I know everyone is still recovering from the holidays.  And I promise that I’m not about to start with the Valentine’s posts already.  But if you can just wrap your head around the next holiday for one quick moment…  Now’s the time to hit the Christmas Clearance section at Target and grab some of these cute felt ornaments, before they’re gone!  At 70% off, they come out to be 10 cents a piece!  Easily re-purposed for Valentine’s Day…. these felt hearts are a cheap, easy and quick Valentine’s decoration.  Yay for Felt Heart Ornaments!

At 10 cents a heart, the uses for these felt cuties are limitless!  Of course you could use them as sold, but I snipped off the gold ornament tie and added my own white string.  A plaid, striped or polka dot ribbon would be adorable as well!

I’m sure you’ll come up with additional uses, but here’s a few of my ideas for these adorable felt hearts:

• Tie on to your baked goods for Valentine’s treats
• Tape onto envelopes for hand-delivered Valentine’s cards
• Decorate Valentine’s boxes for school
• Center on a plate for an easy Valentine’s place setting
• Create a row down the center of your table for a heart table runner
• String many hearts together to create a heart garland
• Hang several strings of several hearts together to create a mobile

There were oodles of them still at my Target yesterday, but the Christmas Clearance is going fast!  I spotted them in red, white, lime green, bright turquoise and purple.  If you snag some, be sure to come back and show us what you create with them.  Happy Shopping!

Our cupcake contributor, Lauren of Crave. Indulge. Satisfy, is getting into the Halloween spirit…

Happy Fall! I am super excited to welcome the cooler weather and kick off the fall baking season with some caramel apple inspired cupcakes! I don’t know about you, but this time of year I am craving all things with apple, cinnamon and caramel…apple cake, apple pie, and of course caramel apples! So if you don’t have any apples in your fruit basket right now, you are going to want to go grab some so you can make these Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream & Caramel Glaze! Not only are these cupcakes moist and delicious but they are super cute and absolutely perfect for Halloween!

This recipe is so simple that it can be made all in one bowl! So if you are pressed for time, but looking for the perfect fall dessert this is a must try recipe! These apple cupcakes can truly stand alone and be eaten without any icing on top. I have to admit I did steal one out of the pan immediately after it came out of the oven to sample. But trust me these cupcakes only get better by adding the Caramel Buttercream on top for some added sweetness! Now you could stop there and enjoy, but it’s Halloween season after all so let’s make these more of a little treat and top with some melted caramels and candy toppings! Add a wooden popsicle stick and you’ve got a true Caramel Apple Cupcake!

If you’re planning a Halloween party this year, I encourage you to make these cupcakes ahead of time and set up a caramel apple toppings bar so all your guests can decorate their own! Halloween sprinkles, chopped nuts, candy corns, or even crushed up candy bars all make the perfect toppings for these cupcakes! Perfect for kids and adults your party guests will have a blast customizing their own cupcake creations!

Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream & Caramel Glaze
(makes 24 cupcakes)

For the cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups peeled, chopped apples (I used 1 Granny Smith and 1 Gala)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
2. In large bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. Add all wet ingredients to dry ingredients: eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla. Mix well with wire whisk until well blended.
4. Fold in chopped apples.
5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
6. Bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.
8. Once cupcakes are completely cool frost with Caramel Buttercream.

For the icing:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1. In saucepan over medium heat melt butter.
2. Stir in brown sugar and heavy cream and keep over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.
3. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl.
4. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time and mix with electric mixer until incorporated.
5. Frost cupcakes using an offset spatula.

For the caramel glaze:
1 (14oz) bag Kraft Caramels
2/3 cup half-and-half

1. Microwave caramels and half-and-half on High 3 to 3 1/2 minutes or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute.
2. Allow caramel to cool for 1-2 minutes.
3. Dip top of frosted cupcakes into bowl of caramel.

For the garnish:
24 wooden popsicle sticks
sprinkles
candy corn
chopped pecans

1. Once cupcakes have been dipped in caramel, top with your favorite garnish before caramel sets.
2. Insert popsicle stick.

*Note: I recommend frosting all cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream first. Then melt your caramels and dip cupcakes one at a time immediately adding toppings to each before caramel sets. These cupcakes are kind of messy, so I recommend eating with a fork.

I hope you enjoy these Caramel Apple treats! Happy Halloween!

	Lauren is a regular contributor for Half Baked. She is a self-taught baker and lover of all things sugar. Read more about Lauren on her bio page.

Since we kicked off the Halloween season yesterday with a beWITCHing cupcake liner craft, I thought we’d continue on with the cupcake love.  Cupcakes are the perfect treat for children’s Halloween parties because they are pre-portioned and easy to serve {and clean up}!  Little ghosts and goblins love cupcakes, along with their parents.  Moms who don’t eat cake {gasp!} are often enticed by a cupcake.  While dads won’t hesitate to woof down two… three… ah, who’s counting really!  And after today’s post, you’ll have a super easy way to create wickedly cool cupcakes for your guests.

We are big fans of Brittany over at Edible Details and she has been busy in the kitchen creating the most frightfully fun Halloween cupcake toppers!  Honestly, they’re like little costumes for your cupcakes… such an easy way to transform any cupcake into a spooky treat!  Whether you start from scratch, break open a box or throw a dozen into your shopping cart, your cupcakes will look hauntingly good!  Take a peek at these edible Halloween Cupcake Toppers…

The black raven topper is so sleek and modern with its spooky silhouette.  And the witch’s hat with its curved tip and antique buckle could not be more charming!  And I’m really loving these black and white spider toppers below…

This next set has to be my favorite though… sassy colors, stripes and glitter!

Whether they adorn your homemade cupcakes or disguise some store bought goodies, these edible cupcake toppers will be the hit of the Halloween Bash!  A huge thanks to Brittany for sharing her Spook-tacular Halloween Cupcake Toppers with us!  You can see more of Brittany’s edible fondant creations on the Edible Details Website and FaceBook Page.

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