Muffins with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

For the Muffins:

1 cup pumpkin puree;

1/2 cup milk;

2 large eggs, lightly beaten;

1/2 cup brown sugar;

2 teaspoon baking powder;

1 teaspoon baking soda;

1/4 teaspoon salt;

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice;

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract;

2 cups all-purpose flour.

For the Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature;

2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar;

1 Tablespoon heavy cream;

1/4 teaspoon salt;

1 teaspoon vanilla extract;

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

For the optional garnish:

Candy pumpkins and/or candy corn.

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Thoroughly coat a standard muffin tin with nonstick spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, milk and egg. Add all of the rest of ingredients, except flour. When everything is thoroughly mixed, add flour, and stir until completely incorporated, but not more.

Fill each tin about 3/4 of the way full (I used a full ice cream scoop worth of batter per portion) and put into the oven. Immediately turn the oven temperature down to 325 as soon as you put the cupcakes in oven, which will help them rise. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

While the cupcakes are cooking, prepare the frosting by creaming together the butter and sugar on medium speed for about a minute, and then add the cream and whip on high speed for about 5 minutes, until the color is about two shades lighter and the texture is creamy. If the frosting is too stiff, add an additional 1 T heavy cream and whip for an additional 3-5 minutes. Add salt, vanilla and cinnamon, and whip for 2-3 more minutes until light, fluffy, and uniform in color (you may need to scrape down the bowl once or twice during mixing to make sure everything is mixed evenly).

When the cupcakes are done, remove them from the pan and allow to cool completely on a rack before frosting. Top with candy garnish.