My Top 3 Fall Cupcakes

I'm indecisive anyways, but when it comes to Fall flavors and scents I basically have a top 10 favorites.
So when I decided I was going to do mini cupcakes for our family Thanksgiving, I could only narrow it down to 3 musts.
3. Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake
2. Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcake
1. Apple Spice Cupcake with Brown Sugar Frosting

*****I made these all as mini cupcakes, the Apple Spice and Pumpkin recipes are for regular sized cupcakes, cut the recipe in half for minis.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients
• 3/4 C graham flour or whole wheat flour
• 3/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t ginger
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 3/4 C pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1/2 C cream soda
• 1 T vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 2 C smashed graham crackers (pea-sized bits)
• 
  
Pumpkin Cheesecake Frosting Ingredients
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 C pumpkin puree
• 3 1/2 C powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

Cupcake Instructions
1. 1. Whisk together flours, spices, baking soda, and salt.
2. 2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, pumpkin, and eggs. Beat until smooth.
3. 3. Mix the oil, cream soda, and vanilla into the wet ingredients.
4. 4. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
5. 5. Stir in the graham crackers.
6. 6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
7. 7. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes.
8. 
   
Pumpkin Cheesecake Frosting Instructions
1. 1. Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
2. 2. Mix in pumpkin puree.
3. 3. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar. 

Mini Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ingredients

Crust (adapted from Woman's Day:
• 16 peanut butter Oreos, crushed
• Cheesecake (filling recipe from Taste of Home):
• 2 bricks (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• Chocolate Glaze:
• 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1 tbsp butter
• Chopped peanuts for garnish, if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Press 1 tablespoon crushed peanut butter Oreos into the bottom of 12 lined muffin cups.
3. Place in the freezer until ready to fill.
4. Beat together softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
5. Add peanut butter, vanilla, egg, egg white and mix well.
6. Stir in peanut butter chips and chocolate chips.
7. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture into each muffin cup.
8. Bake at 325°F for 20-25 minutes until puffed and set.
9. While cheesecake is baking, prepare chocolate glaze by microwaving peanut butter chips, semi sweet chocolate chips, half and half and butter for 45-60 seconds.
10. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.
11. Place in the fridge to cool until ready to use.
12. Allow cheesecakes to cool before adding chocolate glaze. The muffin liners can be removed prior to adding chocolate glaze, if desired.
13. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
14. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve so the chocolate glaze can set.

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting (One of the best cupcakes I've ever had)
Prep Time: 25-30 minutes
 Bake Time: 15-18 minutes
 Makes: 20-22 cupcakes 
 Cupcakes: 

• ¼ cup butter, softened 
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 
• 2/3 cup white sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• ½ cup applesauce 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 2 ¼ cups flour 
• ½ teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 1/8 teaspoon all spice 
• 2 medium/large apples, cored, peeled and grated 

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting: 

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 cup brown sugar 
• 1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar 
• Walnuts, chopped, optional for garnish 

For cupcakes: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. 

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until well blended. Mix in applesauce and vanilla. 

3. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off. In a separate medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices; mix well. 

4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients; mixing at low speed until well blended. Beat at medium speed 1 minute. Stir in grated apples. 

5. Spoon cupcake batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

6. Cool completely and frost with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting. Top with chopped walnuts, if desired. 

For frosting: 

1. In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Mix in brown sugar mixing until well blended. Add confectioner’s sugar, mixing until blended. 

Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes

Nutella.
The most delicious kind of spread (in my opinion) that there is.
Nutella cupcakes? OH MY GOSH.
It doesn't get any better than that. I absolutely loved these, I found the recipe here.
If the flavors of the sweet, deep hazelnut of the Nutella and wonderful goodness of a chocolate cupcake had a baby, this would be it right here.
It hit me one day, NUTELLA CUPCAKES. So then began my search of a suiting recipe, and I found it. And baked them, immediately.

Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup oil
• 1/8 cup Nutella
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 24 muffin cups with liners (or 12 jumbo muffin cups). Mix ingredients with an electric mixer in a bowl until you get a thin batter. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Nutella Buttercream from My Baking Addiction

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 13-ounce jar of Nutella (or the delightful Jiff version of Nutella…it is a 14.1 ounce jar)
• pinch of fine grain sea salt
• 1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
• 1.5 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 6-8 tablespoons milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and Nutella until well combined, thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.

Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 3-5 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.