I made these cupcakes for all of my family and friends last year for Christmas, and because of them I've been asked to make cupcakes for every big event since! These are dark chocolate peppermint cupcakes with a mixture of chocolate/peppermint frosting. I pipe the frosting using three different colors (pink/red, green, and chocolate). And then I top the cupcakes with crushed candy canes.

I'm a senior in high school, getting ready to go to college soon. I really wanted to go to culinary school for a while because cooking is one of my big passions, but instead I've decided to pursue my other passion (being psychology). I've always loved baking, but it wasn't until about a year ago that I realized why I love it. It's that smile that baked goods put on everyone's face and those few seconds of joy one can get from taking a break to eat something sweet with friends. Now I bake as often as I can for the people that I love; it's become tradition for me to bake my friends a dozen cupcakes for them for their birthdays (and I'm sure they wouldn't have it any other way).