Where Are Those Cow Tales: AKA Apple Caramel Cupcakes Topped with Homemade Cows Tales

This cupcake project took about 4 hours from beginning to end...and that includes the run I had to make to Whole Foods for some dried apples...which turned into a $56.24 excursion! I had a little piece of paper with three items on my list when I went in the store and walked out with two shopping bags of "other duties as assigned" products. At first I was just walking around holding stuff in my arms and soon realized that my stay was going to be much longer than I planned. oh well...it was a cold and rainy Sunday in Washington, DC!

This was going to be a simple...key word here is simple....project, because I wanted to spend some time on my design for my another web site I'm working on. Well, that didn't happen and I just had to let it go. I found a recipe in a cupcake book that's called Cupcakes and Other Goodies, which is sort of dorkie looking and is shaped like a cupcake. Okay, I dealt with that. I found just what I was looking for...and that's when I had to go shopping for the dried apples. I wanted to combine the apple cupcakes with caramel frosting and I wanted to make some Cows Tales to go on top.

I found a simple recipe for the Cow Tales and they were really easy to make...just caramels, butter, half and half, and confectioners sugar...and some marshmallows. The photos above show (1) the caramel ready to be rolled around the marshmallows, and (2) the rolled up "log," and (below) the final product beng sliced after "the log" was in the fridge for a couple of hours. Whew!
Everything turned out pretty much the way I wanted it to go. The vanilla butter cupcakes (from a cake mix) with the diced, dried apples were good...not great...but acceptable. The caramel frosting was so amazing...it tasted extraordinary. The cows tales...or tails...well, they worked. And, one could eat them separately...without even making the cupcakes...or one could just make the cupcakes with the caramel frosting...or one could just go to Whole Foods. It's really up to you! You can see more of the Cows Tales Cupcakes photos HERE.

And, THIS is the newest baby in our family: Aiden Steele (born April 12) with his daddy, Jason (who will be leaving next week for a another tour of Iraq). Jason, Kristi, and Aiden are from Spokane, WA, and are living in Las Vegas....so, say "Hi" to Aiden....and to his daddy and mommy, too. Stay safe, Jason.



Below are the recipes for the cupcakes and the cows tales!

Cows Tales Ingredients:
• 1/2 lb. Light caramels
• 1/4 c. half & half
• 2 tbs. butter
• 2 c. confectioner sugar
• approx. 17 regular size marshamallows
Directions:
• Combine caramels, half & half, and butter in saucepan.
• Heat until caramels melt.
• Once melted, take saucepan off heat and stir in sugar.
• Pour mixture onto buttered wax or parchment paper.
• Spread into a 16x5 inch rectangle.
• Lay the marshmallows end to end along one of the long sides of the rectangle.
• Working with the side of the caramel rectangle that is under the marshmallows, gently
detach the caramel from the paper and roll it over the marshmallows to form a log.
•Wrap the log in paper and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
• When chilled, cut into 1/4 inch slices.
• Try to serve chilled, because once warm, the candy loses some of its dense, sticky
texture.

Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting
Yield: Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) butter or yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix
1 cup chopped dried apples
Caramel Frosting (recipe follows)
Chopped nuts (optional)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 standard (2-1/2-inch) muffin pan cups with paper baking cups.
2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Stir in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpicks inserted into centers come out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes to racks; cool completely.

Caramel Frosting

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in brown sugar, evaporated milk and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool to lukewarm.
2. Add powdered sugar; beat until frosting is of spreading consistency. Add vanilla; beat until smooth.

Rock on!

CQ