“The 12 Hats of Christmas” by Brett O. Parson and Holly Parson Nielson
We love Christmas books over here an awful lot. We love the ones about the magic of Santa and the beauty of snow, but often our favorite ones feature the spirit of Christmas and the joy of giving. These books really help us remember what a heartfelt time Christmas can be and this book about a little hat-making elf named Thaddeus Willard is one of those books. He is an elf with a large heart and a great desire to give something special to Santa for his birthday, which also happens to be on Christmas day. Being a hat elf he decides to take Santa 12 of his very best hats.
However, along the way Thaddeus finds multiple opportunities to serve and gives his hats away one by one to help those in need. He even looses his own beloved hat in the process. The ending that brings conclusion to what happens when Thaddeus shows-up to Santa’s party empty handed and bare-headed is one that will have your grinning and may even inspire your family to find ways to give of the heart yourselves. Plus, the illustrations are absolutely delightful! The little details added that give the reader a peek at the North Pole are charming and the bright, clean colors attractive. Definitely one to add to your holiday book stack.
Click here to purchase “The Twelve Hats of Christmas”
“The Twelve Hats of Christmas” inspired Holiday Hat Cupcake Recipe
My absolute favorite part of the story is when Thaddeus comes across some trouble at the North Pole bakery and lends a helping hand, or should I say hat. I just adore the peppermint striped uniforms of the baker elves and all of the goodies showcased in the illustrations. It got me thinking that holiday hat cupcakes would be just the recipe to pair with this adorable book.
These cupcakes are made from a cake mix that has additions to make them even more delectable and are topped with buttercream hats that are so much fun to make. They are perfect for your little elves to help you with and are sure to bring plenty of smiles, plus they taste great too. I topped mine with chocolate caramel balls that I found in the bulk bins at my local grocery store, but you could also top them with marshmallows or even more frosting for the pom-poms. Be creative and enjoy!
If you give this Beyond the Book activity a try I’d love to hear how it goes! Share it on Instagram using hashtag #beyondthebook (I’m on Instagram as @book.nerd.mommy) or even just comment here with your thoughts. It would make my day! Or to simply save for later pin the image below.
“The 12 Hats of Christmas” inspired Holiday Hat Cupcakes
- Yield: 24 cupcakes
- Category: book recipe, Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 9 cups powdered sugar
- large pinch of salt
- round christmas candies, marshmallows or other round goodie for a pom pom topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl mix together cake mix, milk, eggs, vegetable oil and sour cream. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Then, scoop the batter into cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 14-16 minutes until toothpick comes up clean from the center.
- After cupcakes have cooled make the frosting. Cream together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. (Take your time beating.) Then add the vanilla and salt and gradually mix in the powdered sugar until desired consistency.
- In a medium bowl place about 40% of the frosting and mix in green food coloring. In another medium bowl place about 40% of the frosting and mix in red food coloring. Leave the remaining 20% white.
- Pipe the red or green frosting in the center of a cupcake making a cone shaped tower. Then, using a small star nozzle, pipe white frosting around the dome to make the "rim of the hat". Top with a round christmas candy, marshmallow, or more white frosting for a pom pom.
Leave a Reply