#47 Skinny Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

It is officially almost fall...which means I get to start wearing sweats, fighting off sicknesses and making fall foods! I do not like cold weather, or even cool weather for that matter, but I do LOVE fall foods: soups every night, pumpkin variations of everything you can imagine, and warm apple cinnamon treats.

I was planning on making healthy no-bake pumpkin cheesecake bars (they're coming later), but after finding no pumpkin in my cabinet, I had to think of something else. Luckily, I went to babysit, and the boys desperately wanted to make cupcakes. Therefore, I found my answer: Caramel Apple Cupcakes. (Hence the Star Wars cupcake liners - thanks boys. :))

These did not start "skinny" at all. I actually had to do some work and experimenting to see if they would turn out. And although subbing some butter for yogurt and honey for sugar lengthens the ingredient list a little, it's so worth it - and you can't even tell when you eat them! Don't worry about the length of the ingredient list - the last 5 of them are little things like spices, so don't let that be intimidating!

The only sad thing is the frosting is not really too "skinny." But, it is SO. GOOD. I'm a smidge biased because I love cream cheese and caramel, but the frosting has to be the best part. I wouldn't trust myself if it was in the house - I would just eat it with a spoon until I realized that's terribly unhealthy, and then use it as fruit dip because that's so much better...

These were easy to make, and the hardest part was waiting for them to cool to frost them! Braun and Nash each had one - Braun finished his and licked the cupcake liner clean, whereas Nash just licked his cupcake clean. He wasn't so much interested in the actual cupcake as he was the "maple frosting" he got to help make. He originally didn't want a caramel candy on top, but decided to try one after all, and the result: "This isn't so bad!" You just can't beat cream cheese, caramel and the first fall food of the season. :)

Skinny Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 12 minutes. Total time: 27 minutes

Yields: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, softened (could use solid coconut oil)
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt (I used vanilla)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
3/4 cup natural applesauce (or original)
1 tablespoon apple juice (or orange juice or milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour (white whole wheat or all-purpose)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

*For frosting:
2 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons caramel sauce or syrup (I used this)
3 soft caramel candies, optional (I used these)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with cupcake liners and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter, Greek yogurt, brown sugar and honey until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in egg until fully incorporated, then slowly beat in applesauce, juice and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

3. Slowly beat in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until just combined.

4. Divide batter between cupcake liners. Bake for about 12 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

5. To make the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla together in a small bowl until light and smooth, about 1 minute. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until thoroughly combined. Fold in caramel syrup and mix well. Evenly frost cupcakes. (The frosting hardens on the cupcakes the longer they sit out, so waiting a little while before serving wouldn't hurt, but either way works.)

6. Cut caramels into quarters, and use your hands to form each piece into a disc. Top each cupcake with one. (You could only cut them in half and use 6 if you prefer.)

Enjoy!

*In the pictures, I had used double the amount of this frosting recipe. I had about 1 cup leftover, with each cupcake topped with a ton of frosting already. So, I halved the recipe for the website. If you want leftovers for fruit dip or something similar, go ahead and double the frosting recipe (you won't regret it).

**Recipe can easily be doubled to yield 24 cupcakes. 


Click here to print recipe!

*Note: Nutrition facts may vary due to brand of products.

Recipe adapted from

http://asimplepantry.com/2014/09/spiced-apple-cupcakes-caramel-cream-cheese-frosting.html