28 dawn~to~dark days of a creepingelm hallowe'en: pumpkin cupcakes

it's hallowe'en... let's make treats.






ingredients
pumpkin cupcakes:
3/4 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 cup milk

maple buttercream frosting:
3/4 cup salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar
3 tablespoons real maple syrup or 2 teaspoons maple extract

directions
preheat the oven to 325 degrees. prepare 2 muffin pans with paper liners.

pumpkin cupcake:
in the bowl, stir the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. next, add vanilla and eggs while stirring. add pumpkin and combine well.

in a separate bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices and mix them all together. add half of the flour mixture to the batter, and then half of the milk. combine completely and then add the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk. mix the batter until it is completely combined.

scoop the batter into the liners and bake them for 22 minutes.
remove cupcakes from the oven and let cool on a rack.

maple butter cream frosting:
combine butter and milk and stir them together. add powdered sugar gradually and mix until the butter, milk and powdered sugar take on a frosting texture. add maple syrup or maple extract and combine well.
spread with a butter knife onto the top of your cooled cupcakes. top it off with black colored sugar. try to share them.



these treats were a birthday surprise for my 86 year old neighbor cyril, or as the neighborhood calls him, "bud." he was thrilled and loved them!