Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cupcakes
I know that you guys probably think I’m super strong and totally fearless, so it may surprise you to know that I hate haunted houses.
And haunted trail rides, haunted corn mazes, or whatever else people manage to turn into bloody clown-filled houses of horrors.
Of course, I realize that we all have opinions and I totally respect people’s right to spend good money to walk in strobe lights and have zombies and dead hospital patients all up in their grill. But for me?
No thank you, sirs and madams.
A huge problem I have with haunted houses is the unavoidable fact that you WILL be chased by a guy with a chainsaw. Obviously, the Halloween Haunted House Bosses of the Lands have realized that chainsaws are scary.
Because they can cut people’s heads or arms off.
So, they have scary people chase us with chainsaws that “supposedly” don’t have the sharp chain on them, but if you ask me, trusting strangers who think it’s fun to scare people with your life is not a very good idea.
It’s a shame that feeling safe and cozy doesn’t get enough credit. It’s actually a ton of fun. Sometimes just for kicks, I sit on my couch with my coziest Pier 1 blanket (an extravagance!! But worth every penny) and a good book and I say “Wheeee!!! No one is chasing me or pretending to kill me, this is GREAT!!”
Try it. Worth EVERY STINKING PENNY!!
Anyways, since it’s Halloweenish time, I decided to do a cupcake spin on Caramel Apple Cheesecake. It was a good idea. Great, actually.
I made yellow cupcakes with a graham cracker base, filled them with apple pie filling and topped with cream cheese frosting and caramel. It’s really too bad you can’t be here to eat a few sevenish with me.
(click here for printable recipe)
INGREDIENTS
Yellow cake mix, plus eggs, oil and water called for on box
8 full sheets of graham crackers, coarsely chopped (not crushed finely)
Large can apple pie filling
8 oz block cream cheese
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 0z bag caramel bits
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin cups with liners and sprinkle graham crackers in the bottom of each.
Prepare cupcake batter according to box directions. Fill each muffin cup with batter about 2/3 of the way full. Bake until tops spring back when lightly touched (about 12-15 minutes). Remove pans from oven and cool on cooling racks.
Once cupcakes are cool, cut the middles out. You can use a knife, but I prefer to use a large piping tip. I just insert it in the cupcake, push down, twist, and pull back out. Just make sure not to go down too far, maybe about 2/3 of the way, so the cupcake base is sturdy enough to hold the filling. Spoon apple pie filling in the cupcakes.
Make your cream cheese frosting:
In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth and combined. Add powdered sugar and beat on medium-high for about a minute and a half. Frost cupcakes.
Caramel Topping:
In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave caramel bits and cream for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds or so until fully melted. Spoon over cupcakes.
Store uneaten cupcakes in the refrigerator.
I hope you have a fabulous Halloween, how ever you spend it. Thanks for reading!!
Thanks for visiting my blog! I realize you could be doing more important things with your time. Like watching the news or washing socks. I hope you stay awhile. Much more fun than socks, I promise. 
Whoa! These sound freaking delicious!! Love these!!
Sounds A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Thanks for the recipe!
I hate haunted houses/hayrides/etc. Why can’t there be “cozy” houses. Where you go in and someone gives you a bowl of lucky charms and a warm snuggie and you sit on a pillow of pixie dust while watching re-runs of 90210? If someone comes up with that I’ll paytens of dollars to visit.
Could not agree more about haunted houses! The last time I got suckered in to going to one, I survived the house only to be accosted by the guy with the chainsaw while using the portapotty. As if being reduced to using a portapotty isn’t bad enough wihtout some A@@ hole with a chainsaw shaking the thing. We do NOT talk about the wet spot on my jeans that night but at least they don’t ask me to go to haunted houses anymore!
oh and the cupcakes look amazing! great job as always!
these are too cute!
I will totally say “WHEEEEE” next time I am reading a book on my couch. That sounds like fun!
AND these cupcakes…yes and please and thank you very much. Cream cheese frosting and caramel need to be a thing…like a peanut butter and chocolate, they kinda belong together.
Ditto on all the haunted stuff! I hate scary things! Thanks for the recipe! They look and sound delicious! Can’t wait to make them tomorrow for my family.
These look so awesome and I love the cupcake liners you used–simple and perfect.
Love this idea!
Man, I have the coolest bloggy, friends. I’m all for safe and secure myself! These LOOK amazing!
they are really cute! I like the caramel melting on top
mmmm these sounds so good. i could one or five.
I am right there with you on the chainsaw! Ugh Hate that! And you know what scares me the most is it Could be Real! I mean everyone expects to see/hear the chainsaw everyone expects to hear people screaming for their life -oh that’s just me??- so what better time for some crazy man with a real chainsaw to cut people up and no one would know till the next day! And chainsaw man in a corn maze?? Yeah not going to be me all cut up!!
As always cupcake look Wonderful and I wish were neighbors :)
“Store uneaten cupcakes in the refrigerator.” HA!
I love everything about these! They are cute and delicious.
I am the most boring person I know. Let’s be safe together. And safety requires that we stay home and eat delicious treats like these.
Haha! I am totally with you on the haunted house thing. I worked in a haunted house once (awesome money/sweet costumes/ no scaring) Ummmm, there definitely was scaring going on. My coworkers felt the need to jump out at me at every possible second. Not funny guys, not at all. But, any who, these look super duper awesome. I can’t wait to make them!
WOWZA!! These look so yummy!!
The caramel is over the top swoon-worthy!! Delicious!
Oh,I so hate the haunted trails/houses or even listen to ghost stories!
I’d rather spend the evening enjoying these amazingly looking cupcakes! Nom Nom!!
I always hated the haunted mazes more than the houses because I have zero directional sense. Doubly scary for me.
Could someone please sign me up for the cozy house. That sounds awesome. Would they have some of these cupcakes there? That would be AWESOME!
What are these “uneaten cupcakes” you speak of???
These look delish!!
See the weird thing for me is I used to love haunted houses but now, not so much. The Mr has expressed his discontent with this change in me but I have stood firm. I may do it one day, if heavily sedated. Maybe I’ll just pretend to have incontinence instead of saying “I just don’t want to” since it seems to be an answer people refuse to accept.
I’m not a cheesecake fan but hubby is. Hmm, perhaps I could bribe him to not mention haunted houses anymore if I can bribe him with these?
Great looking cupcake. I’m with you on the scary stuff.
The idea of these cupcakes is awesome! You’re not alone with not wanting to be scared. I don’t want to pay to be scared. I refuse to watch scary movies too for fear of having nightmares even sometime down the road. Gah. I’m such a chicken.
THANK YOU!! I am completely with you on that. I am a complete NON-scary/horror person. I’ve learned to honor this and not make excuses when my husband accuses me of being a ninny baby. I’m like Jewel; I’m sensitive, and I’d like to stay that way. I don’t watch scary things, read scary things, go scary places, go on scary rides–no thank you, not for me, not gonna do it. Give me a happy Mickey Mouse Halloween, and I’m happy with that. :) Thanks for your humor and great recipes! I’m still forwarding your letter to the Halloween Costume Inventor of the Land to all my friends. LOL :)
Oooo, those look delish!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
You’re a GENIUS! I can’t stand anything haunted either … and I don’t understand why anyone in their right mind, would WANT to have the cupcakes scared out of them! WHHHHHHHHHY?!?!
… your book idea sounds FAR cooler!
I don’t even know what to say about these aside from – Holy moly – I’m totally drooling on myself!
these look really good, but i wish they were from scratch!
I am in love with those cupcake liners!! Where did you get them? Online? PS- I think I gained 5 pounds just looking at this.
Who do you get to eat all this yummy stuff?? :)
Sounds very yummy! I actually like being scared, except when it’s for real. The Museum I work in has actual ghosts, and encountering one of those was *not* fun. I wanted to experience something paranormal until it happened, but when it did, I almost lost my mind with fear.
Most of those “haunted house” tours end up being so lame. I went on a haunted tour of our city, and as we approached a cemetery, I thought I heard wolves howling. Turns out it was a tape recorder stashed under a tree, in plain view. So NOT scary!
Best cupcakes I have seen in a long time!
Oh these look amazing.
In Atlanta there is a haunted house, 20 something stories I think I was told. You have to sign a waver to even go in and IF…IF you make it all the way to the top you are entered to win 1,000 dollars. NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Not for all the thousands of dollars you want to give me do I want to go into a haunted house.
I most definetly will be making these!
–I cannot wait to make these!! OMG.
This post made me chuckle. I like the occasional haunted house, but you’re right – there’s something to be said for safe and cozy. These cupcakes sound fantastic!
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“Store uneaten cupcakes in refrigerator” …..I don’t get it…there are supposed to be leftovers?!?!?!
I’m all about feeling cozy and safe at home..no need to get scared or attempt to be scared to make my life feel fuller :)
Those cupcakes look yummy…..sweet and gooey yummy :)
I agree with you on the whole being safe and cozy thing. And these cupcakes are amazing. Yum!