DIY Desserts: Sweet Red Velvet Cupcakes

With the holiday season just around the corner, whip up these Red Velvet Cupcakes from disneyfamily.com (http://family.go.com/food/recipe-ak-821080-red-velvet-cupcakes-t/) to really get into the spirit of Christmas.
 
The delicious cupcakes will prove to be a great holiday surprise for any family or friends, especially if you decorate them in creative ways.  Whether you stack them high and frost them with green icing to mimic a Christmas tree look, use gum drops, sprinkles and other edible decorations to make each cupcake resemble a reindeer, Santa Clause or his elves, or you decorate them with simple green and red fruits, these cupcakes will prove to be a holiday favorite for years to come.

 
Every Christmas tree needs ornaments, presents and lights (Ingredients)
 
Cupcakes:
1/2- 4 ounce bar of semi-sweet chocolate or 1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 stick softened butter, or ¼ cup of melted butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 heaping tablespoons dried cranberries, tossed in a little self-rising flour
2 teaspoons red food coloring
 
Frosting:
2 vanilla beans
2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter
8 ounces cream cheese, in brick form, not whipped
4  cups confectioners’ sugar
If you are going for the Christmas tree look, buy green food coloring.
 

Wrapping your holiday gift (Directions)
 
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use 12 paper liners (green if you are doing the Christmas tree imitation) to line the cups of a muffin pan.  Over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate in a bowl and stir occasionally. Mix together the remaining ingredients with a mixer. Add the melted chocolate after the previous mixture is thoroughly combined.
 
2. Using a spoon, place the batter into each cup of the muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes until the cupcakes rise and are firm to the touch. Let your creations cool for a few minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack or spate plate until they are completely cooled.
 
3. To make the frosting, scrape the vanilla seeds from the beans into a bowl and add cream cheese and the butter. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and then slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup at a time until the icing becomes smooth
 
4. If you are going for the Christmas tree look, place and mix a drop of green food coloring into the icing. Add as the food coloring until you get the desired shade of green.
 
5. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, place the frosting in a small sandwich bag and cut a hole in the bag at one of the corners.  Apply the frosting. If you’d rather get a smoother look, use a large knife and apply the frosting evenly on each cupcake.