Apple Pie cupcakes

Here it is! The recipe everyone has been asking for: Apple Pie cupcakes!

It was very easy to make, it just took longer than I expected. Super good, and it got great reviews at work from my co-workers!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened until easily spreadable
• 2 cups dark brown sugar

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients and spices in a large bowl. Mix milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a 2-cup measuring cup.
2. Beat softened butter into dry ingredients, first on low, then medium, until mixture forms pebble-sized pieces. Add about 1/3 of the milk mixture and beat on low until smooth. Add remaining milk mixture in two stages; beat on medium speed until batter is just smooth. Add the sugar; beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Pour batter into cupcake pan.
3. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out clean. (I start checking at 15 minutes, and then every few minutes to see if it is ready) Let cool, then fill it with the apple filling recipe!

For the apple filling: ( i adjusted the ingredients so it would make more of the filling because I had run out of it, and liked my cupcakes to have extra yummy filling!!)

3 tbsp. butter

3 tsp. cinnamon

3-4 tbsp. sugar

5 large apples, peeled, cored and diced

To make the apple filling, heat the butter a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon and sugar and cook for a minute, until the mixture begins to bubble. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the apples. Mix well. Cook until the apples are somewhat tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

While the apple mixture is cooling, use the cone method to remove a chunk from the center of each cupcake, making sure to leave a rim around the top of the cupcake. Fill the holes with the cooled apple mixture. To decorate, top each cupcake with a swirl of vanilla buttercream.