Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Brown Butter Buttercream Frosting

Oh pumpkin-flavored goodness, how I love you. I love Fall baking because pumpkins are in season, and all of the warm spices that go so well with them make chilly days so much better. I had been wanting to make some pumpkin cupcakes for a while, and assumed that I would use a cream cheese frosting with them (because really, who doesn't love cream cheese frosting?). BUT, I found this recipe for a brown butter buttercream at foodnetwork.com and knew I had to try it . . . And it was wonderful. It complemented the pumpkin beautifully, and I think would also be great with apple cake or apple cupcakes. The cupcake recipe is one that I found in my Betty Crocker cookbook - it's actually for pumpkin bars, but it worked beautifully for cupcakes. They turned out moist, flavorful, and brimming with fall flavors.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease 24 cupcake tins, or line with paper baking cups
2. Beat eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until smooth.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
4. Spoon evenly into baking tins - about 3/4 full.
5. Bake 18-22 minutes or until the top springs back when pressed lightly. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Brown Butter Buttercream Frosting
The original recipe can be found here, and below is with my minor modifications.
2 sticks of softened butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. cinnamon
3-4 T milk
1. Melt one stick of butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and continue cooking and swirling the pan until the butter is a deep golden/amber color. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Once the brown butter is cool, beat it on medium speed with the second stick of butter until creamy - 2-3 minutes.
3. Add cinnamon and powdered sugar and beat on med.-high speed until thoroughly combined, 2 minutes.
4. Add milk and beat on med-high until light and fluffy, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add more milk or powdered sugar to achieve the consistency you want. This frosting was great for piping!

These went with Dusty to work, and he accepted some very nice
compliments on my behalf :)

And this one was for me!

On a Side Note: Asher and Aiden got to see two of their cousins over the weekend and absolutely loved it! They had so much fun together. Aiden is now pulling himself up on everything and is way too daring for my peace of mind - I can't leave him for a second or he'll try to stand up by the fridge or something and slide forward and bonk his head  . . . So far, this hasn't deterred him. He's our little daredevil!

Obviously Asher and Tryg are in the "won't-sit-still" phase :)

Aiden bothering Tryg and thinking he's hilarious

Popcorn and movie night!

Loves popcorn, just like his Mom

Buddies

Mr. Mischief . . . 

"What, Mom? I'm not up to anything, I swear!"