Heath Cupcakes

I have a little bit of guilt over this recipe. Dave LOVES Heath and anything Heath related. I don't. He had been asking me to make him a Heath cupcake for quite sometime, but I never did.

Then, one day, my friend Jenny asked me to make cupcakes for her husband's birthday. We go to church every Wednesday night, and every Wednesday night I bring cupcakes. I love doing it. It's a fun little way to say "Thank You" to all the people who take care of my kids when I go to my class. Her husband is one of those people.

So I just couldn't decide what kind of cupcakes to make. I wanted to bring a kind that I hadn't brought before. I called Jenny and asked her what Troy's favorite candy was. She said Heath. So there you have it. My husband asks for it and I don't even attempt. . .my friend asks for it for her husband. . .and I make them. Hence: guilt.

I will say, they were a real crowd pleaser and everyone loved them. . . my poor husband included.


Heath Cupcakes

CUPCAKE:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup Hershey's Dark Cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups strong brewed, cooled coffee
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix together cake mix with all the dry ingredients.

2. Add in all the rest of the ingredients and mix until incorporated.

3. Scoop into cupcake tin 2/3 full.

4. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

5. Cool completely, and pipe caramel filling into the center.

6. Top with buttercream and roll in Heath!

FILLING:
Brace Yourself: I just use T. Marzetti's Caramel Dip for apples. No home-made tricks here. I like it because it's thick and gooey. It stays where you pipe it instead of soaking into the cake like homemade caramel, and it tastes just as good!

SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup T. Marzetti's Caramel Dip
1/4 tsp salt
Few Tbsp milk
2 bags of crushed Heath Bits

1. Cream together the butter and shortening.

2. Add in sugar and caramel dip.

3. Add in salt and milk and whip until light and fluffy.

4. Add more milk or sugar to get desired consistency.

5. Pipe on top of cupcakes, and then roll in Heath Bar Bits.