Caramel Apple Cupcakes

I've mentioned before that I just love dessert for breakfast. While my intention was not to create a super sweet treat to kick start my morning, these cupcakes put a little extra twinkle in my toes as a whistled on my way to work (okay maybe I'm being a little over the top, but it was gloomy this morning and these made it a little better...)! I found this recipe last week and decided to make these for my manager's birthday. Beth and a couple others from my office really enjoyed them. Apple is such a great baking ingredient- it provides lots of flavor and always produces a nice, moist baked good. I was a little skeptical of this recipe because there aren't many ingredients, but there was no lacking in the taste department! Next time, I will add some pumpkin pie spice (I was so mad I didn't think of that before!), but these are definitely good without any changes!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil (the recipe called for vegetable oil, but I always replace with canola)
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 rome apples (about 1 pound), peeled and grated/shredded
• 1 1/2 cups chewy caramel candies
• 1 tablespoon milk (the recipe called for heavy cream, but I didn't have any, milk worked just fine!) 

1. Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with baking liners, or spray with PAM.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; grate/shred in the apples and mix. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and milk. Microwave for 1 minute at medium power, then stir; repeat in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Let cool. Spread the frosting generously on the cooled cupcakes.

Tip- The easiest way to frost anything if you don't have a pastry bag is to scoop all of the frosting, once mixed, into a ziploc bag. Cut a small piece off of one of the corners, and you have your own home-made pastry bag, so easy!