Today, I have the perfect Fall recipe, beautifully spiced pumpkin cupcakes with a gingersnap cookie crust and homemade toasty marshmallow frosting. A sure crowd pleaser with all the best Fall flavours!
Fall is by far my favourite season and it’s also one of my favourite times to bake besides Christmas. I adore all the spices and flavours of Fall and these pumpkin cupcakes have it all! Lots of spices and the nostalgia and flavours of toasting marshmallows over the fire.
These cupcakes are so nostalgic for me as they remind me of a Fall version of a s’more I would have made at the beach, my favourite place in the world. I grew up on the ocean so seaside bonfires were a staple of my childhood and teen years. There’s nothing better than sitting on the beach on a chilly Fall night, wrapped in flannel blankets, while roasting a marshmallow on the fire, potentially to put in a s’more. All you can hear in the background is the fire crackling and the waves crashing. Just a perfect night with the most delicious treats!
These pumpkin cupcakes come together super easily and you don’t even need a mixer to make them. Unfortunately you would need a mixer for the marshmallow frosting but if you don’t own one, I have also topped these cupcakes with cool whip in a pinch! Homemade stabilized whipped cream or cream cheese frosting would also be delicious! If you don’t own a blowtorch to toast the marshmallow frosting, you can just leave it as is.
Cookie Crust Options
So I designed these cupcakes with a gingersnap cookie crust as I absolutely love gingersnaps and I wanted something to offset the sweetness of the marshmallow frosting. I am in love with this crust as it is super spicy depending on which cookie brand you use. I used an English gingersnap from my local grocery store and it was amazing and super gingery! However, if you’re not a fan of ginger or really spicy, you can use any biscuit or cookie you like. I have made these with Biscoff cookies as well but I prefer the gingersnap.
If you want a gingery crust and can’t find a super gingery cookie in your grocery store, add 1/2 tsp of ground ginger at a time to the crushed cookie mixture and then taste. Add more depending on your taste.
If you use Biscoff cookies, I found that 14 cookies worked well. No matter which cookie you pick, you’ll want about 1 cup of cookie crumbs to have good size crusts. If you made the crust too thick, then there will be too much batter and they’ll likely overflow.
Other options that I think would be delicious include shortbread, digestive biscuits, Oreos or graham crackers. I haven’t personally tried any of these options however. If you do, tell me how it works out in the comments!
Marshmallow Frosting
My marshmallow frosting in this recipe is not like a traditional marshmallow frosting with corn syrup. Instead this is basically just a stiffer Italian Meringue. Due to the extra sugar, it is very stable throughout the day but will still start to wilt the next day, especially in humid environments. Once it starts to wilt, it’s still completely edible but I do recommend eating these day of or the next day for best taste and texture.
If you’ve never made an Italian Meringue before, please don’t be intimidated. I was incredibly intimidated at the thought of trying Italian Meringue when seeing others make it on baking shows. However, when I came up with this recipe, I knew I wanted a simple marshmallow style frosting on top. So I pushed myself to try making an Italian Meringue and boy was I surprised. It was actually so simple!
My Best Tips to Get the Meringue Perfect Every Time:
- Make sure there’s no fat on any of your tools or equipment. Thoroughly wash everything or wipe it clean with vinegar. Fat or grease can prevent the egg whites from whipping up. Mind you, I’ve never had this recipe fail and I’m not super careful but I do make sure everything feels grease free.
- Make sure you properly separate your eggs. If you get yolk in with the egg whites, they won’t whip up.
- Make sure you bring the sugar mixture to the right temperature using a thermometer. This is what basically “cooks” your eggs so they’re safe to eat and gives you a beautiful fluffy meringue
How to Separate Eggs
There are many ways to do this but I find the easiest way is to crack the shell off the counter in the middle and pour the egg into your hand. Let the whites run into the bowl through your fingers while gently passing the egg between your hands. It’s much harder to break the yolk this way.
Other methods include passing the yolk back and forth between the two halves of the shell while letting the egg whites drop into the bowl or using egg separator tools.
Another tips is eggs are easier to separate when cold. When recipes, not including this one, call for eggs to be at room temperature, separate the eggs first then let them come to room temperature.
Baking Tips
- Make sure you prebake the cookie crust prior to baking the cupcake, this keeps it crispy and prevents sogginess.
- When making the frosting, ensure all of your tools and equipment are grease free, otherwise the egg whites won’t whip up
- Ensure you heat the sugar syrup to 240 degrees. This is what “cooks” the eggs and kills any bacteria.
- Don’t overmix the batter or your cupcakes will be dense, not light and fluffy. Whisk the batter until it’s just combined.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
More Fall Baking
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Bakery Style Apple Butter Muffins
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Pumpkin Flax Muffins
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
Today’s song is my favourite song to listen to the last couple of weeks and is by one of my favourite groups, Postmodern Jukebox. They’re a group of a bunch of artists that do amazing covers of popular songs, but do them in old school jazz club or blues club style. Even the outfits match and they’re absolutely incredible. This is one of my all-time favourites by them. Here’s All The Small Things (Cover) by Postmodern Jukebox. Happy baking!! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Gingersnap Pumpkin Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting
Ingredients
Cookie Crust
- 1 cup (100g) gingersnap cookies, crushed (about 13 cookies)
- 3 tbsp (42g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp (30g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
Cupcakes
- 1 cup (120g) all purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg fresh if possible
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (45g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup (60g) canola or vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (175g) pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Marshmallow Frosting
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉. Line or spray a cupcake pan, although I recommend lining so you can get them out in 1 piece.
- Add your cookies, 2 tbsp sugar and 1/8 tsp salt into a food processor and pulse until the cookies are crumbs. (*See notes) In the food processor or a small mixing bowl, stir in the melted butter.
- Divide the crumb mixture into 12 cupcake tins, about 1 tbsp per tin. Press down the crumbs so they're compacted, I find using the bottom of a shot glass is easiest.
- Bake the cookie crust for 8 minutes then set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars together until well mixed. Add in the oil, pumpkin and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently whisk until just combined. Don't overmix!
- Divide the batter into the 12 tins on top of the cookie crust. Each tin will be about 3/4 full. Bake in the oven for 17-21 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
For the Marshmallow Frosting
- While the cupcakes cool, add the 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water to a small saucepan. Give it a gentle stir so all the sugar is in the water. Heat on the stove over medium-low heat until the mixture reaches 240℉. Don't stir, just let it heat up.
- While the sugar mixture heats up, add the egg whites, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar to a clean, grease free bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. At this stage the egg whites will just barely hold their shape. Stop whisking at this point until the sugar comes to temperature.
- Once the sugar syrup reaches 240℉, carefully slowly pour it into the egg whites while whisking at low speed. Once all the syrup is in, add your vanilla extract and whisk the meringue at medium-high speed until it becomes fluffy and glossy, about 2-3 minutes. It should about double in size.
- Once the marshmallow frosting has cooled enough, transfer it to a piping bag and set aside. Once the cupcakes and frosting are fully cooled, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes however you like and if desired, toast the frosting with a blowtorch. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days and enjoy!
