Caramel Bar Cup Cakes

Baking has been on my mind, but with all this extreme heat I couldn’t bare to turn the oven on, so please realize I didn’t disappear, I just had to wait patiently for the weather to be a little more agreeable. I’m not complaining about the heat because I love the warmth, but cooking and baking becomes more of a chore when it has to be done in an uncomfortable state, so I opted to wait it out, plus I’m a true believer that your food, and baking goods turn out according to the way you feel, so if you aren’t feeling the cooking and baking love, its gonna show in the taste, and final outcome of what ever you are creating, and that would put a damper on your day too.

Since now the weather has cooled down to about 24-26 degrees, and I actually have goose bumps from feeling cold. Can you imagine feeling cold in 24 degree weather, goes to show how hot 44 degrees is. I had a sweater on yesterday, crazy right?

On goes the oven, out comes the flour, and all my baking goodies, warmed me up in a flash, and out comes these beautiful, delightful tasting Caramel Bar Cup Cakes. I have been searching for the key in the caramel bars, I never actually find one, it’s just my excuse to be able to buy more than one bar at a time, and somehow not feel so guilty about it. I had to bake something and share my moments of no self-control with someone, since sitting there munching on chocolate bars everyday isn’t the healthiest habit to obtain. Now I have 3 set aside for my little family, and 9 packaged, and ready to go to some family and friends.

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Caramel Bar Cup Cakes
Author: 
Recipe type: Cup Cakes
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 12
 

Ingredients
  • 1 cup organic white flour
  • ½ cup organic whole wheat flour
  • 6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. fine sea salt
  • ½ cup maybe a little more depending on the mixture of vanilla almond milk (almond milk is lactose and dairy free) You can also use skim milk if you prefer, I try to use milk with a lower fat content.
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla
  • ¼ cup room temperature unsalted butter or Earth Balance Buttery Sticks as a dairy free alternative
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce room temperature
  • ½ cup organic sugar
  • ⅓ cup organic brown sugar
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 24 pieces of caramel squares
Icing
  • 1 cup of butter or dairy free Earth Balance Buttery spread at room temperature
  • 1 cup of icing sugar
  • 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • Shaved semi sweet chocolate for tops

Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F
  2. In a large bowl combine both flours, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt and unsweetened cocoa powder, whisk to incorporate.
  3. Place room temperature butter into a bowl, add both sugars and cream on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, add in room temperature applesauce, and blend for another minute.
  4. Whisk in room temperature egg blend well
  5. Add milk and vanilla blend well, then pour into the bowl with the butter mixture at a slow and steady stream, beating at a low speed, scraping down the sides to make sure everything is well blended.
  6. Start adding in flour mixture a small portion at a time blending well after each addition, till the final portion then blend for 1 minute scraping down the sides one last time to make sure everything gets blended well.
  7. Spray muffin tray with a non stick baking spray, or you can use a silicone muffin or cupcake tray. if you use silicone then you do not have to line, or spray the cups.
  8. Pour about 1-1/2 tbsp. of batter into each cup cake tin, than add 2 caramel squares into each tin, pour remaining batter into each cupcake tin.
  9. Place in the pre-heated oven on the middle rack and bake for 22 minutes or till a tooth pick comes out clean, remove from oven and allow to cool completely before icing. You can remove from the muffin tins onto a wired rack to finish cooling after 5 minutes.
Icing
  1. Place 1 cup of room temperature butter in a large bowl and cream it on medium speed with a blender for 3-4 minutes until it is smooth and creamy.
  2. Now turn down the speed to low and add icing sugar small portions at a time making sure to scrap down the sides and blending very well after each addition.
  3. Blend in vanilla for 1 more minute till everything is well blended, creamy and smooth.
  4. Place frosting into a piping bag and decorate your cooled cup cakes.
  5. Sprinkle shaved chocolate on top of each cup cake and your done. Store in a muffin tray in the fridge for up to 3 days

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