Pepernoten muffins

In Holland we celebrate Sinterklaas and I think you can compare it with Santa Claus, just a little bit earlier. We celebrate it 5 December. One of the traditions is that we ate lots of pepernoten. So today I share a recipe with pepernoten, called pepernoten muffins. If you like it, but you can't buy them, this is the link to the recipe of the pepernoten.

Ingredients (12 cupcakes):

Cupcakes:

• 125 grams butter, room temperature;
• 125 grams sugar;
• 125 grams self-raising flour;
• 2 eggs;
• 2 tablespoons milk;
• 1 teaspoon vanilla-extract;
• 1 hand full pepernoten.

Butter cream:

• 250 grams butter, room temperature;
• 250 grams icing sugar;
• 2 tablespoons milk.

Garnish:

• pepernoten, grounded.

Materials:

• Cupcake baking form;
• Mixer.

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Put the butter in a bowl. Mix the butter with a mixer on high speed for 3 minutes. Add the sugar and whisk another 2 minutes. Break the eggs, one by one and add to the batter. Add the second egg when the first one is completely combined with the batter. Pour the vanilla-extract in the bowl and whisk another minute. Add the self-raising flour and mix the flour in the batter with a spatula. Crunch the pepernoten and add to the batter. Whisk very gently with a spatula until everything is mixed.
Put the cupcake forms into the baking form and pour in the batter until the forms are 2/3 filled. Fill all the forms and put the baking form in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool down for 5 minutes and release them from the baking form. Let them cool down on a rack. 

To make the butter cream add the butter and icing sugar in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed mix the butter and sugar. When they are combined add 2 tablespoons milk. Change the mixer to high speed and mix for another 3 minutes. Spoon the cream into a piping bag. When the cupcakes are cooled down, pipe the butter cream on the cupcakes. Sprinkle beaten pepernoten as garnish on top.

Tips and tricks:

• If you don't got cupcake forms or won't use them, butter the baking form to easily release the muffins;
• Don't use butter that's easy to smear on roomtemperaturen. It can happen that the piping won't last. Better choose a firm butter.

4Pure: Pepernoten muffin