Ingredients: Cupcakes

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ cup milk
• 1 Tb. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tb. orange zest
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves
• ¾ cup powdered sugar

Variations:

Replace orange zest and ground cloves with the following spice combination:

• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground cloves
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg

Preparation:

1. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light in texture, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix until incorporated.
2. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add half of the liquid ingredients and half of the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture and stir to combine. Add the remaining liquid ingredients, dry ingredients, orange zest and cloves (or four-spice combination, if you’re using the variation), and mix until uniformly combined, about 1-2 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet ½ inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
4. Place the powdered sugar in a wide, shallow bowl. As soon as the cookies are cool enough to handle (but still hot), roll them in the powdered sugar and place them on a cooling rack. Once the cookies have cooled completely, transfer the remaining powdered sugar to a sieve and gently dust the Christmas puffs with it.