Brown Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes with Baked Cinnamon Frosting

Have you ever been to Food Gawker.com? My friend Andrea, from It's The Life Blog, introduced me to it a few months ago.  Sometimes when I'm bored, or just watching TV and want some mindless activity to mess around on, I jump on food gawker and Pintrist.  Well I saw these cupcakes and thought I had to try them!  So sure enough, I attempted my first recipe from foodgawker and it was AMAZING!  These were the best pumpkin cupcakes I have ever made and highly suggest trying them.

They are originally from the blog: Sprinkle Bake.  I have become a huge new fan of her blog.  She has incredible recipes, some far too complicated for me.  But I love her photography and cant wait to try out more recipes from her.  You can check out her blog here! The original recipe is also connected to that link.


Brown Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes
Yields: 24
Cake:

¾ cup unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. allspice

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

3 large eggs

½cup sour eam

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake tins with papers.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns golden brown. Pour the browned butter into a small bowl and let stand until cool but not solidified.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and allspice.  Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk 1 ½ cups of pumpkin puree with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and sour cream until well combined.  Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.  Whisk in the browned butter until well blended.  
5. Divide batter between cupcake liners.  Fill them about half full.
6. Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes, or until they spring back when pressed in the middle.

Cinnamon Frosting 

From Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and heavy cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 20 minutes.
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; beat until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and cinnamon and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is too soft, transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to chill slightly, and then beat again until it is the proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency.

A Witches Home

This year, my Mother and I, decided to go with a Witches theme in her home.  So we pulled out all her Witches and themed them throughout her home.  I was going to show mine as well, but because of time, I decided to just show off my Mothers. So here is the beautiful Witches that she has collected throughout the years...

 Beautiful pumpkin witches, masked trick-or-treat baskets, button crows, and glitter boxes adorn the console table in the hallway.

 This mantel was inspired by pumpkins.  Glitter and jeweled sticks in long vases with little lights sit on both sides of the mantel.  The pumpkin witch sits beside it watching over it.  Haunted pumpkins, candles, and jeweled branches that light up adorn the top of the mantel.

 Below is what it looks like at night when its all lit up.

 This table is across from the mantel in the same room.  Keeping with the orange theme, a spooky cat that drives our little Husky nuts, and cute Halloween decor, like the box below with glitter pumpkins.

Some of the witches in the hallway.  One witch looks longly over urn, while the witch in the front entry winks at you the moment you walk in... wonder what she's thinking?

 The console table in the front entry, has glitter skeletons, Frankenstien, scarecrow, and a spooky lantern full of candles that flicker at night.

 Here our two of our favorite witches, brewing up a potion for Halloween.

This room is the living room, that you see the moment you enter the house.  We themed this as the Witches room, where the party was by.  Each table is dedicated to a witch with her hate, potions, and other things that she collects. Below is the Red Witch.

 The Purple witch... she loves music.

 Red witch table, obsessed with fashion! Since everything she has is fashionable.

 The orange witch, she is rather traditional.

 Here is a view of the room, we made curtains out of cheesecloth, and a weby type facric that made them spooky, however, you can see them better at night.

 The mantel was decorated with flicking red skulls at night, candles, with a eery whimsy look to it.

 The silver witch, is discrete and the most evil of the mix!

 The mantel adored with two mummies, eery fabric, and candles. 

 Here is what it looks like at night when it is all lit up.

The Witch is "In" Party

I had the brilliant idea in September to do a Witches night in October with my sister, girlfriends and I.  It was meant to match the theme of my Mothers home (pictures will be posted soon!) The plan was to have some fabulous food, watch a witch movie like Hocus Pocus, create our own Witches hats, and do manicures and pedicures!

Well October became EXTREMELY busy and I just kept putting it off, but I couldnt help myself!  So we threw it together last minute, called a couple friends, and partied it out last Saturday night.

Here are the details:

Halloween seven layer bean dip with sour cream web, olive spider, and olive and sour cream candy lining the edge of the dish.

 Halloween chips found at World Mart with white ghost, orange pumpkins, and blue bats.

The sugar cookies were from Sweet Tooth Fairy Bakery, and they were the party favorite! I've blogged about them many times.  We added a cute rice krispy treat to mix it up a bit.

 The Halloween shot glass are pistachio pudding and vanilla pudding mixed with cool whip with oreos in-between.  Very simply and easy and always a favorite!

 Chocolate cupcakes with orange frosting.

 Ranch dip placed in a pumpkin for my bowl.  I actually hollowed out the pumpkin and stuck the whole container inside.  Easy clean up, and festive and fun!

 Close up of the Monster Meringues. 

Hay bale suckers and candy kabobs with german chocolate! Delicious!

 Sugar rimmed glases for our sparkling pumpkin juice!

 Vampire blood cupcakes and orange chocolate cupcakes.

Witch Models and Witch Hats!

These are the witch hats that we made!

 I didn't get to take the pictures until late at night, but it still turned out cute, and we all had a fun time!  Thanks for all the love and support, and Tracy and Bre for being my cute witch models!