These Cinnamon Pretzel Cupcakes are light and fluffy with a delicious cinnamon flavor and Hal’s New York Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels sprinkled on top of the cupcakes and the frosting for an added salty crunch.
A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED
Room Temperature Ingredients:
Butter: It’s important that the butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
Cream Cheese: The cream cheese needs to be softened as well. I recommend pulling this out to sit at room temperature at the very beginning.
Eggs: You also want to make sure that the eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated into your batter. If you forget to leave them out before you start baking, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.
Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.
These Cinnamon Pretzel Cupcakes are light and fluffy with a delicious cinnamon flavor and Hal’s Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels sprinkled on top of the cupcakes and the frosting for an added salty crunch.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until well combined.
Add the two eggs and one egg yolk, one at a time with the mixer on medium speed and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the sour cream and mix until combined.
With the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture. Mix just until it is incorporated.
Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners and carefully divide the batter evenly among them, filling each only about two thirds of the way.
In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
Carefully spoon the tops of each cupcake with cinnamon sugar and crushed Hal’s Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels.
Bake for 19-21 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before gently pulling the cupcakes out of the pan to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.
With the mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar by the spoonful followed by the cream.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix just until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.
Assembly
Once the cupcakes have cooled, scoop the cream cheese frosting into a pastry bag fitted with an Ateco 869 or similar piping tip.
Starting in the middle of the cupcake, begin to pipe the frosting in a clockwise motion, moving to the outer rim of the cupcake until you have covered the entire top in a beautiful swirl design. Repeat this with the remaining cupcakes.
Top each cupcake with the remaining crushed Hal’s Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels. Enjoy!
Notes
These cupcakes can be placed in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to four days. However, they’re best enjoyed fresh or slightly warmed.
I recommend making these cupcakes immediately before you plan to serve them and adding the crushed pretzels on top of the frosting right before to keep the pretzels extra crunchy.
If you need to make these cupcakes in advance, omit adding the pretzels on top of the batter before baking, but still add the cinnamon sugar. Make the frosting the day of and wait to add the crushed pretzels on top until you are ready to serve them.
