Sugar Cookie Cupcakes

Tried to make something appealing for the Choir's Bake Sale...  We'll see if they sell, however "Quality Control" says they're delicious!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teas. pure vanilla extract
1 teas. pure almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teas. baking powder
3/4 cup 2% milk

Preheat your oven to 375 F.  Using your stand mixer or Kitchen-Aid, cream the butter and sugar together until very creamy.  Add the eggs one at a time and continue to beat like mad.  Add the extracts. Crank it.  The idea here is to beat some serious air into the batter to make it light, fluffy and tender.

Before adding the flour, mix the baking powder into it.  Then, check and see if your oven is ready.  THEN add the flour mixture, using the slowest speed initially, so you don't end up with a "flour facial."  After the flour is incorporated, add the milk while the beaters are still going.  Beat until very smooth and light.

Line muffin tins with papers.  I used small muffin tins (approx. the size of a "two bite brownie"), and cake/candy liners I found at Bulk Barn.  Using two teaspoons, spoon batter into the liners, until just below the top, but more than 3/4's full. I only had one small muffin tin of 12, so I ended up doing 3 1/2 batches which yielded around 40 cupcakes.

Cool each batch on a wire rack.  When all the cupcakes are cool, ice and decorate as desired.  I used white icing for the base, red icing for the music notes, and gold "Pearl Dust" to give it all a shine. I picked these colours because they matched the choir's logo and concert uniform.

For more information on the York Region Community Choir, you can go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/York-Region-Community-Choir/170313393029917