egg whites until foamy and gradually add the granulated sugar while whipping until a shiny meringue forms (but not too dry).
  • Add the almond mixture to the meringue and quickly incorporate the mixture into the meringue while taking care not to overbeat. You want to achieve a batter that flows and “ribbons” for at least 5 seconds.
  • Pour the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large plain piping tip and pipe small rounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The rounds should be about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and at least an inch apart. (Helpful Hint: I made up a circle guide that I slipped under the parchment to help make even rounds. Download my PDF here – french_macaron_circle_patterns – to help you make perfect circles.)
  • Let the macarons sit for an hour to develop a hard shell. (This is a good time to start on your swiss meringue buttercream.)
  • Preheat oven to 300°F and bake for 8-10 minutes. (Note: If they aren’t completely done, they won’t lift off the parchment. It’s a delicate balance. You don’t want them brown, but they have to be completely done with dry bottoms). Remove from oven and let cool completely (if you don’t wait til they are completely cool, they will likely separate tops from ‘feet’). Remove from parchment.

Make the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • Heat egg whites and sugar in a double boiler over simmering water, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk until they are 160 F.
  • Transfer the egg and sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on high until the egg whites form stiff peaks. They should not look dry.
  • Add the vanilla, then the butter a bit at a time, mixing until fully combined and has the desired texture.

Assemble:

  • Pipe small circles of buttercream around the edge of the macaroon
  • Spoon a tiny bit of lemon curd into the hole and sandwich with a second macaron. Makes about 2 dozen.

Strawberry Balsamic Caramel Cupcakes

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I tried this recipe for strawberry balsamic cupcakes a while back. And while it was good, it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped it would be. So, I decided to work up my own version with stronger flavors, and I was very pleased with the result. This one is GOOD! So additively good that I couldn’t keep my fingers out of the batter or frosting – especially the frosting. I made them on Friday night and Saturday afternoon for our Mother’s Day lunch.

Then, disaster happened… The cupcakes were in the fridge and I decided to show my husband how well they turned out. I pulled them out and realized there was a half inch of liquid at the bottom of my plate they were sitting on. Upon further exploration and sniffing, I discovered it was pickle juice. My jar of pickled okra tipped over on the shelf above and poured all the juice onto the plate. I scraped up some ingredients at midnight and with the help of my sou chef (aka husband), we finished up batch #2 around 1am.  The second batch wasn’t quite as good as the first, but it was a close second.

Also, for the record, I like the strawberry swiss meringue buttercream recipe better than my first strawberry frosting attempt.

A Cupcake CoThese Cupcakes are available at A Cupcake Co.

Chocolate Chip VitaMuffin or VitaTops Copycat Recipe

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Vitalicious products are expensive. There’s no way around that. At a local grocer, a box of 6 VitaMuffins or VitaTops are likely to set you back $6, maybe less if you were lucky enough to catch a sale. Either way, it’s expensive at right around $1 each muffin. The good thing is they are all natural, low in fat and calories and high in fiber. They are a tasty, chocolate-y treat.

So, why do we have to pay them to make them when we can make them ourselves at home, right? Ah, a recipe. That’s what’s missing.Oh wait… But I have one right here for you!

This recipe tastes surprisingly close to the VitaMuffin/VitaTop version. It does have that same slightly ‘healthy’ undertone to it, so if you’re looking for a really decadent chocolate muffin, this isn’t it. But don’t let that detour you from trying it out. If you’re wanting a sweet, healthier treat, this will definitely do the trick. Especially heated up with a little low-fat vanilla ice cream over the top. Yum!

It makes a fairly large batch, so I recommend freezing them and pulling them out one at a time. To freeze, I suggest you cool them down twice before moving them to the freezer. Cool them completely on the counter, then move them to fridge to chill. Finally, seal them up really well and freeze. When you’re ready to eat a frozen one, simply microwave it for 30-45 seconds (60 if you prefer it hot).

Now, go get in the kitchen, you chocolate-loving vitamuffin/vitatop people, and whip up your own batch!

(Sorry, no pictures of this one. I’ve been meaning to make another batch so I can snap a few, but I haven’t been able to and I didn’t want to hold out any longer, so I’ll just show you a picture of chocolate and hope that suffices for now until I can come back and add a photo.)

Chocolate Chip Muffins (or tops)

Makes approx 36 mini muffins.

  • 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3 egg whites
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup fat-free half & half
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp table salt
  • 1 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp unflavored fiber supplement (such as Metamucil Clear & Natural)
  1. Preheat your oven to 365 F (Note: you will drop the temperature down before actually baking the muffins. Don’t forget!)
  2. Using a mini muffin tin or a muffin top pan, lightly spray the pan with a non-stick spray.
  3. Sift all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  4. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all wet ingredients except the water.
  5. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the water and stir until completely incorporated. Do not over-stir.
  6. Divide batter between muffin tins and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of each.
  7. Put your muffins in the oven and CHANGE the temperature to 350 F. Bake 8-10 mins, or until toothpick comes out clean. Do not over-bake or they will get very dry. Let cool for 15 mins on a wire rack.

Nutrition (approx): 70 calories. 1g fat. 14g carb. 1g fiber. 1g protein.

Late Night Snack Ice Cream & My Healthy(er) Swap

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Oh, Ben & Jerry’s. You’ve done it again. As if one of my all time favorites, Phish Food weren’t enough, you go and add my weakness – sweet/salty – to your gourmet ice cream line-up. It’s in the form of “Late Night Snack” – inspired by the Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night Show. Vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered potato chips (yes, potato chips!!!), swirled with salted caramel – it’s a little taste of heaven.

According to some gossip and reports going around, Ben & Jerry’s may have ripped the flavor off of my absolute favorite ice cream place ever – Humphry Slocombe. With almost identical flavors, Humphry Slocumbe serves up their “After School Special” flavor at Spork SF restaurant.

And while I live not too crazy far from San Francisco to get a scoop of the original vanillacaramelchocolatepotatochip ice cream, my local grocer is much easier for me to go and pick up a container of the Late Night Snack version by B&J. Except the main problem is that the either one of these will ooze with at least 270 calories/15g fat.

That being said, I’m going to rip off both of them and make my own healthy(er) version.  With closer to 160 calories/7 g fat, this is a delicious substitution that will ease your late night noshing conscious.

Healthy(er) Late Night Snack Ice Cream

  • 1/2 cup  Half-the-fat Vanilla Ice Cream (or if you prefer, fat free or no sugar added types work as well)
  • 8-10 bittersweet chocolate chips (melted in a glass bowl for 45-60 seconds, then stirred)
  • 3-4 baked potato chips, crushed (I prefer baked Kettle Brand chips)

Simply, drizzle the chocolate over the top of your scoop of ice cream and sprinkle the crushed potato chips over the top.

Happy Spring!

Strawberry Cupcakes

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Always up for a challenge, I accepted the call to make a strong strawberry flavored cupcake… So, at my friend’s special request, here it is!

After trying a few but not being satisfied with the weak strawberry flavor, my friend challenged me to find a yummy strawberry cupcake recipe that she can use. After a few failed batches and lots of internet searching, I finally settled on doing my own conglomerate using one of my favorite vanilla cupcakes as a base and modifying from there. To send the strawberry flavor over the top, I made a rich strawberry frosting to swirl over each cupcake.

The secret ingredient? Freeze-dried strawberries!  All the flavor, none of the watery strawberry goo that messes with the texture! If you’re not familiar with freeze-dried strawberries, you can usually find them at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

I was pleased with the results!

Strawberry Cupcakes

 

Strawberry Cupcakes

A Cupcake CoThese Cupcakes are available at A Cupcake Co.

Lavender Honey Cupcakes

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Lavender Honey Cupcakes

I’ve had my culinary lavender for a while. I’ve made lavender almonds, but that’s about as far as I’ve ventured with my lavender. I’ve been wanting to try something lavender honey for a while and it never seemed like the right time to do it. I tend to bake with the seasons, turning to the rich and spicy flavors in winter, and lighter fresher flavors in spring and summer. Lavender seems like more of a spring or summer flavor. And honey… Well, that can only be inspired by flowers. So, with the cherry blossoms in bloom right outside my house and a light spring drizzle coming down, it seemed like the perfect time to try my hand at some lavender honey cupcakes.

I was concerned at first that the flavors would be too light and hidden in the cupcake and frosting or that the lavender would overpower the honey. My concerns were gone as soon as I bit in. There is plenty of rich honey flavor in this moist cupcake and just the right amount of savory lavender in the frosting to balance out the sweetness. I’m in love. And the frosting texture turned out perfect. It might be my favorite cupcake to date. (and I have pretty high standards)

A Cupcake CoThese Cupcakes are available at A Cupcake Co.

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

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Holiday baking has begun! Spicy, pumpkin-y, deliciousness all wrapped up in one little whoopie pie. Smooth cream cheese frosting sandwiched between two moist, fluffy pumpkin cookies. Amazing.

What’s the history of the whoopie pie? The legend goes that Amish women would send them with the farmers in their lunch and upon discovery, they would say “whoopie!”  And I think these delightful fall-inspired pumpkin whoopie pies will inspire the same exclamation!

WHOOPIE!!!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Recipe from Martha Stewart
Makes 24 minis

Pumpkin Cookies:
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling:
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
  3. Using a melon baller (or teaspoon), drop approx 48 heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
  4. Make the filling: Sift confectioner’ sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
  5. Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

Meringue Cupcakes

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Well, I can’t take credit for these at all. I can, however, give credit to my sister and Martha Stewart. Martha invented the recipe and my sis made it. We tweaked it a bit, of course (when do we NOT?), and this is what we ended up with:

My sis made the cupcakes, then we filled them each with about a tablespoon of store bought lemon curd and another tablespoon – or two – or three – of whipped cream, lightly sweetened and flavored with limoncello (double lemon!).  A side of strawberries and… voi la!  Happy Mother’s Day, mom!

They’re light, tasty and completely a mess to try to eat. But worth every single crumb.

A Cupcake Co

“THE” Lemon-Raspberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

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My mom has had the King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook for a year. This entire last year, she, my sister and I have been absolutely drooling over the cake picture on the cover.  Mom gave me my own copy of the cookbook (after she got sick of me always calling her for recipes out of it, I think).

A year of drool finally caught up to us and I decided to pull out the book and make it for her as a surprise for her birthday. It came out so deliciously. It uses about half whole wheat pastry flour and the other half white all-purpose flour. Using the wheat pastry flour makes it a bit denser and not quite as ‘fluffy’ as a traditional cake, but it didn’t take away from the flavor. And with the raspberry filling and creamy frosting, it all blended oh so well together. I promised a few friends I’d share the recipe.

So, here it is in all it’s glory. Please excuse the not so spectacular frosting and decorating job by me. I’m many things but cake decorator is one I’m not. It tasted good though, I promise!

Note, while the cake is pretty simple to make, the frosting is a bit more time-consuming. Well… Actually a LOT more time consuming. I think it took me a total of about 2-3 hours to make and frost the cake. But it was worth it!  And the only thing that bummed me out was that by the time I got to the frosting step, I was so tired, I forgot to put frosting between the layers. Oh well. Still tasted good. heh.

Lemon-Raspberry Cake

Makes three 8″ or two 9″ rounds or one 9×13″ sheet cake. Serves 16

  • 2 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 c unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 t baking powder
  • 1/4 t baking soda
  • 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 3/4 c sugar (either superfine or granulated)
  • 3/4 t salt
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 c fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 c milk
  • 1/4 c seedless raspberry jam
  • Fresh raspberries for garnish (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour the pans or line the bottom with parchment paper
  2. Whisk together flours, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Cream together butter, sugar and alt in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides occasionally. It should take at least 5 mins and the butter turns from yellow to white.
  3. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest.
  4. Mix half the flour mixture at a slow speed, then add the lemon juice and milk. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until completely combined. Scrape sides again and mix until completely combined, being careful not to over-beat.
  5. Pour batter evenly into the pans. Level the top of the batter with a spatula or back of a spoon. Bake the cakes the amount appropriate for the size: 8″ rounds = 20-22 mins; 9″ rounds = 27-30 mins; 9×13″ sheet cake = 35-38 mins. The cake is one when it begins to pull back from the edges of the pan and is an even golden brown color on the top. The center won’t spring back when done, but neither will it leave a dent.
  6. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack 20 mins before removing the layers from the pans. Chill the cakes before assembling to make them easier to handle.
  7. To assemble, once the cakes are chilled, spread the tops of the cake layers with raspberry jam. Return the layers to the freezer for about 15-20 mins before filling with frosting and stacking layers. This allows the jam to set and the layers won’t slide apart while you’re frosting the cake.
  8. Use the lemon buttercream frosting recipe below to spread a thin layer of frosting over the raspberry jam, stack the layers and frost the outside of the cake. Keep refrigerated until you’re ready to use the cake, then take it out of the refrigerator a couple of hours in advance and serve at room temperature, if possible.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

  • 1/2 c egg whites (whites from 3-4 large eggs) or 1/4 c meringue powder dissolved in 1/2 c cool water
  • 1/4 c light corn syrup
  • 1 c sugar
  • 1/4 c water
  • 1/2 t cream of tartar (if using egg whites)
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 c vegetable shortening
  • 2 t vanilla extract
  • 4 Tbsp lemon juice (divided into 2 Tbsp each)
  • 2 Tbsp lemon zest
  1. Place corn syrup, sugar, water and 2 Tbsp lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Stir until combined and the sugar is dissolved. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes with the pan covered to wash off any sugar crystals on the sides. Uncover and cook to the soft ball stage (240 F)
  2. Place egg whites (or reconstituted meringue powder) in the bowl of an upright mixer (such as a kitchen aid). Beat on a low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar (if using egg whites) and salt. Gradually increase the speed and continue beating until soft peaks form.
  3. As soon as the sugar reaches soft ball stage, remove from heat. Turn off the mixture. Very carefully, pour about 1/4 of the hot syrup down the inside of the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer on high speed and beat well. Add the syrup in two more additions, stopping the mixer every time so the hot syrup doesn’t splash and burn you, working as quickly as possible. If the sugar is slightly overcooked and hardens a bit, return it to the heat for a moment to remelt it.
  4. Continue to beat the meringue until it cools to room temperature. This takes about 20 mins of continuous beating. If you need to hurry it along, place the bowl in an ice bath for a few moments while mixing by hand then return it to the machine. If you add the butter before the meringue is cool, the butter will melt and the frosting will collapse.
  5. When meringue is cool, if you have two mixers, mix the butter and shortening together before adding it. Otherwise, beat in the soft butter a bit at a time. If the frosting starts to separate, continue beating without adding any more butter until it looks fluffy again. Beat in the shortening. Beat in the vanilla, remaining 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp lemon zest.  If the frosting is too soft, refrigerate before using.

(PS – Happy Birthday, mom!)

The 12 Days of Christmas Sugar Cookies

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Over the holidays, my sis had this brilliant (and slightly insane) idea of making the 12 days of Christmas into sugar cookies to give as family gifts to our cousins, aunts and uncles. She labored over each and every design and came up with a creative representation of each day.

She made patterns for each shape out of parchment paper and hand cut with a paring knife each and every cookie. She, my mom and I made 12 batches of 12 days. If I remember my basic multiplication tables correct, that is a total of 144 cookies, folks! We dipped, sprinkled, piped, dabbed, until we though our arms and backs would fall off. I think we enjoyed making them more than the people enjoyed receiving and eating them.

We had quite an assembly line going. It looked somewhere between Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and an explosion at C&H Sugar company.  And I was afraid my puppy was going to go into a sugar coma from all the ‘licks’ at the floor. ha!

I can’t even tell you how many times we sang the song through as we were hand cutting. You just kind of can’t help it. When you see the pics you’ll want to sing it too – just to make sure we got them all and in the right order. :)

Here is the fruit – um… sugar of our labor!

We used the Martha Stewart’s Ideal Sugar Cookie Recipe (the best sugar cookie recipe EVER! It’s the only one I’ll use) and her royal icing recipe for the dipping/piping.

And as a random photo for your enjoyment. Here are some mini vanilla/vanilla cupcakes I made for the holidays. My sis gave me some nonpareils for Christmas and I wanted to see how they’d look if I dipped the cupcakes into them and made little rounded tops. They were cute. And tasted good. A little different texture than the standard buttercream swirls my cupcakes usually get. Fun stuff.