Some of you – my amazing amazing Nest Full of New friends – have had so much snow! I can’t even process the crazy amounts of snow in your neighborhoods and towns. As you probably heard, a mere fraction of an inch of snow tends to immobilize everyone here in the South. A flurry will send us 1) to the nearest grocery store for milk and bread; 2) to the school to pick up our kids; then 3) to our homes to hunker down and bravely face the tiny flakes that melt before they hit the ground.
I have just one answer for all of us. Cupcakes. These little babies, no matter how they’re “dressed”, will help almost anyone feel better. So when faced with 10 feet…or 10 flakes…I suggest baking up a batch of cupcakes and enjoying whatever waits outside your front door. These lovely Coconut Cupcakes remind me of a snowball nestled in a big, fluffy pile of snow.
Coconut Snowball Cupcakes
You can make these with your favorite boxed white cake mix, but this is my go-to recipe when I make them from scratch. It originally came from King Arthur Flour.
Ingredients
4 large eggs whites plus 1 whole large egg
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract (you may also use almond extract)
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans (20 to 24 cupcakes.)
Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed to blend. Add the softened butter and mix until evenly crumbly, like fine damp sand.
Add the egg whites one at a time, then the whole egg, beating well after each addition to begin building the structure of the cake. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
In a small bowl, whisk the milk with the vanilla and coconut extracts. Add this mixture, 1/3 at a time, to the batter. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Fold in coconut flakes.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake 20 minutes for cupcakes. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven, remove from the pan. Cool on a rack and then frost.
Yield: 20 to 24 cupcakes.
To Decorate
Once completely cooled, frost each cupcake with a delicious coconut buttercream made by beating together 1 cup of softened butter with 5-6 cups powdered sugar and 3/4 cup of cream of coconut (coconut milk is not the same, btw.)
Top each cupcake with sweetened coconut flakes and a Ferrero Raffaello Coconut Candy. They come in a box like this –
and look like this –
(If you’re a coconut lover, these are pretty darn close to the best candy ever! I even served them at my wedding.)
The end result is a beautiful, snowy cupcake that will make you so very happy and warm!
Hi Tracy,
This is my first visit to your blog and we just connected over on Twitter. I wanted to stop by and see what you’re all about. I have to say, this post caught my eye because even though chocolate is my absolutely most favorite thing, coconut is second.
I’m not much of a baker, I prefer buying a box, cooking it and then I’m ready to go but boy this recipe sounds fabulous. I live alone though and I know I would make myself sick eating these but I’m seriously considering doing it anyway. LOL!!!
Might have to share with some of my neighbors, I live in a condo complex and I have a lady a few doors down that LOVES sweets too so she’d definitely help me with these.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I’m saving this baby and I’m going to try and talk myself into giving this a try.
Thank you Tracy and enjoy your week.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne!
I’m so pleased that you’ve visited my blog! This sweet and simple cupcake recipe really makes an impact with very little effort. I hope you’ll have a chance to try it. (Glad you have some reinforcements to back you up on the eating part!)
I’m with you on the chocolate. In fact, one of my quick desserts is simply “break and bake” double chocolate cookies sandwiched with Nutella or ice cream. Coconut and lemon are my next favorite flavors. I’m a sucker for a lemon bar or just an Almond Joy!
Hope you’ll come back soon to look around a little more – I love getting feedback and value yours.
Thanks again, Adrienne!
These cupcakes are so pretty! And I am definitely going to check out that candy. Candy is my weakness!!!
Hello Laura!
Thank you so much! Be sure to let me know if you love the coconut candy as much as I do. They’re like little bites of heaven! My sister recently brought me some coconut syrup from Hawaii. We made pancakes, poured the syrup over them then chopped up some of these candies to sprinkle over the top. Oh, and there was bacon on the side… 🙂 Best breakfast ever!
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