Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Now just to clarify a thing before getting into this recipe. It doesn't taste very much like a caramel apple. It is more of an apple pie type cupcake with an old fashioned caramel frosting. It is absolutely delicious...and if I didn't have to share them I probably would have eaten all of these myself. Honestly I had a hard time of not eating all of the batter before actually getting it into the oven.

Fresh Apple Cupcakes
Yields 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large granny smith apples (peeled and chopped)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line your cupcake tin with liners and spray them with nonstick spray.
2. Stir together first 5 ingredents in a large bowl until blended.
3. Combin flour and the next 3 ingredients together. Add to the butter mixture stiring until combined. Stir in the apple. It will look like there isn't much batter but you should have just enough if you don't eat half of it before you bake it.
4. Spoon your batter into liners 2/3rds full and bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Allow cupcakes to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove and allow them to finished cooling completely on a wire rack.

Old Fashioned Caramel Frosting

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1/2 of a 16oz package of brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp light corn syrup
2 cups of powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and bring to a boil, constantly stirring. Stir in evaporated milk, baking soda, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil once more. Remove from heat and allow to completely cool. This takes about 1 hour.
2. Transfer caramel mixture to a mixer bowl. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. 

Viola! Pipe your frosting on your cooled cupcakes and decorate however you want. I was going to put little crab apples on top of mine....but they're really bitter....they're edible but I didn't want to risk the chance of someone straight up biting into that crab apple and hating me fore it.