Glazed Apple Fritter Cupcakes

Oh. My. Delicious!!!!!

I got this recipe from Chasing Some Blue Sky and I'm calling mine cupcakes - she called them muffins. Mine don't look as pretty as hers do (go ahead and click the link so you can see just how different they look!) I am pretty sure they tasted as good, if not better. (My glaze is much thicker - hence the "better".)

Here's how it goes:

For the Apples:
2 large granny smith apples, 1/4 inch dice
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp water

1/3 cup flour

For the Cupcakes:
2 large eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

For the Glaze:
2 tbsp butter melted
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Line 14 muffin cups with cupcake liners (14? Who has a 14 cup muffin tin?!)
3. In a skillet add apple ingredients except flour (It was at this point I realized I didn't have enough cinnamon and had to run out to the store. It was the most frustrating cinnamon run of my life. Fortunately, there were no casualties.) and cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour to coat apples (this prevents apples from sinking to bottom of cupcakes)
4. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt
5. In a large bowl beat together applesauce, oil, and sugars till smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly  
6. Stir the flour into the batter alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. Gently stir in apples until just combined
7. Spoon batter into cups (I used an ice cream scoop), filling the cups, and smooth tops (AKA shake the cupcake pan a little to level them out). Divide batter equally among prepared cupcake cups. Bake until cupcake tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. (I checked mine at 15, then added two minutes, then added one minute so I cooked mine for 18 minutes - just in case you failed basic math.)
8. Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing. 
9. To make the glaze, In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth. (I doubled this.)
10. When cupcakes have cooled slightly, dip the muffin top into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time and allow to harden before serving. (I didn't do the second dip, the glaze was thick enough with the first dip. Not to mention that if the glaze on the cupcake is going to harden, the glaze left in the bowl is going to harden too - and it did.)

Sometimes when I bake or cook a new recipe, I get scared to taste it. I'm not sure if it's because I am scared of a total failure or if it's that I don't want to be disappointed, but I was struggling with trying them. I took half a dozen to K at work to share with her co-workers and I told her to tell me what they're reactions were. Before I even made it home, I got a text that they were a hit so I went right in the house and did my own taste test.

Holy moly those are good!!!! They might have even topped my pumpkin cupcakes I made for Thanksgiving!

I highly recommend this recipe! It's worth every calorie!