A Trick for your Treats - Cupcake Edition

I recently visited a fun little candy shop and bought those cute little sugared pumpkins seen in the photo above. I mean, is it really that obvious that I love pumpkin? I only have three different varieties of pumpkin flavored coffee in my freezer and maybe, just maybe a 6-pack of pumpkin ale. Oh, and let's not forget the pumpkin ice cream in the freezer - thanks to Edy's. I would LOVE for Haagen Dazs to come up with a pumpkin flavored icecream. Because we all know that it would be THE best.

So, since I had these pumpkin 'gum drops', I had to make something with them right? Of course right! (Fiddler, anyone?)  So, I decided to whip out my Martha Stewart Cupcakes book and whip up a few wonderful creations. After looking through that book, I tag about 10 different cupcake recipes that I want to make. Now. I honestly convinced myself to make three different kinds until I got the first one made and thought - what am I thinking?  So I stuck with the two. Pumpkin Patch and Mint-Filled Brownie. C'mon folks, wipe the drool off of your face, it's embarrassing.

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Ingredients
4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbls plus 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbls ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with paper liners.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves; pulse to combine. With machine running, add milk and eggs; process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add pumpkin; pulse to combine.

Spoon about 1/3 cup batter into each cupcake liner. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Mint-Filled Brownie Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes


Ingredients
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
12 small chocolate covered mints (Peppermint Patties or Andes Mints)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.  Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally just until melted, 4-5 minutes.

Remove bowl from heat. Whisk in sugar and salt until mixture is smooth; whisk in eggs to combine. Gently whisk in flour and cocoa just until smooth (do not overmix).

Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into each lined cup. Place 1 mint on top, gently pressing into batter.  Top with 2 tablespoons batter, covering mint completely.  Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted halfway in centers (above mint) comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

Cream Cheese Frosting
from Martha Stewart Cupcakes


Makes about 2 cups

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

*For the green frosting, I used neon food coloring. The orange color is simply a mixture of red and yellow. I never count the drops, I just keep adding until I like the color.