6.23.16
I’ve had this idea in my head for weeks. Plural. WEEKS. Truth be told, other projects just kept taking precedence. I kept staring at that jar of Trader Joe’s Speculoos Spread in my pantry thinking, ‘I am gonna make frosting with you so hard.’ Which is, eventually, exactly what I did; and I piped it right on top of Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. And since I had some homemade butterscotch sauce left over from my Monkey Bread, I drizzled that over them to boot. These cupcakes are easy and rich. It brings together two flavors I love, that cookie butter spread and cinnamon. It made all that waiting worth it.
After researching a little about it, what a die-hard considers a Snickerdoodle is a cookie which involves cream of tartar. While cream can sound misleading, it’s actually an odorless powder. It’s used to activate the baking soda. I was worried that replacing baking powder with cream of tartar would affect the cupcake, either it wouldn’t rise, or it would mess with the texture, but it didn’t!!! These cupcakes were perfectly filled with cinnamon, topped with a frosting that makes you go back for more.
For the Cupcakes
I put all the dry ingredients that needed to be mixed together initially in the same bowl, to save on dirty bowls. I’ve done this a few times in the past, but now I’m coming right out with it.
For the Frosting
This recipe barely made enough frosting for a dozen cupcakes, but I really hate having leftovers. So I squeezed that piping bag like the dickens and was able to top all 12 cupcakes. Make sure to really scrape the frosting off the bowl into the piping bag, so there’s no waste afterwards!
I saw the idea of putting some cinnamon in the middle of the cupcakes from Sally’s Baking Addiction. As many people in the food blog world know, Sally is of the utmost tier, as her recipes are delish and her photos are pristine. If you’re a friend of mine, go check her blog out STAT. She’s been doing this for a while and knows WHAT’S UP.
Can you see the bits of cinnamon in there? I was worried it’d be too much but it was perfect!!
Do you know the in’s and out’s of cinnamon? Fellow blogger, Helen of Well-Being Secrets, showed me this article she wrote about everything you could possibly want to know about cinnamon including varieties, how it’s harvested, how it’s being used in tons of medical research, how it can be important in your daily diet, it’s all pretty fascinating. I mean if putting is in baking counts, I may be a master at it. If you’re interested in reading more on all the cinnamon info, read her article here. Learning is the best!
If you’re keeping butterscotch sauce in the fridge, allow it to reach room temperature so it’s easier to drizzle. Want to make your own? Head here for the sauce I made, which has kept in the fridge and I’m now reusing! I know this is the beigest cupcake you’ve ever seen, but man is it delicious.
Ugh, get out of here. So decadent. Bring a dozen reasons to smile to any gathering, friend’s apartment, arch nemesis and you will be in their good graces for quite some time.
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp + 1 tsp cinnamon, divided
For the Frosting
- 1/3 cup Speculoos Spread
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 3/4 lb confectioners sugar
- 2 -4 Tbsp buttermilk
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 and line one muffin tray with cupcake liners
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt and cornstarch, set aside
- In the bowl of a stand up mixer with a paddle attachment, beat eggs on medium speed for about 20 seconds
- Pour in sugar, vanilla, and oil one at a time, allowing each to beat in before adding the next, scrape down sides of the bowl
- Alternating, pour in flour mixture and buttermilk, ending with milk on low speed
- Once fully combined pour in cinnamon and allow to mix throughout before turning off mixer
- Pour in batter a little less than halfway in each liner, then sprinkle the remaining 1 tbsp cinnamon into the middle of the batter of each cupcake
- Pour the remaining batter into the liners, they should all be filled to about 3/4 in the cupcake liners
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, until just beginning to brown and tester comes out of the middle cupcake clean
- Allow to cool fully before frosting
For the Frosting
- Mix butter and sugar in mixing bowl of stand up mixer with paddle attachment
- Add in Speculoos and milk until buttercream is formed
- Scrape into piping bag and frost cupcakes
- Drizzle with butterscotch sauce if desired
P.S.
*Do you not know the joy of Speculoos? That is the saddest. Go to Trader Joe’s and immediately buy some. You can also buy it on Amazon
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