Let’s take a little trip down memory lane, shall we? Back in the early days of the blog, I blogged about pumpkin spice cookies a lot. I shared a popular internet recipe for pumpkin spice cookies (does anyone know where it actually originated?) when I was about one month into blogging and have made countless batches of the cookies since. They are Ryan’s all-time favorite cookie (he’s clearly easy to please), so when fall rolls around, we make them nearly every single weekend. I wish I was lying.
Recently, Ryan attended a teambuilding cookout with several of his coworkers on a Friday afternoon. He arrived home and immediately told me that someone at the cookout made his favorite pumpkin spice cookies into cupcakes. I was surprised, but more surprised that we’d never thought to make the cookies into cupcakes in the 6+ years we’ve been making them! Ryan swore the density and taste was exactly the same, so I figured why not take the exact cookie recipe and put the dough into cupcake liners and give it ago?
As it turns out the two-ingredient pumpkin spice cookie recipe also works well as muffins (just leave off the icing in the recipe below) and cupcakes! And I’d venture to guess you could make a pumpkin spice loaf out of the recipe as well if you cook everything a bit longer. So versatile and so darn easy!
I topped our cupcakes with a simple homemade sweet cinnamon buttercream icing because everything is better with buttercream.
Please don’t skip this step because the cinnamon buttercream icing totally took the cupcakes up a notch. Ryan may or may not have caught me squeezing icing out of the decorating bag right into my mouth. I am not even kind of ashamed because I swear you’ll do the same thing, too, if you whip up a batch in your kitchen. (And please don’t laugh too hard at my sorry attempt at decorating these cupcakes with “pretty” icing. Pinterest, please teach me your ways.)
Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cupcakes
Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cupcakes (with Cinnamon Buttercream)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
Description
These pumpkin spice cake mix cupcakes are made with only two ingredients and come together in no time at all. Top them with sweet cinnamon buttercream icing for the perfect autumn treat!
Ingredients
- 1 box spice cake mix
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
- Stir spice cake mix and pumpkin together until a thick batter emerges and the spice cake mix is completely mixed into the pumpkin.
- Spoon batter into muffin tins and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool and top with cinnamon buttercream icing (recipe below).
Cinnamon Buttercream Icing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
Directions
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar, a little bit at a time.
- Add milk and vanilla extract and continue to mix. Add cinnamon and mix until fully incorporated into the icing.
- Enjoy!
(Note: You may want to double the buttercream recipe if you like a larger icing-to-cupcake ratio like me!)
Oh and don’t feel bad if you can’t stop eating these cupcakes. I made them at our house on Sunday afternoon and they’re already gone. Can’t stop, won’t stop!
And here’s a quick recipe video so you guys can see for yourself just how easy this recipe is to make for your next festive fall party!
More Pumpkin Recipes
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Now is the moment I get really sad we don’t have boxed cake mixes in Europe :'( I want to find a recipe to make these from scratch, because they just look far too good to pass up!
I can’t wait to try these!!
I love those pumpkin spice cookies! I just made a batch with gluten free pumpkin bread mix and they turned out fantastic! Going to have to make some cupcakes now 🙂
Oh my, I’m not even that big a fan of pumpkin but those look so tasty!
Omg YUM! I love super easy recipes like these, thanks so much Julie! 🙂 I hope baby Chase is doing well!!
I feel like I’m going to gain 5 pounds in cupcake weight from reading this post…. Thanks Julie!!!! 🙂
Oh goodness. These look awesome! Gotta love anything that easy!
I’ve had that cake recipe! A few years ago I had a really good pumpkin cake at a coffee shop, so I asked my mom to make it for me for my birthday (I’m an October baby). And this is what she made. It’s marvelous, but I’ve never done cinnamon icing.
Oh yum! I can’t wait to try these. And the puppy chow! I have a feeling that stuff is pretty addicting too 😉 ha!
A secret to making a fluffier butter cream is replacing the milk with whipping cream! I throw all the ingredients into my kitchen aide and let it whip up, its the best. I use it all the time in my frosting!
So, what I’ve found to make buttercream icing “pinterest perfect” is, like someone mentioned above, using heavy whipping cream (or even half n half!), and if it’s really soft when you finish whipping it together, put it in the bag you’re going to use, then in the fridge for a bit to stiffen a little. That and waiting until the cupcakes are totally cool was necessary for me!
Love these tips! Thank you for sharing!
Cannot to wait to make this recipe! (As I’m grabbing my keys to run over to the store and pick up my missing ingredients!)
This weekend a friend made these into whoopie pies and filled them with a cream cheese frosting. SAME recipe! The possibilities are endless!
Hey Julie! We made the cookies after seeing them in your post and had an “oh duh!” Moment when we thought about how the texture really is more muffin like than cookie! I giggled when I saw this post, looks like you guys thought the same! Also, as a new momma I love me some mommie graphic t’s, where did you get the one from yesterday’s post & what does it say? Thanks!
How pumpkin-ey are these? I LOVE pumpkin flavored foods but not a huge fan of actual/canned pumpkin.
These cupcakes are my favoritest ever thing to make. I love how easy they are, and I love how GOOD they are. I don’t usually do icing, but prefer to pop mine in microwave for a few seconds with a little smidge of butter…ugh (picture me making a Homer Simpson drool face here). They do translate well to a Bundt cake pan too – I have done that for a get-together and pre-sliced them. Delish.
These look so delicious – and SO easy! That buttercream sounds to-die-for. Sooo on my to-make list 🙂
Adding pumpkin to cake mix is a trick I learned in WW, but I still use it all the time, and with almost any kind of cake mix. Using it with chocolate cake mix is awesome. 🙂
What size can of pumpkin did you use Julie? They look delicious- trying them this week
15 ounce! I’ll update the recipe to include this!
Thanks
Wow! These looks amazing. How have I never seen this idea before! So delicious. On my grocery list now!
So delicious – I love how easy this recipe is!!
These look fantastic – and so easy! I can’t wait to try them out in my kitchen ASAP. 🙂
You can make brownies like this, too!1 box of brownie mix + 1 can pumpkin= fudgey pumpkin amazingness! It’s my go-to for Fall parties.
Yummy!!! I’ve actually made these before but never thought to make them as cookies!! I will definitely be trying that!!
Last weekend, I made a loaf cake with chocolate cake mix and a can of pumpkin. It was interesting, haha. The texture was a little strange and I couldn’t taste the pumpkin, but they were good, lol 🙂
– Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog,com
I saw this recipe on Pinterest and totally wanted to make it! I just got Spice cake mix and want to see how it goes. Such an easy recipe and sounds delicious!
Wow…this looks like it’s almost too easy! Can’t wait to try this recipe out!
This cinnamon buttercream is calling to me! Love how simple and yummy these sound!
Wow, they look amazing!!! I love making cupcakes, but can never find the time. I’ll try this recipe out though.
I am so with you on going heavy on the icing! A friend once made cupcakes and said they were “so good that you don’t need icing.” Like what? That’s not a thing.
If you love those, you should try a cinnamon cream cheese frosting for them. I make them every year. Think carrot cake meets pumpkin cake. Its delicious. Below is the ingredients. 🙂 And I originally came across it on Pinterest.
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/153615037267640006/
I have to try these soon. They look insanely delicious. Thanks for sharing!
You can do the same thing with a can of diet soda! (although pumpkin is way better!) In the summer I will mix one box of cake mix with a can of light 7 up and it creates the most moist fluffy cake or cupcakes!
Thanks for sharing.
Katie @ Katie Wanders
Yummmmm give me ALL the pumpkin!
I make pumpkin mookies like this and they are the best!!
Yummy! These look so delicious!
you can’t make these any easier, or delicious! I need to make these 🙂
Yum, those look so good!
You can make it in a 9 x 13 pan too, if you’re feeding a crowd 🙂
Also, you’re missing a KEY third ingredient… Hershey’s cinnamon chips!!
(http://www.hersheysstore.com/product/hersheys-cinnamon-baking-chips)
They are a MUST! Just stir in a bag of cinnamon chips when you mix up the other two ingredients and you will be in heaven 🙂
I made a batch of your Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow for a shore trip this weekend and it was devoured! Can’t wait to try these!
Yum, these look good for pumpkin season:)
ahhhh i have to make these for some sort of fall gathering/party etc. so good.
YUM, Thanks for sharing I think I found my next snack for my women’s group next week!
Allison over at Allison’s Eye
http://allisons-eye.com/
I can’t wait to try these! #teampumpkin
Funny! I’ve only ever made these as cupcakes! Never thought to make them as cookies!
I have made these cookies for years after finding them on your blog! Probably one of my favorite things to make! I always top the cookies with a cream cheese frosting a la Martha Stewart and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice as you have. I can’t believe I, too, haven’t thought to make anything other than cookies! A loaf would be fantastic and nice to serve at a brunch. Oh man I am getting excited! Oh one more thing, I have added chocolate chips (chocolate, white chocolate, or a mix of both) in the batter before instead of topping with cream cheese frosting. Seriously so good, and I like the different take on it! Thanks for sharing this idea of cupcakes 🙂
Oh my gosh. These sound incredible. Pumpkin spice and buttercream… delicious!
I did this, but threw in chocolate chips and called them “muffins”. Delicious!
My mouth is watering and I have two new items on my grocery list!
These cupcakes sound amazing!!! Can’t wait to try them out 🙂
I made these for a 30th birthday party for my brother in law last week! They were a HUGE hit! I used the canned cream cheese frosting and made up my own mixture of sugar and cinnamon and sprinkled on top of each! They were so moist, and easy!