Butterscotch Spice Cupcakes

I have this thing for cupcakes. I don't know what the obsession is, but I seriously love cupcakes. I frequent local bakery shops trying to find the perfect cupcake. But I'm not gonna lie, I've turned into a cupcake snob. I can find GOOD cupcakes, but not the "oh-my-heck-these-knock-my-socks-off cupcakes." Either the cupcake is a little too dry or the frosting leaves that filmy, greasy texture in my mouth.

I have tried several recipes trying to find the perfect cupcake. Well, I think this recipe is pretty dang close. I made a double batch of these delicious cups of heaven and took them to my work to let my co-workers sample. One co-worker said, "I'm not into cupcakes, but these are so delicious!" This same co-worker also said she didn't like homemade frosting because her mom never made good frosting, so she prefers store-bought (*gasp* I know!). It's been my mission in life to introduce her to lick-your-fingers delicious homemade frosting. My mission was accomplished with this cupcake. More to come later on that.

These cupcakes remind me of Fall. They are so full of flavor and contain everything great about Fall: spices, pumpkin and butterscotch. Then, when you think THAT can't get any better, those spices and pumpkin marry butterscotch and create this gloriously delicious cupcake. These cupcakes are moderately dense, extremely moist and have the perfect combination of spices, pumpkin and butterscotchy goodness. This recipe is definitely going to be added to our list of Fall traditions. I think these would be perfect for a Thanksgiving dinner if you want something different than the usual Pumpkin pie. They are pretty easy to make and all of the ingredients I had on hand.

 So here's what you need:
-(1) Duncan Hines spice cake mix
-(3) large eggs
-1/2 C. water
-1/3 C. canola oil
-1 C. pumpkin (plain, packed pumpkin)
-(1) tsp. real vanilla
-(1) small box of instant butterscotch pudding (not prepared)
-3/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie spice
-6 oz of butterscotch chips (about 1/2 of a standard bag of baking chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins with 22 cupcake liners (I love, love, love the foil liners made by Reynolds. The cupcakes stick less to the foil liners and makes a gorgeous presentation).

2. In a large mixing bowl, add cake mix, eggs, water, oil, pumpkin, pudding and spice. Mix well until incorporated. Add butterscotch chips.

3. Scoop batter and portion evenly into liners and fill to about 2/3 full. This batter doesn't rise a ton, so I use this little beauty and it made this step so easy and all of my cupcakes were uniform. I got this at my local restaurant supply store for about $8. It is a DSS24 size which is holds 1 3/4 oz.


4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 14-16 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Take out of oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Once cupcakes are completely cook, frost with your favorite frosting. When I made these cupcakes, I used the Biscoff Spice Cream frosting recipe. It's so yum!

Printable recipe:

Butterscotch Spice Cupcakes
Makes about 22 cupcakes

(1) Duncan Hines spice cake mix
(3) large eggs
1/2 C. water
1/3 C. canola oil
1 C. pumpkin (plain, packed pumpkin)
(1) tsp. vanilla
(1) small box of instant butterscotch pudding (not prepared)
3/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie spice
6 oz of butterscotch chips (about 1/2 of a standard bag of baking chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins with 22 liners. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, eggs, water, pumpkin, vanilla, pudding and spices. Mix well to incorporate. Add butterscotch chips and stir. Scoop evenly into muffin tins, filling to about 2/3 full. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely then frost.

Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies

It's Fall (even though it feels more like Winter, but hey, this is Utah!) and I LOVE everything about Fall. I love the changing leaves, I love the smells, but most of all I love baking Fall treats. One of my favorite treats are Pumpkin cookies. I have a friend that told me a few years ago about cake mix pumpkin cookies and I was REALLY skeptical on how they would turn out. First, because there's no added fat in the cookies and we all know that butter makes everything better. Second, something that only requires a few ingredients AND has no added fat AND tastes still tastes good, well, it seemed like an oxymoron. But let me tell you, these are the easiest, moistest, most tasty pumpkiny bites of heaven. And you don't have to feel guilty about eating these bad boys. Making these cookies has become one of our Fall traditions. The first time I made these was when were living out of boxes in our apartment right before moving into our house right before our first wedding anniversary. It was a stressful, but very fun time in our life. Every time I make these, it totally reminds me of it. Good times. :)

 So on to the recipe. All you need is:
-2 cake mixes, 1 yellow and 1 spice (or you can use 2 spice)
-1 29oz can pumpkin (not the spiced kind. Just the plain, packed pumpkin) or 3 cups if using your own fresh pumkin
-1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (omit if using 2 spice cake mixes)
-1 12oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place the cake mixes, pumpkin and spice in a large mixing bowl.

Mix together until well-incorporated. The dough may be a little lumpy and that's ok. Add the bag a chocolate chips and stir to combine. And if you have a cute little helper it makes it all the better. Gives a little extra to "Making it with Love" as my Mom likes to say.


 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and take 2 teaspoons and spoon onto lined baking sheet.



 Now is a great time to have a little sample of the batter. It's one of the best parts of making cookies, right?

Once the oven is preheated, bake for 12-15 minutes until tops start to crack and are golden. You can also do the toothpick test because each oven varies, so you may have to adjust the time more or less. Once they are done, take them out and let them cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet. Take the cookies off the baking sheet and let them cool on a wire rack. If you haven't eaten all of them while they are still warm, cool them completely and put them in an airtight container. These little guys freeze well or will last for a few days in an airtight container. This recipe can also easily be halved. Enjoy! 

Printable recipe:

Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies
Makes about 48 cookies

(1) Duncan Hines Yellow cake mix
(1) Duncan Hines Spice cake mix
(1) 29oz can plain packed pumpkin
(1) tsp pumpkin pie spice
(1) 12oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl add cake mixes, pumpkin and spices. Mix well. Dough may be slightly lumpy and that's OK. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine. Spoon mixture on to lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until tops start to crack and are golden or toothpick comes out clean. Store cookies completely cooled in an airtight container for up to 3 days. May freeze leftovers for up to a month.