Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 14 cupcakes

Happy Fall!

Here in Pennsylvania, the leaves are beginning to turn brilliant shades of crimson, orange, and gold, the air is getting crisper, and cozy spices like allspice, cinnamon, and cloves are starting to waft through kitchens across the country. What better way to celebrate the season than with a Fall-inspired recipe? It is the perfect nod to the season to introduce our newest recipe, Salted Caramel Apple Cupcakes, featuring Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread.

If you are a cupcake fan or a salted caramel fan, you will love these moist, flavorful, rich cupcakes. However, do not let the “salty” scare you away because these cupcakes are emersed in a depth of sweet flavor from the spices and the apple butter. The salted caramel frosting is decadently creamy and buttery and perfectly accompanies this tasty cupcake.

So, in honor of Fall, indulge your palate and treat yourself to the season's flavors with a salty-sweet sensation featuring Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread! You will not be disappointed, and your kitchen will smell amazing!

Happy baking!

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have made this delicious recipe. Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Cupcake ingredients (adapted from thefirstyearblog.com)

2 cups all-purpose flour (we have made this recipe gluten-free by switching out King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten-Free flour, using the same measurements).
1 ½ teaspoon (tsp) baking powder
1 teaspoon (tsp) baking soda
½ teaspoon (tsp) salt
½ teaspoon (tsp) cloves
½ teaspoon (tsp) allspice
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature

1 jar (9.5 oz.) Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread

Salted Caramel Icing Ingredients (adapted from thefirstyearblog.com)

2 sticks butter (1 cup), room temperature
⅓ cup Homemade Caramel sauce (or your favorite jarred caramel sauce)
¼ teaspoon (tsp) salt
2 cups powdered sugar
A little milk, cream, or half and half if needed to thin out the icing
Caramel sauce to drizzle on top (optional)
coarse sea salt to sprinkle on top (optional)

Cupcake Preparations (adapted from thefirstyearblog.com)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and set the pan aside. Line 1 more cupcake pan with two liners (this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes).

While the oven is preheating, make the homemade caramel sauce. (If using jarred caramel sauce, then skip this step. Homemade caramel sauce is so easy and comes together in minutes). Directions below.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, and allspice in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the room-temperature butter and brown sugar, and mix with an electric mixer until combined & creamy, about 30-60 seconds. Add in the room temperature eggs one at a time, and combine again with the mixer.

Add in Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread and lightly beat. Gradually add in the dry ingredients (flour mixture), mixing by hand with a spatula until it’s just incorporated. The batter will be thick. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 19-21 minutes (rotating cupcake pan halfway through cooking) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. Ovens vary, so start checking for doneness around 17-18 minutes.

Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then move them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Salted Caramel Icing Preparation

Place the room-temperature butter, cooled caramel sauce (if homemade), and salt in a mixing bowl. Turn an electric mixer on medium and beat the butter for 1 minute until it is whipped and fluffy.

Add in the powdered sugar, and beat again on low for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula or until everything is incorporated. Add a tablespoon of milk, cream, or half-and-half if the icing is too thick, and beat until creamy.

In a plastic piping bag (or ziplock bag with the corner snipped off), fit with a piping tip (I used a Wilton 1M tip) and add the frosting. Push the frosting down into the bag. Twist the top of the bag closed and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a circular motion. Drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with coarse sea salt (optional).

Enjoy!

Note** The cupcakes and frosting can be made one day in advance. Make sure to cover tightly and store them in the refrigerator. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for 2-3 months but thaw overnight in the refrigerator when ready to use.- A cooking tip from Sally's Baking addiction.

How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup of brown sugar
6 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon (tsp) sea salt (if you want salted caramel, add up to 1 tsp. salt- Kosher salt is acceptable too)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (you could substitute your favorite liquor for an extra special adult treat, we won’t tell, but make sure to keep away from the kiddos).
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half, room temperature

There seems to be some debate on the internet about making homemade caramel sauce. Some suggest melting the sugar with the butter first, whereas others swear by heating it until it dissolves and adding the butter and the rest of the ingredients at the end. I have tried both ways, with the result being the same. The caramelization process happens quickly, so you do not want to walk away, and you need to ensure all your ingredients are measured and in place before you begin.

Start with a medium-sized stainless steel saucepan (ceramic would work fine too). Add the butter chunks to the pan, turn the heat on low, and gently stir the butter with a wooden spoon (you can use a whisk, too) until it melts. Once the butter has melted, add the sugar and continue to stir until the sugar has dissolved. (Sugar will be HOT! Keep a small bowl of cold water nearby in case of splattering sugar). Continue stirring and scrape the sugar that forms on the side with the spoon or a rubber spatula and incorporate it into the mix.

Continue constantly stirring on low until all the sugar has dissolved and you have achieved this rich caramel color and a nutty aroma. Some of the butter may remain on the top. It is okay. It will incorporate once the half-and-half or cream is added. As the caramel comes to a rolling boil on low, continue rapidly stirring. Add salt and vanilla (or liquor) at this time. If you want salted caramel, add 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) of salt.

For the full directions with pictures, follow this link. http://blog.cherchies.com/home/2018/10/27/cooking-tip-how-to-make-homemade-caramel-dip