Recipe: Mini Pumpkin Walnut Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

I was given a huge bag of walnuts recently. HUGE. And with my baking funk for the last few months, they're still hanging around the kitchen. My husband—selfless person that he is—suggested that pumpkin walnut cupcakes or cookies would be a great use for them. And if he had to help eat them, well...sacrifices must be made.

I found these cupcakes at a cute blog called The Comfort of Cooking. The original recipe had a yield of 24 cupcakes, which I can only assume was for full-sized ones, despite the post being about minis. I ended up with nearly 60 mini cupcakes! Good thing these are destined for a school PTO meeting.  The frosting is a little on the tart, soft side. Make sure to store these refrigerated, if frosted!

Cupcakes
Makes 50-60 mini cupcakes
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten until frothy
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
 

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl (Confession: I never sift. I just throw everything in the bowl and mix with a fork). Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs. Blend in mashed pumpkin.   Stir in the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk, blending until batter is smooth after each addition; stir in chopped walnuts. Spoon batter into well-greased and floured or paper-lined mini muffin pan cups. Fill about 2/3 full.   Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes (Mine were done at 10 minutes), or until a wooden pick inserted in center of one cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely, then frost with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below).

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting 

Makes approximately 3 cups frosting



2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg



In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Blend in cinnamon and nutmeg.   Frost cupcakes as desired. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.