snickers cupcakes

It's likely that right this very second, your house is overloaded with gobs and piles and bags full of Halloween candy. Am I right? And more is yet to come. Of course, there are plenty of good ways to get rid of the stash: Pawn it off on co-workers; give it away; or eat it yourself (recommended). But one of the more creative ideas for whittling down the annual Halloween candy pile is to cook with it.

Snickers Cupcakes are a great place to start. The cake is a heavenly doctored-up version of devil's food with a mini Snickers bar surprise inside, and the topping is vanilla frosting with caramel drizzle and more Snickers! This recipe is a great way to make Halloween last even longer.

Snickers Cupcakes from Epicurious

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 package devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 24-30 frozen Snickers Miniatures (or chopped Snickers Bars)

For the frosting:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup caramel topping, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cake, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, water, and vanilla.

2. Evenly divide the batter amongst 2 muffins tins (greased or lined with muffin papers).

3. Gently push a frozen Snickers Miniature bar into the center of the batter and smooth the surface making sure to cover the candy bar with batter.

4. Bake in preheated oven at 350 until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean -- about 18-22 minutes.

5. Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.

6. Make frosting: Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt, and caramel syrup and combine well.

7. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, give it a taste and decide if you want to add in more caramel syrup. For thicker frosting you can gradually add in a little more sugar.

8. Frost cooled cupcakes.

9. Garnish with chopped Snickers bars and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

 

Image via Jamiesrabbits/Flickr