SNICKER'S CUPCAKES

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SNICKER'S CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS
For cupcakes

• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 11 ounces (1.5) cups granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature

For caramel sauce

• 1 cup of sugar
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

For filling

• 20 Snickers Minis, cut into quarters (2-3 full sized Snickers bars)
• 3.5 ounces (1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon) caramel sauce (see recipe below)
• For caramel buttercream
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 caramel sauce (see recipe below)
• 10 Snickers Minis, cut in half

INSTRUCTIONS
For cupcakes

1. Heat oven to 350? F and line 20 muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a medium (2-cup) glass measuring cup, whisk together cocoa powder and hot water until smooth; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter and sugar, stirring occasionally until the butter is melted and mixture is combined.
5. Remove from heat and transfer to bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed until mixture is cooled, about 4-5 minutes.
6. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla and cocoa mixture.
7. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating just until combined.
8. Fill cupcake liners three-quarters full, making sure that batter is divided evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a paring knife or apple corer to make a small well in the center of each cupcake, about 3/4 of the way down. Be careful not to go too deeply or filling will seep through the bottom of cupcake. Remove the cores and set aside so that you can reuse the tops to plug holes after stuffing the cupcakes.
10. br]Making caramel sauce (recipe adapted from [Simply Recipes )
11. Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that won't allow hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first - make sure there are no children or pets under foot, and you may want to wear oven mitts, because the caramelized sugar is hotter than boiling water.
12. Heat sugar over medium heat in heavy-bottomed 2 or 3-quart saucepan. As sugar starts to turn liquid, stir gently with a silicone whisk or wooden spoon. DON'T OVER STIR! Just let the sugar work its magic and stir from time to time to assure that the sugar on the bottom doesn't burn.
13. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, STOP STIRRING. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on, but don't stir. Note: This recipe works best if you are using a thick-bottomed pan. If you find that you end up burning some of the sugar before the rest of it is melted or you have large clumps of sugar, turn the heat to low and let it sit untouched...the clumps should melt. Next time you attempt it, add a half cup of water to the sugar at the beginning of the process, OR start with lower heat to help sugar cook more evenly.
14. As soon as the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color, like an old copper penny), immediately add butter and whisk until butter has melted.
15. Remove from heat, count to three, then slowly add cream to the pan and whisk to incorporate. NOTE: When you add the butter and cream, the mixture will foam up considerably.
16. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass jar and refrigerate or let sit to cool to room temperature before moving to next step.
17. You'll need 3.5 ounces (1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon) for the filling, 1/3 cup for the buttercream icing, and about 3 Tablespoons to drizzle over the cupcakes. Any excess can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.
18. Makes a little over one cup of sauce.

To make frosting

1. Transfer 1/3 cup caramel sauce to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the powdered sugar and beat on medium-high speed until until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
2. If necessary, adjust frosting consistency by adding milk (1 Tablespoon at a time) if too dry or powdered sugar if too runny.
3. Transfer frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip (I used Wilton 1M). Pipe a spiral of icing, beginning at the outer edge and working inward. Drizzle frosted cupcakes with caramel sauce and garnish with chopped Snickers bars.

source:https://www.itsyummi.com