Orange Dreamsicle Cupcakes In the Winter!

Waking up on a winter morning wrapped up in my snuggie, looking out the window at a fresh snowfall is kind of like comfort food. And when the sun goes down, the sparkles in the snow become twinkly stars.

If I lived in an edible winter wonderland, the snow would be fluffy and creamy and sugary. Like a dream.

Orange and White Winter Dreamsicle Cupcakes.

♥

I used an extra large #9 Open Star Tip to swirl frosting dreams come true.

The tip looks like this and you can buy it at Ateco:

I used a basic buttercream frosting recipe, and added a splash of orange extract. See recipe below.

My favorite brand of icing color (especially their "electric" line of colors!):  Americolor.

Picking up the cupcake with a stick and eating it like an orange dreamsicle in the winter is an indulgent fantasy, truly.  I used mini "Woodsies" popsicle sticks as cupcake toppers. You can buy them at Hobby Lobby.

little dreams ready for delivery.

Simple Recipe for your very own Orange Dreamsicle Cupcakes:

(Makes approximately 24 cupcakes!)

Ingredients needed:

1 box of white cake mix

3 oz package of Orange Jello Mix

3 or 4 oz package of Cheesecake pudding mix

1 1/4 Cup Orange Juice

4 Eggs

1/3 C Vegetable Oil

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Orange Extract

Optional (and I like adding this..):  1 tsp of Orange Zest

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Line your cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners.

3.  In a bowl or a stand mixer, whip all of your ingredients together for approximately 2 minutes.

4.  Once ingredients are blended, use an ice cream scoop to fill your cupcake liners with batter-approximately 2/3 full.

5.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

The delicious frosting:

8 oz Cream Cheese
1 Cup Unsalted Buter

1 Tablespoon of Milk or Heavy Whipped Cream

1 Teaspoon of Orange Extract

2 tsp of Orange Jello Powder

appx 6-8 Cups of Confectioners Sugar

Optional:

• Combine 4 oz of cream cheese with your butter & milk
• Add 1 Tablespoon of Orange Zest to the frosting blend.
• Sample your frosting with a popsicle stick ♥ I really recommend this!

Instructions:

1. In your Mixer, Blend Butter and Milk until creamy and dreamy.

2. Add Orange Extract and Jello Powder to the whipped goodness.

3. Gradually add Confectioners Sugar.  This is where you decide how much you want to add. The more sugar you add, the thicker the texture of the frosting.

I add about 3 cups of this to achieve a dreamy swirl of frosting. You can always add more milk to make the frosting creamier.

♥