Caramel Chocolate Covered Potato Chip Cupcakes

For the past several Christmases, my Grandmother has sent boxes of Esther Price chocolate-covered potato chips to my mom and me. To say they are addictive is like saying it's been a little warm here in DC the past couple weeks (Newsflash: it's been hot as HELL!).

So when I caught wind of something called a "Hot Potato Chip Cupcake", my first thoughts were "gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimmeeeeeeeeeeee!!"

I've never made a caramel cupcake or caramel buttercream before. In perusing several recipes, most call for making your own caramel which is time consuming, easily messed up, and entirely superfluous if you ask me. 

While I'm a big believer in always making things from scratch, I decided to give myself a break and bought a jar of (good quality) caramel and whipped it into my classic buttercream.

I did, however, make the chocolate-dipped potato chips, which promptly started to melt under the blazing sun.

 And I did that whole chocolate ganache topping thing too, because it's just so damn delicious!

Caramel Chocolate Covered Potato Chip Cupcakes
Makes about 18 cupcakes


For the cupcakes

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4-6 cups powdered sugar
• 4 Tbsp good quality  caramel sauce
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the chocolate covered potato chips

• 1 bag potato chips of your choice
• 1 bag milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with liners.

2. In a stand mixer, whip butter and sugars until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a small bowl, comine milk and vanilla extract.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, to butter. Then add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add 1/2 of the milk mixture, mix until just incorporated. And so on, ending with the flour mixture.

6. Using an ice cream scoop, fill liners 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. While cupcakes cool, make buttercream. 

1. To make buttercream, whip butter and one cup of powdered sugar in a stand mixer.

2. Continue to add powdered sugar until desired consistency and sweetness is reached. About 4-6 cups.

3. Add caramel, vanilla, and milk. Top cupcakes with a layer of melted milk chocolate chips and then frost with buttercream. 

4. Garnish with a chocolate covered potato chips (to make, melt chocolate chips and dip half of the potato chip in. Allow to set on parchment paper in the freezer for a few minutes).