I’m been enduring quite a bit of harassment at work. No, not that kind of harassment, but harassment nonetheless. Ya see, I haven’t been baking a lot lately. I was sick, then lazy, then sick again and the coworkers weren’t getting their weekly sugar high, so my boss and the building resource officer set out to basically annoy me into baking.
I have not been greeted with a “Good Morning,” nope, it’s more like “Where are the cupcakes?” Which typically I’d brush off, but since Justin is moving to giant piece of self-sufficient land in the middle of nowhere very soon, I thought I’d give the guy a proper send off.
Both my boss and Justin are candyholics, yep, they’re the guys noshing on chocolate at 7:30am and have no qualms about consuming cupcakes with their morning coffee. Due to their love affair with chocolate, candy bars, and cupcakes, I set out to create something that encompassed all of these things.
These Heath Bar Cupcakes have that delicious, buttery toffee flavor baked right into the cake. They’re then topped with my favorite buttercream frosting and a drizzle of rich, dark chocolate ganache. As if that wasn’t enough, I nestled a piece of Heath Bar directly on top of each cupcake for a finishing touch.
These Heath Bar Cupcakes went over famously and were just what the coworkers were harassing me for. I don’t know what they’re going to do all summer without their cupcake fix because tomorrow is my last day or work. Woo-Hoo! I’m so excited to blog full time for the summer and can’t wait to share delicious recipes and giveaways with you all summer long!
Heath Bar Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
1 cup Heath English Toffee BitsFor the Buttercream
4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream or milkFor the Ganache
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla5 1.4-ounce Heath Bars, chopped into large pieces
Directions:
For the Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla and espresso water mixture. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined. Fold in Heath English Toffee Bits.
3. Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.
For the Buttercream
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.
2. Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
For the Ganache
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling.
2. Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in the honey, corn syrup, and vanilla. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting.
3. Spoon the glaze on the tops of the frosted cupcakes, allowing it to drip down the sides a little bit. Don’t add too much glaze or it will drip all over your liners.
4. Top each cupcake with a piece of Heath Bar.
5. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Remove them to room temperature one hour before serving.
Notes:
- If you are not a fan of doctored cake mixes, no worries. Simply sub in your favorite from scratch recipe.
- Recipe for the ganache is from the fabulous Kristan, of Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.
- Brown cupcake liners are from Bake It Pretty.
- Frosting was piped using the large round tip from Bake It Pretty.
- For piping tips, check out my How To Video.
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{ 93 comments… read them below or add one }
Heath Bars are one of my favorite candies…this recipe looks incredible!!!
These look like the chocolate high I’ve been craving!
Congratualtions on your blogging success! And these cupcakes! Yum, they look like winners! How long does it usually take you to develop a recipe? And where are those jars/glasses from, they are too cute. Thanks for all the great stuff on your site. I look forward to reading it everyday.
This most certainly is the perfect cupcake!
Yum! These really do seem perfect! You can’t go wrong with toffee or chocolate!
Blogging full time? That’s awesome and I’m super jealous!
These cupcakes look absolutely amazing. Heath bars are one of my favorite candy bars!
Maggie–
Yep, just for the summer! One of the perks of being a teacher. Have a great week.
-Jamie
Congratulations of your last day of work to blog full time! What a dream job come true. And congrats on the decadent cupcakes too.
When a few of my co-workers see me post something I made on my FB page the first question is usually “are you bringing those to work tomorrow?” Guess that’s better than them not asking. Means they likey!
Sherri–
Thanks! I teach school, so it’s only for the summer, but a dream nonetheless! Have a great night.
-Jamie
Love it!! Making it for a dessert contest thanks or the yummy recipe!
Wow, these do look amazing- they should make your co-workers forgive you instantly!
These look (and sound) amazing!! Heath Bars are my favorite!!
And I get nagged for sweets too. By my friends. What do they think I am, a cookie machine??
I need to make these soon. Heath bars rock.
This post made me chuckle. I’m the office baker as well. It just so happened back in September that I brought in something three Tuesdays in a row, so my co-workers began expecting something on Tuesdays. I had surgery on my wrist in April, so I was out of commission for a couple of weeks. One co-worker said, “Your fingers are exposed from the cast…I don’t see why you couldn’t hold a mixer.” Now that the school year has ended (I’m a professor), my co-workers are reminding me that technically our contracts don’t end until June 15th and I owe them more cake between now and then!
Where did you get that cute little glass that holds the milk in the background of one of the pictures?
I wish I had an office to bake for. But it is only the hubby and 2 children under the age of 4 and the occasional church social. Really puts a damper on things when a recipe like Martha Stewart’s Meyer Lemon cupcakes yields over 36 cupcakes.
These look DE-licious. I think they’d make my coworkers pretty happy, too! (I sympathize–I’ve become the go-to girl for sweet treats in our office.)
Mmmm love the look of these! So pretty.
Excited that you are finished work and get to blog full time for the summer too. Feel badly for your co-workers having to miss out on all the treats though
Oh man. That’s pretty much all I can say, is “Oh Man.”
I like how the doctored up cake mixes turn out sometimes. You can pretty much change them up to get rid of that icky box flavor.
This recipe sound incredible. It is on my “MUST TRY” list! Thank you for sharing.
This recipe sounds incredible. It is on my “MUST TRY” list! Thank you for sharing.
These make me want to be one of those eat candy at 7:30AM people. Yum.
I’m the baker at my work too! On top of that, I’m the firefighter wife who sends sweets to the station. So I get abuse from both ends when I have a lapse in baking! It’s MISERABLE to bake in AZ in the summer, so that’s when I expect the most abuse.
You had me at Heath Bar. I can say with some certainty that a Heath Bar caused my first cavity when I was in the 1st grade and while I try to avoid a repeat of that, they remain today a treat I just love. So…a cupcake? Sure.Sounds divine to me.
Wow!!!!! I wish I could sink my teeth into one of those right this very second!! I’ll be making these for sure. I love your pictures too. Gorgeous!
I wonder if it would still be a cupcake if there was ice cream instead of buttercream frosting topping the cupcakes…
Oh wow! Those look gorgeous. The summer seems super interesting for you
Oh, yes! Making these for my husband and son’s birthday tonight. Yum!! Thank goodness I have an excuse to whip these up.
I know what you mean about getting the “where are the (fill in the blank) ‘s today?” I’m a food blogger as well, so I’m constantly bringing stuff in to work, and when there’s a noticeable lull in the baked goods area, I get the questions too. Though, I have to say, even though I’m usually always baking, the badgering from my coworkers keeps me thinking about what to bring in next and keep making new things (plus, they realize just how much they miss what I bake!)
Come to mamma…LOVE toffee!!!
Heath bars are my favorite! I haven’t had very many pregnancy cravings, but Josh has made me a few Heath bar shakes:) We will have to try cupcakes next time!
That ganache looks heavenly! I love doctored cake mixes!
Mmmm I adore Heath Bars. These sound like the perfect thing
Oh man, I’ve been craving Heath bars for DAYS, lamenting in my FB statuses that I couldn’t get to one. I even made a special trip to the Shoppette today just for a Heath bar, only to find they don’t carry them there! *cries*
As soon as I can get into town and get some Heath bars, I’m making these! Thanks for the wonderful inspiration!
You’ve got some lucky co-workers! Happy end of the school year, enjoy your summer baking.
Heath bars are the greatest, and these cupcakes look incredible! Can’t wait to try them! I’m sure your coworkers will miss you!
Oh man, my coworkers do that all the time! Like right now, when it’s been a couple weeks, and they clearly don’t get fed at home.
I have not had a Heath bar in years… This makes me want to run to the store and buy one right away! I have to add them to the grocery list this week so I can give these a try!
Holy moly, those look completely amazing! I love the chocolate drizzle, want one so bad right now…
I want to eat my monitor right now. Heath is my favorite candy bar. I couldn’t imagine a more fantastic combo. I’ma get my cupcake on!
I love heath bars! I love cupcakes! Perfect!
We don’t get Heath bars in Australia so I read this whole post thinking you were saying HEALTH bars. D’uh. I was staring, going, seriously you have health bars that look like that?! I’m moving!!
Gorgroues!!! When I posted a recipe recently with Heath in it I must have got 10 responses from people who didnt know what Heath was. I felt such pain for them… (as you describe it) that sweet buttery toffee flavor just makes life better!!
These cupcakes were sooo good! I love your blog. Recently my cupcakes have started unwrapping themselves after about 1 day. At first I thought I may have been underbaking them, so I bought some toothpicks to make sure they were done. It didn’t help. I take them directly out of the cupcake tin, so I know they aren’t sweating. Then I thought maybe it was because I wasn’t filling the liners full enough. So I bought a 3 tbsp cookie scoop to use. Still no luck. I even buy my liners from Bake It Pretty. I’m out of ideas. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Kendra–
Thanks so much for your kind words! That is really weird. Are you covering them in a container for storage purposes before they are completely cooled?
-Jamie
It is really weird! And I had never had this happen before. Same pans, same liners. I let them cool completely before icing them and covering them. I even thought maybe they were getting too warm in the container and kept them in the fridge and it didn’t help. Maybe I’ll buy some new cupcake tins and see if that makes a difference. Thanks for the help.
–Kendra
*Gasp* I LOVE heath bars! What a great idea to turn them into cupcakes. Love it!
What pretty and tempting cupcakes! I cannot stop drooling over your pictures…
Cheers,
Rosa
Im finally in NYC and finally tasted a Heath Bar, I get why it’s addictive. It’s bloody awesome! Im sure your co-workers would continue to harass you even after eating these though, because it’s probably so yum that they’re gonna need more.
These look amazing! Heath bars definitely make any chocolate dessert better.
I love your photographs!!
I tried these cupcakes and they were delicious
However, I had trouble with the center sinking once they cooled. Have you ever run into this problem with this cake recipe? Or did I just not bake them long enough?
Very nice!! Pure love!!!
awesome photo and recipe
Is this real life? Oh man.
Oh my…These look delish!
I made these for Fathers day. All the dads LOVED them. They also gave them to some of there friends, They said it was the best cupcakes they ever had. Thanks so much! Making them again for sure!
After seeing this posted, I figured that this was a recipe that was worth trying. Among my friends, colleagues, and neighbors I’m known for my baking and cooking, but most prominently my baking (in particular, cupcakes). Usually my recipes are a bit non-traditional- I don’t use chocolate much at all and vanilla, aside from being added into something more complex, is not a flavor I typically use.
My neighbor commissioned me to make these for her boss, who is having her birthday party at work today. With all the doctoring I was a little nervous that this would not turn out well. That, and my oven, which is really cute and old, but cooks about as even as a guy with only one leg on a stilt, tends to burn half of all batches no matter what.
First off, I have to say, the cupcakes are super squishy/spongey and moist. One of the best cakes I’ve ever had. However, that wasn’t all. The buttercream, which I almost NEVER try when I make it, was off-the-charts good. These cupcakes turned out to be, if not the best, one of the top two best cupcakes that I’ve ever made. Thank you sooooo much for the recipe! I will definitely continue to follow your blog regularly!
Nicole–
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a detailed review of the recipe. I am thrilled that you enjoyed it so much. Happy Baking!
–Jamie
Oh my heavens these are fantasticly sinful! I can’t wait to try one!
ok..let me just say this about this cupcakes…THEY WERE THE BEST CUPCAKES I’VE EVER MADE!!! They were super moist and surprisingly were not overly sweet. Now don’t get me wrong they are sweet but not as sweet as you would think they would be. The ganache balances out nicely with the sweet cake and frosting. My mom nearly died when she took her first bite. I know have to make these for my boyfriend’s co-workers and i know that they will just love them!! Thanks for the recipe!!!!
Your site is my new fav! You are definitely speaking my language here! I made this recipe for my girls night and used the batter for three different desserts (mini cupcakes, cake pops, and individual trifles). Each one was amazing. I didn’t have instant espresso so I subbed an equal amount of really strong coffee. YUM! All my girls were asking about the recipe and I was thrilled to share your site with them. Thanks!
Okay, these are to die for. I am in love with everything chocolate, so this totally makes me want to go and start baking right now. The problem I have is that although my baking tastes pretty good, I can never seem to get it to look like the ones I see on baking blogs. I think patience is the key…I will need to try these out, and will come back here and let you know how it turned out!
I’ve made these before and they were DIVINE! However, a friend of mine allergic to dairy has asked me to make cupcakes and I’d like to use this recipe.. Is there any way to make it dairy-free?
Hey, Liv!
I honestly have no idea how to make these dairy-free – sorry I can’t be of more help! Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
Mmm, can’t I just say one thin, this looks exactly like a sundae cake. It’s one of the things that I’ve definitely been waiting for and I’m glad my wait is over. I’ve had the best experience trying this recipe and now my family loves it more than ever. Thanks
Love these! Heath are an all-time favorite of mine…and the nagging is RELENTLESS sometimes for sweets ~ love my friends, but jeez!
Finally someone is bringing heath bar back! Such a great combo and too often forgotten about! Thank you- I’m going to try these this weekend
Seriously… these look yummy! my little guys name is heath so I will HAVE to make these for him… Thanks for posting this yummness…
wowzers!! they look amazing! and rich! and wonderful! I need to make these!
Oh~ my, my, my these look delicious and I bet they are, I love Heath bars they are my favorite. I just ate some cookies, hot out of the oven but I would grab one or two these too!
I love your blog and photography-it makes my mouth water.
Shelley
These look delicious! I love Heath Bars and this is the best cupcake adaptation I’ve seen!
These cupcakes look amazing! Do you think these will still turn out well if I omit the instant espresso? I love having that extra flavor in there but my little brother always complains that my chocolate cakes taste like coffee. Is there a strong coffee flavor in these?
Kristina-
You can simply omit the espresso powder. Happy Holidays!
-Jamie
Yum these look delicious! Also, visit me over at The Savvy Kitchen (www.savvykitchen.blogspot.com) to enter my giveaway!
I am so excited I came across this website & can’t wait to give these recipes a try! This looks delicious!
http://www.facebook.com/opacafe
great! I love it!
Oh my! These are everything I love in a cupcake…Great Job!!!
These look absoultely fantastic! Heath is my favorite McFlurry topping… now it just might be my favorite cupcake too!
miam-miam-miam! beautiful cupcakes!
I have used a similar doctored cake mix before but the centers caved in – any tips to avoid that?
Sieson-
This happens to me sometimes as well – I typically don’t worry about it too much and just cover up the small divot with frosting. Hope this helps.
-Jamie
heath bars all alone are great, so these must be amazing
I have to agree with Justin… I’m a big heath bar fan, so I have no doubt that these rock.
Hi there… planning to bake these for the annual office cupcake bake-off … I’m feeling pretty confident with this recipe. However, I do have one question. The batter calls for a 18.25 ounce cake mix. The largest one I could find at the local Safeway was a Duncan Hines mix that was 16.5 oz. Do you think the recipe will still work or do I need to alter the other proportions down? Thanks!
Spencer-
I think you’ll be just fine! I hope they turn out great for you.
-Jamie
Hi Jamie~
I just tried to find the large pastry tip from Bake It Pretty but could not find it. Could you send me the link? Thank you so much!
Rhonda-
Hi! I think Bake it Pretty stopped selling the tips individually when the company was purchased. I recently bought an entire new set of the giant tips from this Etsy seller – they are the same as the ones from Bake It Pretty. Hope this helps.
-Jamie
As Dame Edna would say…scrummy!
These look delicious, not sure if they’re that healthy though!!
these were amazing!! made them last week and was told by one person they were the best cupcakes he’s ever had!! and I’ve found my new favorite buttercream recipe! thanks!
Erin-
I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie
I love cupcakes! And chocolate, so these chocolate cupcakes would be so good and the icing on top looks so fantastic. The health bar will add a hard and crunchy and chewy aspect to the flavorful mix in this dessert. This seems like it would be a great snack to have after dinner with a glass of milk. This is great because you can make them for any occasion, or even just if you are having some friends over for a night!