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These Caramel Apple Cupcakes taste just like I was biting into a caramel apple. You could taste the apples in the cupcake and it is perfectly moist.The caramel on top is heaven.ย 
If you love the combination of caramel and apple then thisย Caramel Apple Slab Pie, Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls or The Best Caramel Apple Cheesecake Barsย are the perfect sweet and savory desserts for you.
Caramel apple on a stick in a photo.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

The perfect solution when you are craving something sweet lies within this recipe. This dessert embodies the fulfilling fruity taste along with the sweet and salty flavor of caramel. The idea of this is absolutely genius. Transforming all the taste you get from a caramel apple and baking it into a cupcake has never been easier. This dessert is made with an apple flavored cupcake topped off with a thick and creamy caramel layer.

What Do You Need To Make Caramel Apple Cupcakes:

Sugar and spice and everything nice help you prepare these delicious cupcakes. Here are the ingredients you need to make these caramel apple cupcakes!

  • Flour
  • Baking powder
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Eggs
  • Brown sugar
  • Sugar
  • Vegetable oil
  • Vanilla extract
  • Granny Smith or Rome apples about 1 pound, peeled and shredded
  • Caramel candies
  • Heavy Cream

Howย Do You Make Caramel Apple Cupcakes:

These cupcakes taste just as good as they look. Perfect for fall parties and a fun alternative to your typical carmel apple. Amaze your guests by preparing this sweet and salty dessert.ย 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Grate your apples to ensure you’ll get apple with every bite of caramel. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugars until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
  • In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one until caramel is melted and smooth. Dip cupcakes upside down into caramel and let cool.
The process of making caramel apple pops.

Tips and Tricks For Making Caramel Apple Cupcakes:

When you have been doing baking for a long time you start to pick up on little things you can do that make all the difference in your desserts! Here are a couple of little tips and tricks that I have found useful to know when it comes to making this recipe.

  • Use the best quality ingredients available:ย Sometimes all we have to work with is what we already have on hand and that is totally fine. However, for instance when the recipe calls for pure vanilla extract and you use imitation vanilla extract there can be a difference in the quality of taste. So just keep this in mind when you are baking if you feel like you want to try something different!ย 
  • Try to make sure your ingredients are brought to room temperature:ย As crazy as it sounds, doing this can make a big difference when combining all your ingredients. Things like eggs and milk tend to have a hard time mixing with dry ingredients when you take them straight out of the fridge. Especially when you use margarine or butter right away. This tends to lead to clumps of one ingredient sticking together and making an appearance in one unfortunate bite. It can also cause things to bake more dense rather than light and fluffy
  • Donโ€™tย over-mixย the batter:ย You might hear people sometimes refer to baking as a science and the truth is, it is. You measure out all the ingredients to mix together. And when it comes to mixing them you have to be aware of a couple of things. If you mix it too long it can crush some of the air bubblesย 
  • Wait for the oven to pre-heat:ย I know we are all guilty of it sometimes. As soon as we turn on the oven we go ahead and stick whatever we are cooking/baking right in. This can cause multiple problems. Putting cupcakes in before the oven is ready can mess up the baking process. The oven not being at the right temperature can affect the amount of time needed to bake the cupcakes
  • Do not leave the cupcakes in the pan:ย When you first take them out of the oven it is okay to leave them in there for a couple of minutes, however no longer than that. You should let them cool off on a wire rack because leaving them in the hot pan can cause them to continue to cook longer than the necessary time and lead to them getting over baked and dried out.
Caramel apple sticks.

Storing Cupcakes:

  • Storing: These lush cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.
  • Freeze: To freeze first let the cupcakes cool completely. Do not coat them in the caramel sauce. Then freeze un-frosted cupcakes in a freezer safe container or zip top bag for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, thaw at room temperature or overnight. Once thawed you can coat the cupcakes in the caramel sauce.
Three caramel apple sticks placed together.

More Delicious Cupcakes:

Cupcakes are the best party cakes, everyone gets their own individual cake! Try these favorites.

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Caramel Apple Cupcakes

By: Alyssa Rivers
This tasted just like I was biting into a caramel apple. You could taste the apples in the cupcake and it was perfectly moist. And the caramel on top was heaven. I mean seriously, don't these look delicious!?
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients 

Cupcakes

Caramel Topping

  • 1 ยฝ cups soft caramel candies
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Peel and grate the apples and drain them of excess juice.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla.
  • add the egg mixture to the flour mixture until just combined then stir in the apples.
  • Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners until they are ยพ of the way full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
  • Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before topping with the caramel.
  • Make the caramel topping by adding the caramels and cream to a small microwaveable bowl.
  • Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each one until caramel is melted and smooth.
  • Dip the top of each cooled cupcake into the caramel topping, and place them back on the cooling rack to let the topping cool.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 135mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 79IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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38 Comments

  1. I was wondering if butter would make the cupcake a little more rich. I made them, and they were great. However, my husband and daughter both said something felt like it was missing. When I tried them that was the only thing I could think of.

  2. Making this tonight and the instructions say to add eggs but there are no eggs listed in ingredients. Taking a chance and adding two eggs hoping it will be ok.

  3. I wonder if you added slightly more cream if that would make the caramel topping not so hard…..maybe a softer set…just a thought ๐Ÿ˜‰ Sounds so delish!

  4. I made these today. I can’t wait until the kids get home to try them. There are really good. I used the dipping caramel from the produce department for the topping and it worked really well.