Hoot! for cupcakes

 I knew better, but I managed to do it again.  Too long had I waited to pick up the adorable little owl cake pans at World Market and now they were fresh out.  The next order would not be arriving until January.  This too long delayed delivery was not going to meet my immediate, albeit silly, need for owl-cake-pan-purchase gratification. When I asked if any other stores carried the item they located the last two in the state at a store about 20 miles down the road. 

I admitted defeat, or at least about 75% defeat and made my way home.  As the night went on I could stop thinking about those two remaining pans.  I dialed up the aforementioned World Market and set them aside for pick up the next day.  Heck, even gave me an excuse to leave work early so I could avoid the nasty Northbound traffic to pick up my pans.

While paying for my coveted bake-ware I chatted with the cashier who informed me that they had just come off of being put on hold for someone who neglected to retrieve them when I called about them.  Nice score!

Since October apparently is code month for canned pumpkin aplenty, I opted to use the pans for pumpkin cupcakes.  The Barefoot Contessa's recipe, as expected, was perfect. (see below). I have yet to make anything from one of her recipes that has not been fantastic.

I used a cream cheese frosting, which I can't say is ideal for decorating, but seeing that they were not on display and would soon be in our bellies I really wasn't too concerned with the artistic appearance : )

Delicious Pumpkin Cupcakes by The Barefoot Contessa:

Makes 10 cupcakes

Ingredients for the Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush or spray the top of 10 muffin tins with vegetable oil and line them with 10 paper liners.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins (I use a level 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.  (side note, in case you decided to buy one, I only cooked mine for 16 minutes)