Dulce de leche Cupcakes

Dulce de Leche Cupcakes!

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 12 Hershey chocolate kisses with caramel filling (this is the trick)

(12 cupcakes or 9x9 pan)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease or flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour batter into half of the prepared muffin pan.  Put one chocolate kiss (filled with caramel) in the middle and continue to pour the matter until muffin pan is filled.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes.  It’s done when the toothpick you put in the middle comes out clean.

Let stand for 15 minutes and frost.

Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting (Delicious)

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

14 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)

1 cup powdered sugar

Pour can of condensed milk into a glass pie plate and cover with foil.  Place in larger roasting pan and fill with hot water half way up the plate (for approx. 1 hour and 15 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool. Stir until smooth.  Place egg yolks in mixing bowl.  Stir in sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a small saucepan.  Whisk in the water first then the dulce de leche and bring to a boil in medium heat (1 minute) whisking constantly.  Remove from heat.  Slowly whisk the dulce de leche mixture into the 2 egg yolks.  Stir in the vanilla.  Strain through a wire mesh strainer into a bowl.  Let cool completely (approx. 20 minutes).  Beat the butter on high in a large mixing bowl until it’s fluffy.  Beat in the cooled dulce de leche mixture.  Beat in 1 cup of powdered sugar until smooth and spreadable.  Put a dollop of the dulce de leche buttercream on each cupcake.  READY TO EAT!