Snickers Cupcakes

Yesterday, on my personal Facebook page, I asked my friends, on a whim, what their favorite candy is. I loved reading all of the answers. Some were very surprising, and most surprising of all was that everyone said something different.

I’m a huge candy person…shocking, right? I mean, it’s a little obvious that I have a sweet tooth. Or two. I don’t think I could pick just one favorite candy. First of all, there’s the struggle between choosing something fruity or something chocolate-y. Of course, I don’t try to hide my love for chocolate, but there are so many tasty fruity candies out there too. It’s just too hard to pick only one. But while we’re on the subject, can you pick only one? And which one do you pick (I’m especially excited to hear from those of you outside the U.S. since you’ll have different candies than us)?

Today, I have a treat that is a combination of candy and cake…two of my favorite things in the world. The candy in question is Snickers. Now, unless you hate peanuts, or are unable to enjoy them due to allergies*, then you’re probably pretty interested in what I’m about to show you.

*If you do have a peanut allergy, I think these would be really delicious with other candies, as well. Anything that already has caramel filling would work great, but so would lots of other chocolate candies.

These are Snickers cupcakes and they are dangerously good. Really. If you’re a Snickers fan, you’re in big, big trouble. The chocolate cupcakes and caramel buttercream are delicious on their own, but hidden under that fluffy frosting is a little well filled to the brim with caramel-y, Snicker-y goodness! Annie over at Annie’s Eats is the genius behind this idea. As soon as I saw what she’d done, I couldn’t resist making some for myself! You can make any chocolate cupcake recipe that you like, but I’ve included one of my favorites below, along with a caramel version of my favorite buttercream. While your cupcakes are baking, you can prepare the irresistible filling.

For the filling, you’ll need Snickers, of course…lots and lots of Snickers. I used the Snickers miniatures because they’re easily quartered. Now all they need is some ooey gooey caramel sauce…

That’s the ticket. I used my favorite salted caramel sauce (recipe below), minus most of the salt. Once it’s cooled, you just pour it over the chopped Snickers…

…and mix. Try not to eat any of them, not even one, because you won’t be able to stop. Trust me on this one (Voice of Experience here).

Once the cupcakes are cooled, it’s time to fill them. Use a paring knife to cut a small cone of cake out of the center (or use an apple corer to core out a small piece of cake). Eat the extra little bits of cake. Really, you won’t be needing again, so have a snack!

Fill each cupcake with a portion of the Snickers caramel filling (about a tablespoon each, which will be five or six candies in each cupcake). The filling can be slightly higher than the cupcakes, you’re going to cover it with frosting anyway.

I frosted my cupcakes using a large round decorating tip, then I drizzled them with caramel sauce and garnished each cupcake with four or five Snickers candies.

These are in my top ten favorite cupcakes. They have everything going for them: chocolate ckae, rich caramel buttercream, yummy filling, candy… Really. They’re pretty perfect! As the hubster’s favorite candy happens to be Snickers, I’m sure you can imagine how much he loved them. Our anniversary is this Friday…maybe I’ll make him some more!

These take just a bit more effort than a lot of cupcakes, but they’re certainly worth it. If you want to save time, you can make each of the components ahead of time. The cupcakes can be frozen, in an airtight container, for up to two weeks. The frosting can be made two to three days in advance, covered, and refrigerated, and the caramel sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least two weeks. Make these. Trust me. Enjoy!

Snickers Cupcakes
with Caramel Buttercream
Makes 2 dozen
Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup boiling water
2/3 cup milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

FOR THE FILLING
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup (can be omitted, but watch the sugar color more vigilantly)
1/4 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
pinch salt
5 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

36 Snickers miniatures, quartered

FOR THE FROSTING
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup caramel sauce (from the filling)
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream

FOR THE GARNISH
24 Snickers miniatures, quartered
about 7 tablespoons (scant half cup) of caramel sauce (from filling)

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In a large (4 cup) measuring cup, combine the water and cocoa powder and whisk thoroughly. Stir in the milk; set aside to cool.

To make the filling: Place the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small saucepan, stirring to combine. Without stirring, bring to a boil over high heat, swirling the ingredients in the pan occasionally. Continue boiling until the mixture reaches an amber color. Remove from heat and very carefully (the mixture will quickly expand and sputter) add the cream in a slow steady stream, being sure to stir constantly. Once combined, add the salt and butter and continue stirring until both are completely melted and combined. Stir in the vanilla. Cool to room temperature before using. Reserve 3/4 cup of the filling for the frosting and garnish. Once cooled, stir in the quartered Snickers candy.

To make the frosting: Beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the sugar until combined. Stir in the vanilla, sugar, and caramel. Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and whisk on high for 4 minutes. If necessary, add more heavy cream, up to 1 extra tablespoon.

Assemble the cupcakes: Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a paring knife to cut a small cone of cake out of the center (or use an apple corer to core out a small piece of cake). Fill each cupcake with a portion of the Snickers caramel filling (about a tablespoon each, which will be 5 or 6 candies in each cupcake). Frost each cupcake as desired. Garnish with cupcake with 4 or 5 quartered Snickers candies, per cupcake, and drizzle with caramel sauce.

Snickers cupcakes inspired by Annie’s Eats. Cupcakes, filling, and frosting by Darla

Tagged as: Buttercream, Cake, Caramel, Caramel Buttercream, Caramel Sauce, Chocolate, Cupcakes, Frosting, Recipes, Snickers, Snickers filled Cupcakes