Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Caramel

It feels like fall still here (minus all the pretty leaves) since there's no snow at all in Connecticut. It's been a weird winter so rather disappointing since I love snow. So I'm sharing some fall flavors with pumpkin and caramel!
Mini cupcakes are so fun to make - these were my first time frosting them. I had a lot of canned pumpkin that needed to be used up and "the Holand household must always have cream cheese in the fridge," so together it was a classic combination.
I'm a huge fan of anything mini because they're perfectly portioned. 
B called my portions "mousy", and complains of my "mousy bites". He'll open the fridge and find a tiny piece of a slice of cake missing, or part of a piece of cheese broken off, or half a bread slice left behind.
I always like to take "just a bite or two" of his meal, so he hides his food to protect it from me.
These mini cupcakes are small enough, so even I finish all of it. 
B says when things are small, they're like vitamins. He'll pop 2 or 3 of these mini cupcakes guilt free. I told him this was adapted from Paula Deen on Food Network, so it's marginally healthier.

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes 

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15-ounce can pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
caramel topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 mini muffin pans.

PUMPKIN BAR: Using an electric mixer , combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and soda, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the batter until just combined. Pour the batter into your mini muffin pans and bake for 15-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

ICING: Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue beating. Using a 1M tip, pipe the frosting onto your cooled cupcakes. Drizzle with your favorite caramel topping. Enjoy!

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