By CountryLiving
Level:
Moderate
Serves:
12
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter or margarine (not spread)
- ¾ c. sugar
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ c. 1% lowfat milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1⅓ c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tub whipped vanilla frosting
- Red, white, and blue coarse (crystal) sugar
- Red and blue gel or paste food colors
- You also need: 2 disposable plastic decorating bags, each fitted with a #16 star piping tip
Directions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12 regularsize (2 1/2-inch-diameter) muffin cups with paper liners.
- Beat butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl with mixer on high speed 1 minute or until well blended. Add eggs; beat 2 minutes or until fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in milk, and vanilla (batter may look curdled). Beat in flour just until blended. Spoon into lined cups.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes before removing from pan to rack to cool completely.
- To decorate: Spread 1 cup frosting on cupcakes. Place each color sugar on a separate small plate. Lightly press edge of cupcakes in sugar to coat. Divide remaining frosting between 2 small bowls or cups. Color frosting in 1 bowl red, the other blue. Spoon each into a decorating bag. Pipe frostings on cupcakes or decorate as desired.
