Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Duff Goldman shares his recipe for the ultimate Halloween treat. These adorable Jack O’Lanterns are simple to bake and super fun to decorate. Nervous about working with fondant? Watch Duff make it look easy on our IGTV.

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cupcakes Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes:1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt1 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup granulated sugar1⁄2 cup packed light brown sugar2 large eggs, at room temperature 1⁄3 cup whole buttermilk, at room temperature 1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract2⁄3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

For the decorations:Swiss Buttercream Cornstarch, for the work surface Orange and green fondantWaterBlack food gel 

Directions

1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until smooth. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, and whisk until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups using an ice-cream scoop, about three-quarters of the way up the sides. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 to 16 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Decorate the cupcakes: Using a spatula, ice your cupcake with a crumb-coat of buttercream, making the surface smooth.

6. On a work surface dusted with cornstarch, knead orange fondant and roll out using a rolling pin. Cut out fondant disk using a 2 3/4-inch to 3 1/2-inch circle cutter, depending on size of cupcakes. Place disc on the cupcake and smooth. Using a modeling tool or the back of your paintbrush, score lines on the orange disk to look like a pumpkin.

7. Using your hands, sculpt the stem and vine out of green fondant. Using a light coating of water, attach the stem and vine to the orange disk. With a paintbrush dipped in food gel, paint a Jack-O-Lantern face on the pumpkin. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

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