Recently, I noticed that I had been blogging about everything I eat, but nothing that I've made. Looking for ideas, I headed to the library, where I found What's New, Cupcake? Inside was the greatest idea ever-cupcakes that look like apples!!
Because it matters that the cupcakes taste good and look cute, I chose to make apple cupcakes. I adapted a recipe first seen in Southern Living October 2010.
I LOVED this recipe because there was no electric mixer required!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 stick of butter, melted
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon maple extract
2 c. flour
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples
First, you must toast the pecans. Place them on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 for about 5 minutes.
While the pecans toast, work on peeled and slicing the apples into small chunks.
In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients (butter, maple extract, eggs) with sugar. Blend well. Ina separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add slowly to wet mixture, pausing to combine well. The batter will be very thick!
Finally, add apples and pecans. Add about 1/3 cup to muffin tin. This will make 12 cupcakes. bake for about 23 minutes, or until top springs back when pressed.
I used a cinnamon cream cheese frosting to go with this.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
3-4 ups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream together butter and cream cheese. Slowly add sugar, then follow with cinnamon.
Now, you have the cupcakes and frosting. How to decorate?
Supplies you will need for this:
-Red food coloring
-Granulated sugar
-Green soft candy (I used green taffy)
-Brown candy (couldn't find small tootsie rolls, so I used chocolate candy corn that I coated in more chocolate)
-donuts. Cake donuts would be best. Krispy Kreme's flavor of the month is Cinnamon cake, and THAT WOULD BE PERFECT!
-rolling pin, small knife, serated knife, piping bag optional
Red sugar would be easier to deal with. But I followed the books advice, and made red sugar. Put a cup of sugar in a Ziploc bag, and add red food coloring. Shake to coat. This requires a LOT of food coloring. It may forever change your perspective on colored confections. Spread on cookie sheet to dry.
I made stems by melting chocolate and dipping the candy corn in it, then placing them in the freezer.
I made leaves, by rolling out the taffy to about 1/4-1/2" thickness, then cutting leaf shape and making leaf markings with knife.
To make the apples: cut donuts in half. Use a little frosting on top of cupcake for glue. Place donuts on top of cupcake.
Next, I piped on frosting and smoothed it out. You make a dip in the center to resemble an apple-apparently mine were huge. Next, I spooned on the red sugar-the donut-top makes this waaaaaay too unstable to roll it in the sugar.
Finally, I added stems and leaves, and placed in cute basket. Fun for fall!! I sent them off with Patty for my SACC teacher friends.
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