Day 9 of the 12 Days of Cupcakes: Pecan Pie Cupcakes

This cupcake was a special request from my friend Ryan around thanksgiving time. He said he wanted me to figure out how to make a cupcake out of pecan pie. So, i decided to add it to my 12 days of cupcakes (assuming it was a success, and it definitely was). I have to admit that not only have I never made pecan pie, but I've also never even tasted a pecan pie in my life. And while I think these cupcakes turned out suuuper delicious, I'm hoping that my pecan pie expert friends can weigh in and let me know if they tasted pecan pie-like. The idea is to bake some pecan pie filling and then drop a spoonful of it into a cupcake liner filled with batter and then bake that cupcake. Here are my pics:




Recipe
Pecan Pie Cupcakes

Filling:
1/3c light corn syrup
1T honey
1 lg egg
3T butter, melted
1t vanilla
1/4c sugar
2T flour
1/3c chopped pecans
1/3c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cupcakes:
2/3c flour
1/2t baking powder
1/4t salt
1/2c brown sugar
1/4c sugar
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 lg egg
1t vanilla
1/4c milk

Whipped Cream:
1c whipping cream
2T powdered sugar
1t vanilla

Filling:
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together corn syrup, honey, egg, butter, and vanilla. Stir in flour and sugar. Fold in chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into a small baking dish (I used 2 4in cake pans). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir mixture to homogenize the filling. Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes. Stir again upon removal from oven. Allow to cool.

Cupcakes:
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Alternately add flour and milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined. Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 full. Add a scoop of the filling to each liner. Bake at 325F for 18 minutes.

Whipped Cream:
For best results, place bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Once chilled, add whipping cream and beat until thickened. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form. I recommend keeping the whipped cream refrigerated until the cupcakes are ready to be eaten and then adding to cupcakes.

These are my favorite cupcakes thus far in the 12 Days of Cupcakes, so if you only make one batch, I recommend these! Enjoy!