This recipe for Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury™. The opinions and text are all mine.

Have your cupcakes and popcorn too with these totally over the top caramel popcorn cupcakes! They’re the perfect movie night and carnival themed treat!

I talk a lot about movie night on this blog. A lot of our family dinners and treats are inspired by the flicks we watch on Friday nights cuddled up on the couch. It’s a favorite time for all of us, and I start the night out right with great food. And mid-movie? Popcorn or a treat.

But why can’t we have both? A popcorn treat. That’s the inspiration behind this cupcake. The base is a buttery golden cupcake. I’ve frosted it with the NEW Pillsbury™ Filled Pastry Bag, available at Food Lion. It helps even the most inept bakers make beautiful bakery-style cupcakes with ease!

Topped with a drizzle of caramel sauce and sprinkled with caramel popcorn, you should have seen my boys’ excitement when they saw the cake plate. Yeah, I was pretty impressed myself.

Thanks to the Pastry Bags that come in vanilla, chocolate and cream cheese frostings, I now feel like I can tackle desserts with a bit more finesse than past attempts. With the star point tip, I’ve been practicing rosettes and waves… next up, stars! Wish me luck!

Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes

You can totally use a box mix for the cupcakes, but I have a butter cake recipe that I like to use. It’s sooo easy, and I like how the buttery flavor mimics buttered popcorn.

Once the cupcakes are baked, allow them to cool completely before decorating! No one wants droopy frosting!

Ready to decorate? Let’s do it. For these cupcakes, I chose the Vanilla Pillsbury™ Filled Pastry Bag and swirled the frosting over top of each cupcake.

Now for the caramel drizzle. I found that holding the squirt bottle up fairly high above the cupcakes and drizzling them all at once, made it less gloopy. Sure, it left a little caramel on the cake plate, but I know a few kids that wouldn’t mind wiping the plate clean with their fingers! 😉

I used straight out of the bag caramel corn for these guys, but if you’d like, make your own. I dare you not to polish off the extras! 🙂

Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes

Yield: 1 dozen

Have your cupcakes and popcorn too with these totally over the top caramel popcorn cupcakes! They're the perfect movie night and carnival themed treat!

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk
½ cup salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Vanilla Pillsbury™ Filled Pastry Bag
Caramel Sauce
Caramel Popcorn

Instructions

You can totally use a box mix for the cupcakes, but I have a butter cake recipe that I like to use. It's sooo easy, and I like how the buttery flavor mimics buttered popcorn.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake pan with liners and spray with cooking spray.
In a bowl combine the flour and the following seven ingredient (through the eggs). Beat for two minutes at low speed, until combined and no longer lumpy. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
Once the cupcakes are baked, allow them to cool completely before decorating! No one wants droopy frosting!
Ready to decorate? Let's do it. For these cupcakes, I chose the Vanilla Pillsbury™ Filled Pastry Bag and swirled the frosting over top of each cupcake.
Now for the caramel drizzle. I found that holding the squirt bottle up fairly high above the cupcakes and drizzling them all at once, made it less gloopy. Sure, it left a little caramel on the cake plate, but I know a few kids that wouldn't mind wiping the plate clean with their fingers! 😉
I used straight out of the bag caramel corn for these guys, but if you'd like, make your own. I dare you not to polish off the extras! 🙂

You’re ready for movie night. These would also be super fun to serve at a carnival themed birthday party or as a potluck dessert at your next neighborhood gathering! You can find all of the ingredients, including the NEW Pillsbury™ Filled Pastry Bags, at Food Lion. Be sure save $1 on any Pillsbury Filled Pastry Bag with this Food Lion digital coupon!

Check out a few of these other movie night treats you might enjoy like Grilled Pizza and Simba’s Cheesy Lion Toasts!