This is it.  Your chance to enter Ghirardelli fame and Facebook feature.

Recipe for your success:

1 – “Like” the Ghirardelli page on Facebook.

2 – Fill in your basic information, upload your recipe, and upload your mouth-watering photograph.

3 – Win!

Perhaps we could do a group ATC entry?

I’d like to know of anyone’s opinion on baking with Ghirardelli and whether you find the chocolate richer, softer, and needing more cocoa powder to balance for spreading and shaping?  What about the Ghirardelli Intense Dark?  And the Ghirardelli white that I nibbled at while baking with it last week – do you do that too?  Are we shorting our batches or should we just write them as 10 oz broken into small bits with remaining 2 oz for the cook!

Dominique of  Sugarplum Cupcakes from across the pond over in England shared her masterful animal cupcake creations with us.  My favorite is the sheep.  The pearls woven together to simulate the wool is adorable.  She will be offering a “Novelty Cupcake Workshop” to share her tips and tricks:

Forgot to mention I host cupcake workshops in Suffok, UK. These four
characters are stars of my latest ‘Novelty Cupcake Workshop’. Haven’t
named them yet, but really excited about filling a whole class with
them in the New Year! – Dominique

Too bad we are on the wrong side of the pond to attend.  Register by contact her at her website contact form or on her Facebook page.

Sugarplum Cupcake
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sugarplumcupcakes
Website: http://www.sugarplumcupcakes.co.uk/

It’s difficult to stuff a holiday stocking with a trip to only one store, but if you have a cupcake lover on your gift list, then I believe it can be done at Kohls. Check out the awesome little cupcake gifts they’re offering this season!

What do you get when you take a steak house owner and put him in a cupcakerie?

Answer:  Coke + Ruffles cupcakes!

Now I know that everyone is thinking holiday cupcakes and presents, but, after all, Santa Claus is a man, so perhaps our stockings would become a bit more plump if we left guy-inspired cupcakes beside the fireplace on Christmas Eve?

4 Rivers Sweetshop owner John Rivers has come up with several of these “sweet and savory” cupcake ideas, including Moutain Dew + Doritos cupcakes.  Rivers told The Today Show that he’s working on Nehi grape soda cupcakes, and that the secret to using sodas in frosting is to boil it down to syrup thickness.

Now that’s one Ho-Ho tip I’m headed into the kitchen to try!

Paperless Post is offering a new line of free, informal holiday invitations and cards.  Included in the line is this fun snowman cupcake electronic card, a quick and easy way to wish your friends and family a happy holiday season.  Once you sign in to Paperless Post you can customize the text, font style, color, and more!

With cupcakes being so popular, this Little Tikes cupcake kitchen set from Toys R Us would make an excellent Christmas gift for your child, and it’s a great deal for only $29.99.  Just think of the hours that he or she will spend “baking” cupcakes and serving them up to friends…with no clean-up involved!  I especially love that the stove burners make sound effects!

And our ornament winner is…

Ashley Shelton
A cupcake Christmas is the only one for me! I am from Tennessee and while we like to keep things traditional and tender during the Holiday Season I am opting for a more sweet approach. This year I am decking my silver tree with sweet cupcake ornaments to remind us to be a little sweeter this Christmas!

 Congratulations!  Please email your mailing address to atcwinner@gmail.com.  Thanks to all our sweet fans and to KamNCo for sponsoring this great giveaway!