I am a HUGE cupcake baker - huge!! And the funniest part about it is that I refuse to eat any of them .. except a TINY bite to make sure they taste ok, and that's it. I will instead take them to work or walk them down the street to my friend's house so he and his brother can eat them all instead. Here's a little cupcake-eating resistance for ya - a friend of mine told me this quote in high school: 'A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips!' So now you know how I will myself to self-control.

For me, it's all about the fact that I created something all my own, and that other people will enjoy it :) And, I love the multiple steps it takes to create a cupcake - it's not like making a batch of brownies, where you pour the batter into your stoneware to bake, and you're done. NOPE! With cupcakes, you have to worry about the batter, the filling (I always put filling in the center of mine), the icing (that you must make yourself!), the caramel drizzle or whatever garnish you're using on top, and making sure that the cupcakes do not bake a second over or under the perfect amount of time. You want them perfectly rounded!! 

Now you know my secret to getting perfectly rounded cupcakes :)

I have a recipe I found off Pinterest for Carmel Apple Milky Way cupcakes... INTENSE! That's a whole lot of flavor in a cupcake, and when I spotted the recipe at first, I thought it would be wayyyy too much. Turns out, it was one of the best recipes I've ever used (according to my friend Ryan & his brother Eric, my official cupcake eaters).

Caramel Apple Milky Way Cupcakes.. and my favorite cupcake apron!!!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes
• 3/4 cup strong coffee
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream
Caramel Apple Filling
• 2 Gala apples (or your favorite), diced/chopped
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, loose
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• juice of 1/2 lemon (optional - I didn't have any time time, but I really recommend it if you have it!)
• 1 Tbsp flour
Caramel Buttercream
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1.5lbs powdered sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3-4 Tbsp caramel syrup (I used Smuckers)
Garnish
• Caramel syrup
• Caramel Apple Milky Way bars, halved

Instructions

Chocolate Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flower, sugar, baking soda, and salt
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flower, sugar, baking soda, and salt
• In a small sauce pan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Add the coffee, cocoa, and vanilla and whisk together. Cook for 2 minutes until cocoa has melted and you have a smooth consistency.

The large bowl, medium bowl, and small sauce pan, each with their own ingredients!

• Slowly pour a few tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into the egg/sour cream and whisk until combined. You're tempering the egg with this step. Add the remaining chocolate and whisk until combined.

Tempering the egg by adding the chocolate mixture into the egg/sour cream mixture.

• Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the wet. Whisk together until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Pour batter into cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake about 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

These cupcakes need to be a LITTLE more flat, for the filling that's going to be put in the center of each!

• Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Use an apple corer or core out the center of each cupcake.

Caramel Apple Filling

• In a large frying pan, melt the butter

Can I eat this by the spoonful??

• Add the apples, sugars, cinnamon, and lemon. Mix until combined and the sugar is completely melted. Cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat until bubbly, stirring constantly. You don't want it to burn, but you want the apples to get semi-soft, but not mushy.
• Add the flour and mix until the sauce on the apples thicken.

                                                                       Thickening the filling!

• Remove from heat, transfer to a glass bowl and allow to cool completely.
• Fill each cored cupcake with the apple filling.

                               

Caramel Buttercream

• Cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream and beat until smooth. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
• Add the caramel sauce until you reach your desired consistency. Beat on high for 3-4 minutes.

                                                                I LOVE my KitchenAid mixer!!! In RED!

• Top each cupcake with a swirl of buttercream.
• Garnish with a drizzle of caramel sauce and the halved Milky Way bars.

                                                                Je suis fini! Your cupcakes are finished! :)

And there you have it! Now you're a cupcake expert.