Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Last year I ran across this recipe on Pinterest!

OMSH are these ever delicious! 

I made them last night to take to a Relief Society activity. They were a hit! So I knew I needed to share the recipe with everyone!

I got the original recipe here but my recipe reflects a few changes that I've made. I'm just grateful for the blessing of finding such an exceptional recipe!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 24-28 cupcakes


1 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 large egg, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup BUTTERMILK (makes all the difference in the world!)
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (omit if using regular butter)
1- 15oz can unsweetened pumpkin puree OR 2 cups


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the top of a standard 12-cup muffin pan (in case you get some “muffin top” action). Line pan with 12 baking liners. Sift the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk to combine pumpkin and milk; set aside also.

Using an electric mixer on medium-high, cream butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy (I really beat mine... I think this is the key). Turn mixer down to low add eggs and vanilla. Beat well to combine (again with the beating). Next, add 1/3 the flour mixture, then 1/2 the pumpkin mixture, another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining pumpkin mixture, and the last 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing to combine after each addition. Fill baking liners about 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes OR until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (a few tiny crumbs are OK but there should be NO wet batter). Cool 5 minutes in pan, then remove from pans to wire racks to finish cooling completely. Pipe or spread on cream cheese frosting, and enjoy!

Pipeable and Not-too-sweet Cream Cheese Frosting
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste (notice the beautiful little vanilla bean flecks in the frosting?)
a pinch of salt (omit if using regular butter)
8 oz. (1 block) cream cheese, cold and cut into 6 to 8 chunks

In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until thoroughly blended and fluffy; about 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese, a chunk at a time, beating after each addition (just enough to work it in until it’s smooth. I just turn the mixer to low and drop them in.). Scrape the sides and mix in any unmixed bits. Be careful to avoid overbeating or the cream cheese may start to break down and become gloppy. If not using immediately, chill until needed, then beat again until smooth just before using.

Cupcake / Half recipe (no need to half frosting*)
Makes 12 to 14 cupcakes


1 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 scant cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree 1/2 of a 15 oz. can]
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature

* I tried making a half recipe in my Bosch and it was too difficult to get it right.

Pumpkins!

I'm not sure that fall was always my favorite season but for much of my adult life it has been. I love the cooler daytime temperatures and the crisp nights. I love snuggling in my sweaters. And I love all of the rich fall colors.

The other joy of fall is pumpkins! Each year, as soon as they appear in the markets, I buy some and decorate my front porch. This year I decided to try my hand at growing pumpkins. I wanted some warty pumpkins that I'd seen several years ago but I couldn't find any warty pumpkin seeds. *sigh* What I did find was a package of bright orange pumpkin seeds AND a package of mixed decorative gourd seeds.

I planted them in the back half of my raised garden plot that normally goes unplanted. OMSH do pumpkins/gourds/squash want to take up a lot of room! The pumpkin vines seemed to grow all right but they only set two pumpkins (that I could find), right along the garden fence. The gourds, on the other hand... I had a fair time of it trying to keep them from climbing up my tomato cages and in some cases failed.

So a couple of weeks ago I decided that I'd had enough of losing the War of the Gourds. I'd just mowed and was headed to the green waste dump anyway so I pulled up all of the pumpkin and gourd vines,harvesting as I went, and put them into Fernando's bed. That was when I found a third and fourth pumpkin stowaway!

I have a wire fence that encloses my raised garden area to keep the dog out! Buddi used to EAT MY GREEN TOMATOES! (Tomato-snatchin' dog!) Harley, who isn't interested in eating anything, just loves to charge through on his way to bark at something and knocks off the tomatoes.

I discovered that the pumpkin vine had climbed said wire fence and grown a pumpkin right there... in the fence! I had to get out my wire cutters and snip this little cutie free!

The fourth pumpkin was hiding in the corner, under the grape vines. So the smallest and orangest pumpkins grew in my garden, the two larger ones and the warty guy I bought. But all of these happy little gourds grew right here on my productive 1/4 acre of heaven. (And that is a locally grown and produced grapevine wreath... that means I made it from my grapevines a few years ago.)

Usually I put out my pumpkin display as soon as pumpkins/gourds become available and they stay there until it is time to put up Christmas decorations (read- AFTER Thanksgiving!). By then they are usually a frozen and somewhat squishy mess and all go to the trash. BUT this year I may try bringing in some of my favorites gourds to *dry* and keep them from year to year!

Happy fall!

A Fallish Feel

I just love fall! It wasn't always this way... as a child I loved summer best: no school, my birthday, horseback riding at the creek...

But now...

I LOVE FALL!

As soon as the pumpkins become available I snarf them up and put them on my front porch, uncarved, and they stay there until it is time to put up Christmas decorations. Last year I added some sweet little gourds as well, another happy touch.

This year I was on the look-out for unusual pumpkins; I was hoping for some warty ones... but I found these instead. I love the two mottled pumpkins AND the cornstalks!

So where did I find these wonderful pumpkins? Except for the light one (Wal-Mart) on the right I got all of them from a cute little punkin-patch! It is just some folks selling from their backyard garden (saving money to go to San Diego). They are located at 1025 E 1600 S in Mapleton.

How darling is this! They sell all things fall!

Including this precious little Indian corn.

It's a whole lot of happiness for less than $20.

Confusion of the Seasons

In northern Utah we frequently experience sudden drastic climatic changes. I can't even count the number of times we experience *the warm before the storm*! Yesterday was a lovely fall day- high almost 70! Beautiful weather for the little trick or treaters!

Today?... yeah, take a look...



This photo says it all. You see the petunias buried under a blanket of snow, leaves from my Japanese maple and snow on the pumpkin! Gordon went out about noon (the snow started here at 9:30 am) and knocked the very wet snow off of our trees. Good thing too, several of our neighbor's trees have broken limbs from wet snow on branches still in full foliage. The good news is that here we didn't lose power like the folks back east!



Texture Tuesday stats-
kk_and then some - blending mode darker color 82%
kk_stained linen- blending mode vivid light 28%

300- Autumn's Glory

I've mentioned before that fall/autumn is my favorite season. For the last several years I've boycotted Halloween but have fully embraced the pumpkin... sounds silly, I know.

I love collecting pumpkins and gourds to display on my front porch. They just make me happy! I may have to follow the example of my friend, Sheri, and plant some pumpkins next year and grow my own!

295- Pumpkin Walk

We got to enjoy a local festival, The Pumpkin Walk. It was very fun. Holly said that by the end her face hurt from smiling. There are HUNDREDS of carved pumpkins lining the park walks.



And the displays? They are created using pumpkins, gourds and squash depicting different children's movies and books. The first display was A Bug's Life. I thought the art work on this bug-guy's face was awesome.



These pumpkins as flower centers were clever.



And Freddy Feet! Gotta have a picture of Freddy Feet!



The penguins from Madagascar...



And, Phil, you filthy monkey...


(Funny story- when Christian was about 4 his mom asked him to go wake Daddy up very nicely.  He marched down the hall, flung open the door and hollered, *Dad, get up you filthy monkey!* bwahahahaha)

This corn husk, dried corn, fruit and berries is from The Polar Express.  Somehow I missed getting photos of the faces of the characters; again, a work of art.  Love the *punkin-presents*.



This little piggy was my favorite... look at the *nipples*!



It was finished off with a beautiful sunset and the rising full moon.



Good fun, good friends.

301- Pumpkin Glow

More of that wonderful golden evening light that I just love. I took some great shots this morning of snow on my pumpkin... but this one beats it out! But I'll show you both anyway!



Just to show the difference that light makes both of these photos are SOOC!