Pumpkin Cupcakes

So, I’m visiting my mother one day in late October and I see a magazine with a fabulous idea for a Thanksgiving dessert on the cover.  So I ask if I could “borrow” the magazine.

The spirited controversy that followed will be become, no doubt, an embellished and often told family legend.

That’s what we do in our family….we embellish snippets of harmless stories; it’s more fun and memorable that way.

Case in point, I offer an old, but unforgettable, exaggeration:  “Aunt Mary won $100 in Atlantic City.” That statement is what really happened. The next month…“Did you hear about Aunt Mary winning $1000 in Atlantic City?”  By Thanksgiving…“How about Aunt Mary winning $10,000 in Vegas!”

What the hell was Aunt Mary doing in Vegas??!!

Anyway, some might be uncomfortable with the ruckus that often takes place in our family, especially when we are all together; we call it motivational speaking.

I did manage to secure the magazine (that I will dutifully return) so that I could make these little jewels:

How adorable are they?

I used a Duncan Hines Spice Cake mix and filled the mini Bundt cake pans ½ way and baked for 17 minutes. 
 

 

Once the cupcakes are baked, let them cool on a rack.

 

Cut the tops off of each cupcake.

 

Ice the cut side of one cupcake and top it with another cupcake, cut side down to form a sphere.  

 

Decorate as desired.  I tinted cream cheese icing orange, placed a broken pretzel stick in the center for a stem and piped on some green vines on each "pumpkin."  The magazine included directions to drizzle icing or to roll each cupcake in orange sprinkles. My versions of these treats aren't quite as perfect as those pictured on the magazine cover, but they sure are tasty!

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

From:  simplyrecipes.com

Ingredients

 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature

 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions

With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.  Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness. Either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag to decorate your cake or cupcake.