Here's a treat for any Halloween cook looking for a grab-and-go dessert. Hallmark Cards' "Think.Make.Share" blog shares this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes topped with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.
Decorate with Hallmark's free cupcake toppers, a set of graphic jack-o'-lanterns in gray, orange and yellow that you can upload to your color printer from https://www.thinkmakeshareblog.com. Just search for Halloween Treat Toppers from the home page for the link (you'll find other links for last-minute Halloween printables as well).
For best results, print the graphics on heavy paper or card stock. Cut out each image, tape toothpicks or skewers to the backs, then stick them in the cupcakes. Each sheet contains 15 graphics, so you may want to print two pages to have enough for 24 cupcakes. You can save the extras or decorate single cupcakes with multiple images.
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
3/4 cup milk
1 can pumpkin puree
Heat an oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
Sift together the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
Beat vegetable oil, white sugar and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably light in color.
Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each to blend into the mixture before adding the next.
Stir in milk and pumpkin puree.
Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups, and bake until golden, about 22 minutes.
Cool in muffin tin 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Frosts 24 cupcakes
8 ounces cream cheese (1 package)
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth.
Beat in the confectioners sugar slowly until incorporated.
Add the vanilla extract and ground cinnamon; beat until fluffy.
Frost when cupcakes are completely cool.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.