White Chocolate Cranberry Cupcakes

Make the sugared cranberries

1. To a saucepan, add water and 2 cups of the sugar. Heat over MED LOW and let simmer for about 3 minutes, or until all the sugar is dissolved, making a simple syrup.
2. Let the syrup mixture cool for 5-10 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup of sugar to a bowl or rimmed plate.
3. Add cranberries to the semi-cooled syrup, and let sit for at least 2 hours, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
4. Drain the cranberries, then roll them in the sugar in the bowl (or plate). Set berries aside to dry for at least an hour.

Make the cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar. Whisk together to combine.
3. Add the softened eggs, butter, vanilla, and buttermilk. Beat together with a hand mixer until just combined and smooth, with no flour streaks remaining.
4. Stir in the chopped cranberries and white chocolate chips.
5. Transfer batter to prepared cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 of the way full.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5-7 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling completely.

Make the buttercream frosting

1. Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl on 50% power, in 20-30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until just melted and smooth.
2. In a mixing bowl, add butter and beat with a hand mixer until creamy. Pour in the melted white chocolate, mixing until smooth.
3. Add the powdered sugar, beating until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Assemble the cupcakes and serve

1. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with your desired tip (the one I use is a closed star tip), and pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. ** Alternately you can transfer the frosting to a releasable plastic bag, and snip the corner off. This won't give you the texture shown in the photos, but is easy and you don't need special tools. **
2. Top the frosting with a few sugared cranberries and a sprig of fresh rosemary (purely for garnish and decoration - and optional).