Spiced Caramel Pear Cupcakes

By dette

Place these lovely cupcakes on a pedestal at the bake-sale and they'll sell quickly!

Ingredients

• CUPCAKES:
• Yellow cupcakes
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 c. chopped peeled pear (1large)
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• CARAMEL-SPICE FROSTING:
• 3/4 c butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 c. milk
• 3 1/2-4 c. powdered sugar
• SUGARED PEARS
• 39 carames, unwrapped 9from 14 oz pkg)
• Yellow sanding sugar
• green decorating icing (from 6.4oz can)

Details

Servings 24
Cooking time 97mins

Preparation

Step 1

Make yellow cupcakes as direcyted in recipe except-stir cinnamon in with flour. Mix pear with 1 tbsp flour; stir into batter. Bake and cool as directed.

Meanwhile, in 2 qt saucepan, melt 3/4c butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/3 c. milk. Heat to boiling stirring constantly. remvoe from ehat; cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes.

On a small microwavable plate, microwave 6 caramels at a time on Hihg 10-15 seconds or until softened. For each pear, mold 1 1/2 caramels into a pear shape. Cut 1 caramel into 10 pieces; shape each into stem. With paring knife, make tiny slit intop of each pear; press stme into pear. Roll pears, but not stems, in yellow sanding sugar. Repeat with remaining cramels to make 24 pears.

Gradually stir powdered sugar into cooled brown sugar mixture until smooth and spreadable. Frost cupcakes. Onto each cupcake, pipe a few leaves with decorating icing. Top each with sugared pear.

cal 360 fat 14g; sat fat 9g; chol 65mg; sod 230mg; carb 56g; prot 2g; 1 1/2 starch; 2 other car; 2 1/2 fat; carb choices: 4

Using cake mix:
Substitute 1 box white cake mix for the yellow cupckes. Make cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes EXCEPT-use 1 1/4c water, 1/3 c vegetable oil, 3 egg whites and 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon. Stir 1 c. finely chopped, peeled pears tossed with 1 tbsp flour into bater. Bake 20-24 minutes. Cool as directed on box. Frost and garnish as directed in recipe.