Pumpkin Mini Cupcakes with Cinnamon Maple Frosting

Typically, I am a creator of non-edible treats. But something about fall just makes me want to bake! I was invited to a costume party for Halloween and each guest was asked to bring some sort of treat for everyone to enjoy. I decided I would whip up some pumpkin cupcakes!

To keep things easy, I used pre-made boxed mix. The Pillsbury Doughboy and I are close friends and his Quick Bread mixes are great. 

I wanted to get the most cupcakes I could out of this mix, so I decided to make mini cupcakes. Luckily, I had a mini cupcake pan and some paper liners all ready. 

On the Quick Bread box, there are directions for making bread and making muffins. I followed the directions for making bread to make my cupcakes. The only real difference is that the bread recipe requires water while the muffins require milk. 

Soooo yeah... Heat your oven to 375*, fill your cupcake tins, and bake for 18-20 minutes. If your making full sized cupcakes, the time would be longer. Mine were minis, so it didn't take very long at all. I normally fill my cupcake cups all the way to the top since I like them to have a rounded, puffy top. 

One box of mix will give you about 30 mini cupcakes. Mmmm... they sound great, huh? Let's make 'em better...

Cinnamon Maple Frosting

(adapted from a recipe by Bakerella)

• 8oz cream cheese, room temperature (1 package)
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature (1 stick)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 lb confectioners sugar (1 box)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Using your mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until it's nice and blended. Add in vanilla and maple syrup. Mix in sugar a bit at a time until you get a nice, creamy frosting. Add cinnamon once the sugar is fully blended in. Put into a plastic zipper bag and put in the fridge. I like to have my frosting on the cooler side to pipe it onto the cupcakes.

You can make the frosting in advance, as I did. This recipe will make A LOT of frosting, so you can probably make three boxes worth of cupcakes before the frosting runs out.

By now, your cupcakes should be all done in the oven.

Poke 'em with a toothpick to make sure they're fully baked - the toothpick should come out clean. Wait until they are fully cooled before bringing out your frosting. 

Push your frosting down into one corner of the zipper bag and cut a hole at that bottom corner. Slowly squeeze (pipe) your frosting on to your cupcakes in a swirly motion and....

Enjoy :)

This post also serves as my entry for the Cinnamon/Nutmeg Challenge at www.AFoodComa.com