Pecan Pie Cupcake Recipe

This Pecan Pie Cupcake recipe combines the flavors of a classic pecan pie with cupcakes.

Delicious made from scratch cupcakes topped with brown sugar buttercream frosting and candied pecans. Yum!

It’s the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

They are sure to hit the spot after your Thanksgiving dinner. If you need something to do while waiting until it’s time for dessert, grab our printable Thanksgiving Gratitude Game.

Want more cupcakes? Check out these easy Turkey Cupcakes with a yummy chocolate buttercream frosting.

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Pecan Pie Cupcakes

I absolutely love pecan pie, especially the little pecan pie tarts. They are legit a weakness and never last long in my house.

However, I find it much easier to whip up a batch of homemade cupcakes than it is to make my own pie crust.

So I love how this pecan pie cupcake recipe brings these two sweet treats together into one. Plus, serving cupcakes to a crowd is super easy.

If you are transporting them to a party, I highly recommend using a cupcake carrier to help keep them from getting smashed.

Pecan Pie Cupcake Ingredients

This recipe makes one dozen pecan pie cupcakes.

For the cupcakes:

• ¾ cup all purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ stick butter, softened
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tbsp milk

For the candied pecans:

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• Pinch salt
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 cup pecan halves

For the buttercream:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk

Helpful Baking Tools:

• Cupcake Pan
• Electric hand mixer or a stand mixer
• Piping bag and decorating tips
• Wire cooling rack

How to Make Pecan Pie Cupcakes

First we’ll make the cupcakes. Start by lining a muffin tin with paper liners and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, sift together all dry ingredients: all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, then set it aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and egg. Then add butter and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla and mix until well incorporated.

Next, add half of the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix. Add milk into the batter and mix.

Now add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

Pour batter into each muffin tin section, filling it up about 2/3 of the way (so about ¼ cup of batter in each section).

Bake your cupcakes for approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Let them cool on a wire rack before decorating.

How to Make Candied Pecans

While they are cooling, it’s time to prepare the candied pecans and then the brown sugar buttercream frosting. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set it aside.

Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and water ingredients in a small non-stick pan. Start cooking it over medium-high heat and stir.

Once the ingredients start to bubble, add the pecans. Mix until the pecans are well coated. Remove from heat and pour the pecan mixture evenly onto the lined baking sheet and allow to cool.

Now it’s time for the frosting!

How to Make Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting

Add all buttercream frosting ingredients into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer. Start on low speed and gradually increase to high.

The buttercream is complete once all ingredients are well combined, smooth and form semi-stiff peaks when lifting the beaters.

Put it all together now. Scoop the buttercream into a piping bag with the Wilton #12 round decorating tip attached and frost each cupcake. Top off with candied pecans.

If you don’t have a piping bag and decorating tip handy, in a pinch you can put the frosting into a zip top baggie and snip a little bit off the bottom corner to pipe it onto the cupcakes.

Serve and enjoy!

Tips for Making Buttercream Frosting

• I find setting the butter out on the counter to soften prior to baking helps. You don’t want the butter too melted, which can happen if you use the microwave. 
• You may also want to wait to add a little milk at a time after creaming the rest of the ingredients together. Too much liquid can make the buttercream runny.
• If it’s runny after mixing, let it chill in the refrigerator before frosting the cupcakes.