Sugar and Spice Makes Everything Nice

A Feature by Sonia Pramanick

At this time of the year, most people would be indulging in pumpkin spice galore, but sometimes you just need a break from all the lattes and muffins. This holiday season, take inspiration from this recipe for caramel apple cupcakes. They feature all the warming holiday tastes and smells we all love, combined with a balance of tart and sweetness from Granny Smith apples. Add the decadence from a smooth caramel drizzle and the deep nutty flavor of browned butter, and you’ll have yourself a treat nobody can resist. You may even forget that it’s pumpkin spice season.

Apple Caramel Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcake:  

½ cup diced apples (recommended: Granny Smith variety)

3 eggs

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

1 pinch of nutmeg

½ tsp allspice

1 pinch ground cloves

1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup sour cream

½ cup whole milk

Buttercream:  

¾ cup browned butter, at room temperature

⅓ cup cream

4 cups powdered sugar (or to preferred consistency)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp cardamom

Caramel Sauce:

1 cup brown sugar

5 tbsp unsalted butter

½ cup cream

1 tbsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

[Recipe courtesy of preppykitchen.com]

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep by putting papers into a cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together and whisk until incorporated. This includes the sugar.
3. In another bowl, whip the butter until smooth. Then whisk together the rest of the wet ingredients until combined. (The batter may be clumpy! It will become smooth when you incorporate all the ingredients together.)
4. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.

1. Fold in the minced apples.
2. Distribute the batter evenly into cupcake papers.

1. Bake for 18- 21 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch. Then let cool.

For the buttercream:

1. Heat the butter over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until it is browned to a caramel color. Allow butter to cool to room temperature.
2. Beat the room temperature butter for a few minutes on low. A stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment will work better, but a hand mixer can suffice as well.
3. Add in spices and cream.
4. Add confectioners sugar and vanilla. Beat in a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

For the caramel sauce:

1. Combine all the ingredients in small pot.
2. Heat over medium-low heat while whisking.
3. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown in color.