Pumpkin Cupcakes

I wanted to make a “fall” dessert the other night, so I experimented with several recipes.  The end result was a pumpkin bread cupcake with a maple, cream cheese frosting and a dusting of crushed toffee.

I started with TJ’s Pumpkin Bread & Muffin mix and followed the box directions for muffins.   I frosted them with Barefoot Contessa’s Maple Frosting recipe (lightened with whipped, light cream cheese) and then dusted them with crushed English Toffee.  The combination was fantastic.

As my mom would say, “What cupcake wouldn’t taste great with crushed English Toffee?”

Makes 12 cupcakes

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix

2 Large Eggs

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Water

1/2 cup coarsely chopped English Toffee

Maple Frosting:

3 oz. light Cream Cheese, room temperature

1  1/2 Tbs. Unsalted Butter, room temperature

1/8 tsp. Natural Maple Flavor *

1/4 tsp. Vanilla

1 cup Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

2.  Combine eggs, oil and water in medium bowl. Add bread mix. Stir together until batter is smooth (1 to 2 minutes).

3.  Fill muffin tin 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.  Let muffins cool completely before frosting them.

4.  To make the frosting, cream the cream cheese and butter on low in a medium-sized bowl.  Add the maple flavoring and vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the confectioner’s sugar and mix until smooth.

* If you don’t have maple flavoring, you may substitute with 4 or 5 teaspoons of real Maple Syrup (depending on the strength of maple flavor you wish).  You will need to add an extra 1/3 to 1/2 cup more powdered sugar to get desired consistency with frosting.

5.  Frost the cupcakes.  Sprinkle with chopped English Toffee.

NOTES:

• I bought all the ingredients at Trader Joe’s (since I needed to get the pumpkin bread mix).  The Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix is a seasonal item at TJ’s (usually late September through winter).
• I used TJ’s English Toffee bars.  It took almost 3 of the bars for a dozen cupcakes.
• I used light cream cheese, but the original recipe calls for regular cream cheese.

About these ads