Snickerdoodle Chai Cupcakes |Cooking With Amanda

January is my least favorite month, which is ironic considering it my birthday month. But do you know what happens when your birthday is two weeks after Christmas? Friends and family finally settle in for an after-the-holidays breather, only to remember at the last minute that you need a present! A cake! A party!

I was always jealous of friends who had summer birthdays that were carefully planned right down to the adorable handmade invitations and matching balloons. Pool parties and cook outs and sleepovers looked very different than my parties, which were often cancelled due to inclement weather.

I remember one year I was determined to make it happen. I designed my own party invitations, cutting them out to look like roller skates, which incidentally, was what I wanted for my birthday. I was always going up the stairs of our apartment building to ask our neighbor to borrow her skates, which were old, worn, and frankly…smelled like someone else's feet. This was going to be my year – I'd get the skates I longed for and have the most epic sleepover!

Then, of course, we got several inches of snow. None of my friends could make it to the party, which basically meant that my four hours of roller skate invitation designing had gone to waste. I consoled myself with the fact that at LEAST I'd be getting the roller skates I so begged for…until I opened the box and it contained TWO. LEFT. SKATES.

Needless to say, I spent the evening skating sad circles around our apartment building basement, wearing my upstairs neighbor's stinky feet skates and dreaming of a birthday in June. And this is just one of the many reasons that January is my mortal enemy.

It's no wonder that I don't diet in January. As everyone begins eating healthier and investing in work-out equipment, I spend the month baking and settling in with a good book. Why make a bad month even worse by adding kale and unnecessary physical exertion? I mean, a person can only handle so much in life.

Snickerdoodles and chai are two of my all-time favorites, so I decided to combine them to make the most delicious cupcake ever! These are so creamy and spicy and good – perfect for this cold, dreary month.

We say you should do everything you can to help the winter doldrums with cupcakes. Make 'em all month long! Start with these, then make Kristan's pink champagne cupcakes and frozen cupcakes too.

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Snickerdoodle Chai Cupcakes Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Cupcake Batter:

2 sticks salted butter, slightly softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup milk

For the Frosting:

1 stick salted butter, slightly softened
4 ounces cream cheese, slightly softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners and set side.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla.
With the mixer on medium low, add flour and milk alternately, starting and ending with flour mixture and scraping the bowl as needed. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until center of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Frosting:

In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium until smooth.
With the mixer on low, slowly add powdered sugar and cinnamon. Beat until smooth.
Add heavy cream and increase speed to medium high. Beat until light and fluffy, about a minute.
Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar if desired.