Caramel Pretzel Cupcakes

Caramel, pretzels and cupcakes.....three yummy things that just ought to go together don't you think?

Caramel Pretzel Cupcakes

I had this idea because of a desert I saw at a restaurant my husband took me to.   The desert special was Vanilla Crunch Cake.  Sounded good and I thought maybe the crunch would be pretzels, but no.  It was Rice Kripsies.  I didn't want it.  I wanted pretzels.  So, I stopped by the store on my way home and picked up some pretzels and a few other things and made my own dessert. 

I was going to make a cake, but since it's just Sam and I at home these days, we don't need a whole cake sitting around tempting us.  Cupcakes are easy because I can throw half of them in the freezer for later.

Here's what you need to make these yummy little cups of deliciousness!

1 Cake Mix (I used Jiffy because it makes only 12)
1 Egg & 1/2 C Water (called for in the cake mix, yours may be different)
Pretzels
Rolos
Caramel Frosting (I used store-bought because I wanted these NOW!)

Here's what you do:

Mix your batter according to the box directions and put into paper-lined cupcake tins.

Drop a Rolo in the middle of each one and bake according to directions.

While those are cooking, crush up your pretzels.  I just put mine in a Ziploc and hit them with a meat mallet.  If using a rolling pin sounds kinder to you, use that method.

When your cupcakes are cool, frost them with the caramel frosting and just dip the tops of them in the bowl of crushed pretzels. 

I promise you these are as yummy as they look!

A couple of notes:

The Rolos want to sink to the bottom...so don't push them down.

The pretzels will get soggy if you put the in a sealed container overnight.  I would frost what you're going to eat that day and then just frost and dip again when you want more.  (It only takes a minute anyway!!)

Enjoy and Share!!!!