Chewy Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

Do you LOVE the rich combination of creamy milk chocolate and buttery caramel too? If your answer is an enthusiastic YES! – then prepare to send your tastebuds on a trip to the moon & back… because these super tasty Chewy Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Icing (+ chopped candy bars & chocolate stars) are – simply put – out of this world!.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CUPCAKES
{adapted from this cake recipe via The Pioneer Woman}.

Ingredients:
8 Milky Way® candy bars
2 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 sticks margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 eggs.

Instructions:
– Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
– Melt the Milky Way® candy bars and 1 stick of margarine on low to medium heat in a pan over the stove.
– Sift the flour and the salt together.
– Mix the baking soda with the buttermilk.
– Cream the other stick of margarine with the sugar and the eggs.
– Add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the cream mixture.
– Next add the melted candy bar mixture and vanilla.
– Line cupcake pans with liners and fill 3/4 with mixture.
– Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean..

CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM ICING
{adapted from The Candy Bar Cookbook by Alison Inches & Ric McKown}.

Ingredients:
1 bag of Kraft® caramels
1/4 cup milk
1 stick butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla.

Instructions:
– Melt 25 caramels in a sauce pan over low to medium heat.
– Once all the caramels have melted remove them from heat and mix in the milk.
– Sift the powered sugar.
– Cream together the butter, powered sugar, and vanilla on high for 3 minutes.
– Add the cooled caramel mixture and mix on high for 2 minutes.
– Generously frost your (completely cooled) cupcakes..


GARNISH
Optional: Decorate cupcakes with chilled, chopped Milky Way® Bars, homemade Abstract Chocolate Stars (instructions below)

Abstract Chocolate Stars:
Pipe melted chocolate into star shapes on wax paper or parchment paper using a decorator’s tip + ziplock back or a squeeze bottle. Place the piped stars in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Once firm, gently peel each chocolate star off the paper. Make sure to keep the stars cold until serving time!.