Festive Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Cupcakes

These Bourbon Pecan Chocolate cupcakes are something! Cupcakes have come a long way in the past 10 years. Combinations of flavors that I would never have thought of have popped up that are so delicious. Now you can make these tasty cupcakes in the comfort of your own home. No more going out to buy them at a fancy bakery. I hope that you enjoy this delicious treat.

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Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Amazon & Walmart affiliate links are most often used.

When Was Bourbon Created?

The inventor of bourbon is generally said to be Elijah Craig. With the innovation of aging corn whiskey and aging it in a charred oak barrel in 1789. The quirky part of this story is ironic because Elijah was a Baptist minister during the day.

As far as putting bourbon in cupcakes or other desserts? Why not? It is a great addition to these recipes.

Where Does Bourbon Originate?

There are actually no laws making it a mandate that bourbon has to be produced in Kentucky. It might seem that way since the state’s dominance in distilling the distinctive corn-based, barrel-aged whiskey. The Kentucky Distiller’s Association says the Bluegrass State produces and ages approximately 95 percent of the world’s bourbon whiskey.

You might ask if there is something in the water in Kentucky that makes the industry of bourbon so magnificent? Oddly there is. Kentucky sits atop huge amounts of deposits of blue limestone. The blue limestone filters out hard iron and gives sweet-tasting calcium and magnesium. A historian (from Kentucky) named Fred Minnicksays you can go to any open stream in Kentucky and drink the freshwater. This is due to the fact that the limestone filters out unwanted minerals. Kentucky has been touted to have water that tastes 90 percent better than any other in the country.

Also Kentucky’s huge temperature swings from hot summers to chilly winters. It is helpful to producing bourbon because they are charred oak barrels. This is what gives the spirit its amber color and distinctive taste.

The master distiller is Jimmy Russell who is also a member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of fame. He grew up less than five miles from the same distillery where he has been working since 1954. The hot summers and cold winters are perfect as then the wood can breathe and the whiskey is able to move in and out of it.

What Ingredients Will I Need to Make these Cupcakes?

For the chocolate cupcakes, you will need, one box of Triple Chocolate cake mix, three large eggs, water, and canola oil (or an oil of your choice). You will also need a cupcake pan and cupcake liners. Also, don’t worry. There really isn’t any bourbon in these, unless of course, you want to put a little dash in yourself.

To make your Pecan Pie topping these are the ingredients you will need, sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, light corn syrup, unsalted sweet cream butter which has been melted. Two more large eggs for this part of the recipe, kosher salt, chopped pecans, and pure vanilla extract.

The cinnamon frosting will need these ingredients. Unsalted sweet cream butter which has been softened, powdered sugar, vanilla, and ground cinnamon. Also, you want to make sure you have heavy whipping cream, the smaller container is plenty enough as you will only need 3-5 tablespoons of it. Make sure you have a large piping bag with the star tip to get the same look as I did. Lastly a bottle of Salted Caramel sauce, we enjoy the Smuckers brand, but any brand you choose is up to you.

The full printable recipe is included below with all measurements and directions.

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