Caramel Apple Bliss

I'm starting to pine for fall. Living in warm climates for the last three years has really made me miss seasons, especially fall, which has always been my favorite. All year long, I look forward to pumpkins, apples, sweaters, boots, the first snow, spice-scented candles, watching Sunday afternoon football while the chili simmers on the stove, the changing colors of fall foliage, the crunch of stepping on dried fallen leaves, the crispness in the air, then Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (which is not technically a part of fall, but it's the culmination of the most festive few months of the year). As a kid I even loved starting back to school (and college!).

Mid-September is about the time I start getting jealous of all my "foul-weather" family and friends. In Hawaii, the daily high rarely ventures out of the 80s and it can be a bit hard to get in the fall spirit. But in an effort to create a fall-like atmopshere, I put out all my fall decor this weekend and I decided to bake a treat to match the season: caramel apple cupcakes from the October Rachael Ray magazine.

The "cake" part of these cupcakes is really more of an apple-cinnamon muffin. But these treats earn their "cupcake" title from the decadent, gooey caramel topping. The cupcakes are about 1/2 shredded apple and 1/2 cupcake batter; the result is a cupcake full of sweet, tart apple bits. The flavor melds perfectly with the caramel topping and each bite really is reminiscent of a caramel apple. These are the unfrosted cupcakes:

And here they are after they've been smeared with a big dollop of melted caramel and cream. They're absolutely perfect after heating in the microwave for 15 or 20 seconds. Yum! It's caramel apple bliss.