Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Are you all tired of me posting new recipes yet? Well I have like 3 others I still want to post, two of which are pumpkin recipes from last year that I never posted! Haha! Sorry, just sharing the love of food!

I pinned this recipe on Pinterest and have been dying to try them. I finally had the chance to make them today for a game night with friends. 'Tis the season for pumpkin right! I thought these were really good. The cupcake part was so good, in fact, I thought they seemed a little bit more like a muffin. They are really good without frosting. The frosting was delicious too. I added about a cup more of powdered sugar to the frosting though, because it was just too soft. I liked the flavor better without the extra powdered sugar, so maybe next time I would see if chilling it for 1/2 hr or so would make it good to frost with. (I think next time I'd like to try this recipe too.) This isn't the greatest pic, as I didn't take it until we were at the game night and only 4 cupcakes remained, so I just snapped it really quick. If you go to the other girls blog, her picture makes them look so much more delicious. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the  brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Beat on medium speed until well combined.  Add dry ingredients, and mix on low until smooth. Fold in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Makes ~ 18 cupcakes. (Mine made 24 cupcakes.)

Source: Adapted from MarthaStewart.com.

Salted Caramel Buttercream

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 stick salted butter

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups powdered sugar

In a saucepan, stir together granulated sugar and water.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color.  Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring until very smooth.  Let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm and still pourable.

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and salt together until lightened and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel.  Beat on medium high speed until light and airy, and completely mixed (about 2 minutes). Mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration.  If your caramel was too hot when added, it will cause your icing to be runny.  If this happens refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Source: Slightly adapted from SprinkleBakes.com.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

On one of the first of the rainy days here, as there has already been many, I knew it was a soup kind of day. I wanted to make this cheesy veggie soup, but Matt doesn't love all the different veggies in it. He wanted loaded baked potato. So I decided to use the base of the veggie soup, with the pretty typical ingredients of baked potato soup. We thought it was one delicious loaded baked potato soup.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

3-4 russet potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces (I don't like peeling mine.)
1/2 cup (more or less to your liking) sliced green onion
2 tsp. salt
4 cups water (or enough to cover the potatoes while cooking)
1 lb. bacon, cut in small pieces and cooked nice and crispy
3 Tbls chicken bouillon (or to taste)
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbls dry mustard
1/2 lb. american cheese
sour cream to garnish
shredded cheese to garnish


Place potatoes and green onions in a large stock pot and add salt and water (enough water to just cover potatoes). Cook over medium-high heat until potatoes are tender, (but not too done, or they just fall apart) about 20 minutes. Stir in bacon, chicken bouillon, and milk. Simmer for 5 more minutes. In a separate saucepan, make a roux by melting butter over medium-high heat until foamy. Stir in flour and dry mustard and cook and stir until fragrant and golden brown, about 1 minute. Add roux to soup and stir until thickened. Add cheese to soup and stir until melted. Keep hot, without boiling, until ready to serve. Add sour cream to garnish, and if you love cheese like Matt, add shredded cheese. Now serve with Grammie's rolls, and you've got a perfect rainy day meal!

Black Pepper Biscuits

A few weeks ago one of my FB friends posted this recipe and I knew I had to try it. I love biscuits, but I've never found a recipe I've just loved. Tonight I made these and Matt and I both agreed, best homemade biscuits we've ever had. They were delish and I could've ate many with the raspberry peach jam I just made. Yum! This recipe is orginally from the Food Network, a Bobby Flay recipe.

So a few of my thoughts about this recipe. The black pepper could easily be omitted if you're not a fan, as you just sprinkle it on top prior to baking. I followed the recipe and used unsalted butter (since I had some in the freezer), but Matt and I agreed, they could've used a little more salt. So I think next time I will use salted butter and slowly add the tsp of salt until it seems salty enough, but try if for yourself how you'd like it and go from there. Since I rarely plan ahead to make something with buttermilk, I used the "homemade" buttermilk substitute of 1 tbls vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk method. Also, don't let the lack of heavy whipping cream in your fridge from making these, as I think they would probably be okay without, just a thought. (I'll have to test that next time.)

Black Pepper Biscuits

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk

1/2 cup heavy cream (brushed on top prior to baking)

2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper (I sprinkled some from my shaker, nothing near this amount.)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse twice to distribute the ingredients evenly. Scatter the butter over the top of the flour mixture and pulse 4 or 5 times or until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and pulse until the mixture just begins to come together. (I don't have a food processor, so I used a pastry blender to "cut" my butter in. Then I used my kitchen aid when I added the buttermilk so I didn't have to work so hard by hand.)

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Pat the dough into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. (I used my rolling pin, it's faster.) Use a 3-inch round cutter to make 8 biscuits then place them on the prepared baking sheet. Press together the scraps of dough, and repeat process. Place the biscuits on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper; brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.