Halloween Treats...a little late

My department at work goes all out for Halloween with everyone dressing up and having a good time. This year we did trick or treating at each other's cubes so everyone brought in treats. I decided to do baked treats instead of buying candy and made Pumpkin Butterscotch Mini Muffins, Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Yellow Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Icing. They were a hit!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Mini Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 (6 ounce) package butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. Sift together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, butter, and pumpkin in a separate bowl. Mix the flour mixture with the egg mixture. Stir in the butterscotch chips; pour into each cup of the muffin pan to about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes.

Source: ...and a cookie for dessert

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 c. shortening (I subbed butter)
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar + milk and let stand for 5 minutes, which is what I did)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin pan with paper liners (can also be done in 2 round cake pans or one 13x9 pan). Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for 3o minutes. Stir dry ingredients (except sugar) together and set aside. Beat butter and shortening on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add vanilla and sugar, beating until well combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir pumpkin into buttermilk, then add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Pur into prepared pan(s). Bake 35-40 minutes for 13x9 pan, 30-35 minutes for 2 round pans or cupcakes, until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tsp vanilla
approximately 6 cups powdered sugar (I only used about 3 as I don't like super sweet frosting)

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually add additional powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency.

Source: adapted from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, courtesy of my friend Gina

Yellow Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting

I shamefully admit to using a boxed mix for the cupcakes. I had one that needed to be used. I did make the frosting though.

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup cocoa powder (I used a mix of regular and Hershey's special dark cocoa)
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternate adding sugar and milk until you reach desired consistency. Stir in vanilla.

Source: my mom