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Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes With Butter Pecan Frosting

Chocolate bourbon pecan pie cupcakes with rich cocoa batter and a gooey pecan pie center. Topped with a browned-butter pecan frosting that pipes cleanly and tastes like a classic pie in cupcake form.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 57 minutes
Servings: 18 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For chocolate bourbon cupcakes
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.75 cup cocoa powder
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1.5 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tbsp bourbon
  • 1 cup buttermilk
For pecan pie filling
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 0.5 cup corn syrup cook 5 min
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp bourbon
For butter pecan frosting
  • 1 cup butter, browned
  • 3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Bake the chocolate bourbon cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line cupcake tins with liners.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
  3. Beat softened butter and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs and bourbon.
  4. Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk, mixing just until the batter looks smooth; scrape the bowl as needed.
  5. Divide batter into liners, filling each about 2/3 full.
  6. Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs.
  7. Cool cupcakes completely before filling and frosting.
Make and fill with pecan pie filling
  1. In a Dutch oven, stir pecans, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and bourbon, then cook for 5 min until thickened.
  2. Let the pecan pie filling cool, then core each cupcake and fill the center with the cooled filling.
Make and pipe butter pecan frosting
  1. Brown the butter, then beat it with powdered sugar until combined.
  2. Add heavy cream and beat until fluffy and pipeable.
  3. Fold in finely chopped toasted pecans.
  4. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake and top with a whole pecan.

Notes

For the cleanest filling, core cupcakes after they’re fully cooled, and make sure the pecan pie filling is completely set before piping into the center. Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; freeze unfrosted cupcakes up to 2 months. For a lighter option, replace heavy cream with half-and-half for a slightly softer frosting texture.