"How 'bout them apples?" "An apple a day...." "You are the apple of my eye." We are all familiar with these phrases, but is everyone familiar with the Pazazz Apple? This type of apple is part of the Honeybear Brands of apples and is often compared to a Jolly Rancher candy because of it's ratio of sweet to tart taste. Available during the months of November to August, this apple is at it's peak!! And you can pick up yours at your local Hy-Vee or Aldi stores.
When Honeybear reached out to me asking if I would be interested in partnering with them, I immediately said yes! I am a huge apple fan, whether it's eating them raw, cooked for my version of applesauce, or baked within my spice apple cupcake, apples are always in my fridge. I mean, apples have so many health benefits. They are their own prebiotic, high in fiber and can help aid in weight loss, an antioxidant, and can help protect your brain! And when they asked if I would like to share a recipe with all of you, I said yes again! I've been baking this spice apple cupcake for a while now and the family loves them! It's a great dessert, but it also makes a hearty sweet breakfast, if you ask my dad. However, that might not be the weight loss aid they were speaking of!
So let's talk about that cupcake recipe. I'm a girl who loves a shortcut in the kitchen, especially when baking, so I reach for my favorite box spice cake mix when making this cupcake. What I love about using a box cake mix, is that you can start with the basics and then amp up the flavor with add-ins, like cooked apples, to create this spice apple cupcake! You want to add the ingredients suggested on the box which we all have on hand. Bake them according the package, however, I know for my oven, 14 minutes is the perfect bake time. From there, it's all about apples!
For the apple filling, I treat it much like an apple pie filling. Prep your apples by washing them and getting them ready to peel. I used an apple corer to slice and core, then used my favorite knife to peel. I used three apples in total.
Once all of the apples have been peeled, it's time to dice. I dice my apples into thin pieces because I don't want a big bite inside my cupcakes. They will cook down a little, but you still want a small bite inside.
Once they are all diced, it's time to cook! I placed all my apple pieces into a skillet and add all the yumminess of an apple pie filling.
I add a tablespoon of unsalted softened butter to the apples.
To that, I add light brown sugar and apple pie spice.
This is a true scientific measurement here. I use roughly one to just a little less than two handfuls of brown sugar. It's a "too taste" kind of thing.
A little apple pie spice goes a long way, so just sprinkle in a little for flavor.
Make sure to steal a taste, and if you feel it's a little too tart, add a little granulated sugar to help sweeten the apples. Cook down to tender. Again, you don't want a crispy apple bite. Since your cupcakes are already baked, you are adding these cooked apples to the center, so you won't have a chance to cook them more.
Now that your apples
are cooked, and cooled, it's time to fill the cupcake! I use an apple corer to
remove the center of the cupcake, but you don't want to go all the through.
Just core mid way through the cupcake, remove, and place aside in a small
bowl. You will reuse them.
Fill each cupcake with the baked apples. You don't want to overfill, but you also don't want to under stuff. It's a thin line between both. After each one is filled, replace the centers with the pieces you removed.
Lastly, it's time to frost! I made my own, but you can most certainly use store bought. I made cream cheese frosting using an 8 ounce softened cream cheese, one stick of room temperature unsalted butter, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Add it all to the mixer and mix until creamy. Add four cups of confectioner sugar, one cup at time, mixing in between. If it feels too thick, add a tablespoon of water to get to the desired consistency to frost the cupcakes.
Then you frost! I add mine to a piping bag, with a large star tip, and pipe in a circular motion starting on the outside of the cupcake. I added clear and gold sprinkles to the top!
I served these up for book club on a cupcake holder. So cute and so yummy!! Everyone loved them!
So there you have it! That's my spice apple cupcake using Honeybear Pazazz apples! It's honestly the easiest cupcake recipe, you just have to put in a little love when making them!
Head out today and grab your Pazazz Apples and get started on your own apple creation!!
XO,
Andrea
*This was a sponsored post, but all opinions and recipe were my own.
