Pumpkin-Pie-in-the-Middle Cupcakes

Please don't tell my mom; I skipped class to make these cupcakes. I was just having a rough day. My roommate in DC this summer, Beth, posted this recipe to my wall. I was so frustrated that I promptly skipped class, drove straight to Kroger, and set to work. It was exactly what I needed to make me feel in control of my life again. How does that always happen? Even better, these cupcakes were absolutely delicious, and obviously unique. Pumpkin pie IN a cupcake!? As my friend Mackey said "They solve the eternal debate over which is better, cake or pie."

Basically, the gist of this cupcake is the following: vanilla cream cheese cupcakes with a tiny pumpkin pie in the middle, topped with vanilla-cinnamon buttercream icing. AND THEY ARE DELICIOUS. The only major flaw with the design is that it's one of the more labor-intensive recipes I've undertaken, specifically because it's like you're making two separate desserts.

Also, I apologize for the really terrible quality of the cupcake picture uptop. I was (literally) running to my exec meeting when I realized I should probably photograph the cupcakes before they got eaten. To make up for it, I will give you a zillion pictures of my friends on APhiO's exec board devouring said cupcakes. You're welcome.

Pumpkin-Pie-in-the-Middle Cupcakes

Adapted from bakeitinacake.com

Ingredients:

• For the pumpkin pies:

- 1 box refrigerated pie crust

- 8 oz pumpkin

- 8 oz sweetened condensed milk

- 2 eggs

- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger)

• For the cupcakes:

- 1.5 sticks butter, at room temperature

- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

- 1.5 c sugar

- 3 eggs

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 tsp baking powder

- .5 tsp baking soda

- .5 tsp salt

- 1.33 c whole milk

- 2.5 c flour

• For the icing:

- 2 sticks of butter, room temperature

- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

- 2 c powdered sugar

- vanilla extract and cinnamon to taste

To Make:

• Pumpkin pies:

- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

- Combine pumpkin and sweetened condensed milk in a bowl until fully incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, then spices. Mix well.

- Using a juice glass, cut dough into small circles, and use them to line mini muffin cups. Fill each crust about 3/4 of the way full with the pumpkin mixture.

- Bake for 7 minutes, then reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 10 more minutes, until the crusts are golden and the filling is set.

- Allow to cool 5 minutes before removing from mini muffin tins.

• Cupcakes:

- Cream butter and cream cheese together for about 90 seconds, then add the sugar and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

- Add milk and flour, alternating between small amounts of the two until completely combined and smooth.

- Line regular muffin pans with paper liners. In each liner, place a heaping tablespoon of the batter. Place a pumpkin pie in each and gently push down (the pie should NOT touch the bottom of the pan). Place another heaping tablespoon of batter overtop of the pies, so that the top and sides aren't visible.

- Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool 10+ minutes in the pans before removing to cool completely before frosting.

• Icing:

- Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth.

- Add powdered sugar, incorporating by half cups, then vanilla and cinnamon.

- Chill before frosting.

Some Notes:

• That pie filling is annoying. I used a full 16ish oz can of pumpkin because that's the smallest they sold and made it according to the back of the can, and I now have a ridiculous amount of excess filling chilling in my fridge. So, be warned, you will either have to throw out some perfectly good pie filling or do like I plan on, and make personal pumpkin pies in regular muffin tins. Yum!