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    Home » dessert » cake » The Apple of My Eye - Caramel Apple Cupcakes

    The Apple of My Eye - Caramel Apple Cupcakes

    Oct 25, 2009 · 9 Comments

    Caramel Apple CupcakesLately it seems like it's nearly impossible to walk into the market without tripping over a bin of apples... which is, without doubt, one of my favourite parts of fall.

    I just love the incredible variety of apples that can be found at this time of year, compared to the four basic varieties you can get the rest of the year (Granny Smith, Macintosh, Gala and Delicious, I'm looking at you).

    Of the seasonal apples, my favourite has got to be the elusive (and delicious) Honeycrisp. I don't know if its appeal has to do with the fact that it's only available for a short time each year, so that I have months and months to dream about my beloved Honeycrisps between the seasons... but more likely, it's because it's really a great all-purpose apple that's perfect for cooking or for eating out of hand. Either way, I plan on gorging on apples until all the yummy . :)

    I think I must have been inspired by all the delicious caramel and candied apple posts on FoodGawker and Tastespotting when I dreamt up these cupcakes. They have all the appley sweetness of the original, but don't require any fussing around with candy thermometers and melted sugar, and they won't have you digging sticky bits of caramel from your teeth for the next two hours either. Win-win, right?

    Oh, and a word of warning - these cupcakes will be totally irresistible when they come out of the oven, and you will probably be seized with the urge to snarf one down right then and there. However, no matter how delicious and wonderful they might look, you should wait until they've cooled off before indulging. Hot melted caramel is not your tongue's friend, trust me.

    //

    Caramel Apple Cupcakes

    Cupcakes
    ½ cup sugar
    ¼ cup butter, softened
    2 eggs
    2 medium apples, cored and grated (~2 cups)
    ¼ cup milk
    ½ tsp vanilla extract
    1 ½ cups flour
    1 ½ tsp baking powder
    ½ tsp salt
    ¼ tsp cinnamon
    ¾ cup toffee bits (ie. Heath or Skor)
    Topping
    ¼ cup toffee bits
    ¼ cup sliced hazelnuts

    Preheat oven to 375F and butter the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin.
    In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs, one a time, beating until combined. Add grated apple, milk and vanilla extract, and stir to incorporate.
    In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to the wet ingredients, stirring until just barely combined. Gently fold in the toffee bits.
    Scoop batter into the prepared muffin tin, distributing evenly between the cups. Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl, and sprinkle evenly overtop of the muffins.
    Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until hazelnuts are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in centre of a muffin comes out with a moist crumb. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin, then set on a wire rack to cool completely.

    « Trick or Treat - Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili
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    Comments

    1. Rose says

      November 11, 2009 at 12:14 pm

      mmm I'm new here and your blog is GORGEOUS! These look delicious! I can't wait to check out the rest :)

      Reply
    2. Polka_Roo says

      November 2, 2009 at 6:21 pm

      Good question, Tracy! I'd probably avoid mixing the batter the night before, since the baking powder would lose a lot of its oomph and you'd end up with flat cupcakes.
      If you'd like to cut down on prep time, you could prep the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients the night before, and then stir everything together in the morning while the oven preheats.

      Reply
    3. Tracy Madden says

      November 2, 2009 at 5:26 pm

      Do you think you could prep the batter the night before, or do you think that would affect the "light and fluffy" texture?

      Reply
    4. Karen @ Mignardise says

      November 2, 2009 at 3:30 pm

      Wow, do these sound great!
      Glad I came across your blog on Foodbuzz.

      Reply
    5. Mardi @eatlivetravelwrite says

      October 27, 2009 at 5:40 am

      Congrats on a well deserved Top 9!

      Reply
    6. MaryMoh says

      October 26, 2009 at 2:39 am

      these look very delicious. I love the addition of apples. It give the cupcakes a natural sweetness. Love all those crunchy toppings too.

      Reply
    7. Fresh Local and Best says

      October 26, 2009 at 12:47 am

      This looks like an wonderful recipe. Honeycrisps are my favorite variety too!

      Reply
    8. Miriam says

      October 25, 2009 at 1:52 pm

      Your cupcakes look delicious indeed and the photo is lovely!

      Reply
    9. Cara says

      October 25, 2009 at 12:45 pm

      Lucky me, I have all the ingredients... ufortunately, I promised myself I'd eat super healthy this week! But I am looking for something to bake for coworkers, so this just might be it. Thanks!

      Reply

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    Hello! I'm Isabelle, and this is my blog. I'm a 40-something coffee-chugging, booty-shaking, bargain-shopping, trucker-swearing self-taught cook with a major addiction to vintage cookbooks. Come for the recipes, stay for the terrible puns! Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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