Happy Friday! With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought I’d share a simple and perfectly pumpkin-y dessert that you might want to make for the big day. My mom almost always makes pumpkin bars for Thanksgiving dessert, and that’s what these little cupcakes remind me of – different shape, same delicious taste.

The best part about mini desserts at Thanksgiving is that it leaves room in your stomach to try several different things! These cupcakes are about 2-3 bite size, which is the perfect size. The cupcakes themselves are full of classic, pumpkin spice flavor, while the cream cheese frosting is creamy and sweet. You’ll likely have some frosting left over, so throw it in the fridge and save it for something else (frosting was originally seen here). Or just really load up your cupcakes. It’s win-win.

Printable Recipe
Makes 24 cupcakes

ingredients:
for the cupcakes
1 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

for the frosting
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

instructions:
Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar until combined. Then beat in the pumpkin puree, vanilla, and eggs.

Line a mini muffin tin with liners and use an ice cream scoop to fill the tin with the batter.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the icing by beating the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.

Beat in the powdered sugar and the vanilla until smooth.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a knife to frost them.

Enjoy!

Cupcakes adapted from Food Network

Now, I’m SO excited to introduce you to one of my very favorite bloggers, Amberly, from Life with Amberly and Joe! Amberly writes great posts on marriage and family, and shares about her life with her husband and their sweet dog, Howie. Also, she just made an exciting announcement on her blog that can’t be missed!

1. Why did you start blogging?
I’ve been blogging since the beginning of 2009, but Life with Amberly and Joe didn’t start until 2011, when we got engaged. I blogged mostly to share the fun things we were up to with family and friends, and then at the end of 2012, I discovered the blogging community and started to get really involved. Now I blog to inspire other couples to make their marriage a priority. Marriage is a passion of mine and I’m currently studying to become a Marriage and Family Life Educator so it’s something that I love to blog about.

2. What is your go-to dessert recipe?
Hmm… this is a hard one. I love dessert of any kind and it really depends on my mood. If I had to pick, I’d say that when company is coming over, I make Chocolate Sundae Pudding because it’s easy, yummy, and always seems a little fancy! (I’ll be posting the recipe sometime soon as part of my Life in the Kitchen series)

3. Tell me about your favorite blog post to date.
I have a lot of favorites on my blog, so it’s always hard to pick one, but I think the favorite so far would have to be my post titled What Happens to Love After You Get Married. It is one of my most real posts, I share a story about our marriage, and I think the topic is extremely important. A lot of people expect to live happily ever after and keep the same feelings they had while dating for the rest of their marriage, but that’s just not the case. The feeling of love changes and I hear a lot of people mistake that for the love disappearing, which makes me sad. I think it’s important to recognize that the love doesn’t go away, it gets deeper and evolves as your relationship grows!

4. What’s the best thing about the state you live in?
The best thing about Utah? Fry sauce!!! Seriously though, if you’re ever in Utah (or Idaho), ask for fry sauce with your french fries or onion rings, you’ll never go back to ketchup. True story: I never eat my fries with ketchup, fry sauce is my condiment of choice! If you ask for it in any other state, they look at you funny.

5. If you could sum up your blog in one word, what would it be?
Marriage!

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