Caramel Apple Cupcakes

This week here on From Blah to Ta-daa! we'll be showcasing Halloween Treats! It's such an excitement filled week for our kiddos and truly a time of 'treats' as well. At our house it is tradition to make caramel apples Halloween Morning. I chose a new recipe to try this year that shares the same flavors.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

(recipe found on the Kaboose website)

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 apples, peeled and shredded

2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12 cup) cupcake pans with cupcake liners. (I found adorable Halloween cupcake liners decorated with pumpkins, ghosts and bats!)

2.)  In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add flour, milk, oil, shredded apple, baking powder, and vanilla and beat for another minute, just until the batter is smooth and creamy. Don't over beat. Pour batter into the prepared cupcake pan(s).  (I find it easier to fill a glass measuring cup, with handle and spout, and 'pour' the batter into the cupcake liners)

3.) Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick poked into the center of the layer comes out clean. (In our oven, 30 minutes was perfect)

4.) Allow cupcakes to cool before icing. This recipe made exactly 24 cupcakes.

Caramel Icing Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

2- 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

16 caramel candies

1.) To make icing, melt butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add milk and continue stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Pour cooled mixture into the bowl of a mixer and add in sifted confectioners sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until mixture comes together and is creamy. ( I melted the butter and brown sugar while the first batch of cupcakes were in the oven and let it reach room temperature while the cupcakes were cooling.)

2.) Ice each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons of icing and top each with one caramel candy.

I used exactly 2 tablespoons of icing on each cupcake I frosted and the recipe came up short. I ended up with 7 cupcakes with out icing to cover them. So I'll probably create another 1/2 batch later.

These were so very moist and over the top yummy! I highly recommend this recipe with noted adjustments to the icing recipe.

Happy Halloween Everyone!