Warning: this recipe for Caramel Apple Peanut Butter Cupcakes is not for the faint hearted and is definitely not skinny jeans friendly. But I can so justify it as healthy; here’s how these very unskinny cupcakes qualify:
- They have apples in them. Apples are a fruit. Fruit is healthy.
- They have peanut butter. Peanut butter is a protein and a good fat. Therefore, it is healthy.
- They are gluten free. Not that this makes them healthy in and of itself but it means I can kind of eat them. Which is almost healthy. (By the way, to make them non gluten free, sub regular flour and don’t add xanthan gum)
- They make me happy. Happiness burns calories. Burning calories is healthy. Happiness is healthy.
- Oh fudge. They taste good and you have enough justification now.
These cupcakes also receive the Zoe stamp of approval. Who’s Zoe? Well, Zoe is my crazy yellow lab, who loves to hang out ON my feet while I cook. Most of the time she snoozes while I do so. The other time, she acts as a canine hoover and vacuums the floor for my crumbs. Zoe likes these cupcakes. A lot. I mean really what’s not to like about them though? Caramel, apple, peanut butter all in one cupcake?
By the way, people ask me all the time what I do with all my baked goods. In this instance, I only had four remain. Last night while I was getting ready for bed and taking my shower, I heard “Crash…scamper…scamper…silence.” I heard this combination 5 times before I finally thought to myself…”Hmmm…maybe I should check that out.”
Low and behold, the crash was the sound of Zoe removing the cupcake from the pan which was cooling on the BACK burner of the kitchen stove. The scamper was the pitterpatter of her not so little paws frolicking down the hallway past the closed bathroom door where I was showering into my bedroom where she jumped onto my bed and ate 5 cupcakes in silence. I found her wolfing down cupcake number 5 looking quite guilty and smug all at the same time as she pigged out daintly ate like the lady she is the last cupcake and then licked the crumbs off my bedspread.
At least she cleans up after herself.

Gluten Free Caramel Apple Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cake Mix
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 3/4 cup of brown sugar
- 3/4 cup of caramel topping
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbs cinnamon
- 1/2 tbs nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbs apple butter
- 2 apples
Filling/Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.