Apple Crisp Cupcakes

Do you know the most popular day to shop for Thanksgiving groceries?  I have a suspicion that it was today - the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  I went to the supermarket this afternoon and it was busier than I've ever seen it.😩 Overcrowded stores and impatient shoppers makes for a miserable shopping experience. 

I was trying to get to the bottom of a pile of frozen turkeys in search of the perfect 12 pound bird, when I found myself in the middle of a very awkward situation.  A couple of irritated customers in the freezer aisle where I happened to be shopping at the time, got into a very heated argument. The altercation escalated until the manager was called over to intervene.  And within minutes, the dispute escalated to the point that police officers showed up to mediate the disagreement!  I wish I were kidding.🤦🏻‍♀️   I didn't stick around to see if or how a resolution was reached but I'm hoping that no one was hauled off to jail over a frozen pumpkin pie.😅 

I love Fall baking --- Fall shopping - not so much.😅  Thankfully, despite the chaos that ensued in the freezer aisle at the grocery store today, I still managed to get all the ingredients that I needed to get my Thanksgiving preparations underway.  Apple Crisp Cupcakes are on the menu for this week.  These are one of my favorite treats to add to a Fall dessert table - including our Thanksgiving table.  A lightly spiced vanilla cake with a sweet, caramel apple filling topped with a crisp, buttery streusel is absolutely irresistible no matter how much turkey you've eaten. 🤣  

Apple Crisp Cupcakes
1 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup butter, room temperature
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg, room temperature
2 Tbsp sour cream, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup milk, room temperature
 
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
1 tsp cinnamon

Apple Cinnamon Filling
2 ½ cups apples, peeled and finely diced 
2 Tbsp sugar
¼ cup water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Crumble Topping
½ cup flour
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp unsalted butter 

Cupcakes: Cream butter, sugar and oil. 

Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Beat in sour cream and vanilla. 

Slowly add dry ingredients, alternating with milk. 

Scoop batter into paper lined muffin cups.

Bake cupcakes 20 minutes at 350.

Prepare a batch of buttercream and beat in cinnamon.

Stir together apples, sugar, 1/4 c. water, lemon juice and cinnamon in saucepan. 

Cover and cook 10-15 minutes until softened. 

Stir together 1 T. water and cornstarch. 

Remove apples from heat and stir in cornstarch mixture.  Set aside to cool.

Topping: Stir together flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. 

Cut in butter with a fork until crumbly.

Spread crumble onto a cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes at 350. 

Remove from oven and break up crumble with fingers until crumbly.

Core the cupcakes to make a well in the center.  

Pipe buttercream around cupcakes.  

​Fill cupcakes with apple filling. 

Add crumble topping to each cupcake. 

Ciao!

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