Cupcake Conspiracy | Holiday help

INDIANAPOLIS - Baking is one of the central pillars in my philosophy for living right, and giving baked goods to loved ones is one of my keys to happiness in general.

With that being said, the holidays are here, and if you are having trouble trying to buy the perfect gift, I highly recommend cupcakes.

I could go on and on about cupcakes as the perfect gift. I could wax nostalgically about the cupcakes of past and the ones I long for in the future, but really what’s most important are the cupcakes of the here and now.

But what happens when you have an immediate need for cupcakes? There are a few simple solutions to this dilemma.

One of the hip baking trends right now has nothing to do with actual baking, which makes complete sense as far as anything “hip” is concerned.

I am referring to is something I like to call “awesome on a stick”, also known as a cupcake pop. They look like a lollipop, and when you bite through the candy coating you get yummy, delicious cake! At least that’s the general idea.

The concept is pretty cool and there is no baking required. Probably the best thing about this method is how creative you can be with your decorations. Check out the gallery linked below for some cool cupcake ideas

Click here for some cool cupcake ideas -->> Photos : 10 Christmas Cupcakes

Another suggestion I have for quick cupcake gift-giving is something we have discussed before: cupcakes in a jar. I just love this idea all the way around. Read here just how much. (Link)

You can make bake or no-bake cupcakes in a jar, but really the point is that you’ll be:

• Giving something original and thoughtful.
• Giving a great-tasting gift.
• Giving a super cool gift.

 

If you have absolutely no time to do the above, cupcake shops and food trucks are popping up all over the globe. This little niche of bakeries, dealing only in the baking of cupcakes, has become what on one hand I’d like to call a fad, but on the other hand a booming business for some.

The good thing about this is you can order a batch over the phone and pick them up later. Most of these specialty shops will bake to order. The best idea is to give the shop a call and chat about what you want.

You’ll also more than likely be supporting a small, local business and that gets brownie points – or cupcake points, if you will – in my book.

The most important part of giving is giving a gift from the heart. And I truly believe that the giving of cupcakes definitely fits into that category. Happy holidays! And Merry Cupcakes! –Twinkle

See more recipes on my tumblr food blog

Twinkle VanWinkle was born in a small town in Mississippi. A life-long lover of music, media and food, she grew up following those three things along her path. She has almost 20 years of professional cooking under her apron strings, feeding thousands of friends, family and other folks while working in restaurants and bakeries in Oxford, Miss. She baked 300 apple pies for the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and appeared on “The Best Of...” in the same year. Along with producing dynamic entertainment content for LIN Media, she is a mother, musician and social media fanatic.

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