Poison Apple Cocktail Cupcakes, with generous amounts of boozy libations in both the batter and the frosting, are a fun and tasty addition to grownup Halloween celebrations.

Makes 12–14 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 cup (5 ounces by weight) cake flour
• 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 3 tablespoons Crown Royal
• 2 tablespoons Sour Apple Pucker
• 1 tablespoon cranberry liqueur (or cranberry juice)

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4-1/2 cups (20.5 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons Sour Apple Pucker
• 2 tablespoons cranberry liqueur or cranberry juice
• 1 tablespoon Crown Royal
• Red food coloring

Garnish:

• Tootsie Rolls or fondant tinted brown and formed into apple stems
• Leaves formed from fondant tinted green or cut from sour apple fruit leather

Instructions

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. Line cupcake tins with paper liners.
3. Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Mix Sour Apple Pucker, Crown Royal, and cranberry liqueur together in a measuring cup and set aside.
5. In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix the vegetable oil and sugar together on medium speed for about 1 minute.
6. Add the sour cream and applesauce and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
7. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.
8. Add half the flour mixture to the sour cream mixture and beat on low until mostly incorporated.
9. Add half the Sour Apple Pucker mixture and stir to combine.
10. Repeat with remaining flour and Sour Apple Pucker mixture and beat until smooth for about 30 seconds.
11. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 16–20 minutes. Cupcakes should be golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
12. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the cupcake tin for 5 minutes.
13. Move the cupcakes to a wire rack. Allow to completely cool before frosting.

Frosting:

1. Mix the Sour Apple Pucker, cranberry liqueur, and Crown Royal together. Set aside.
2. Place butter and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer and whip until creamy, approximately 2–3 minutes on medium-high speed.
3. With the mixer running on low speed, add half the confectioners’ sugar a little at a time, mixing until sugar is coated with the butter.
4. Slowly add 3/4 Sour Apple Pucker mixture.
5. Repeat with remaining confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon Sour Apple Pucker mixture.
6. Add red food coloring until desired shade of red is obtained.
7. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip for approximately 5 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. If needed, add the remaining Sour Apple Pucker mixture if frosting is too thick and additional Sour Apple Pucker 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
8. Frost the cooled cupcakes.

Garnish:

1. Form leaves from green-tinted fondant or cut leaf shapes from Sour Apple fruit leather.
2. Roll small pieces of the Tootsie Roll or brown-tinted fondant to form stems.
3. Insert a leaf on top of the frosted cupcake and accent with a stem.