Caramel Buttercream Frosting

You know that day that comes once a year?  The one that people seem to get a kick out of celebrating that your hair is more gray, your skin is more wrinkly and your age is quickly approaching ancient (or antique, whichever you prefer)?  Well, I had one of those days last week, and while I prefer people don't rub it in that I'm not as young as I used to be (and never will be again *sigh*), it was quite a lovely day.  It started with my sweet little girls (4 and 6 years old) bringing me a lovely breakfast in bed prepared all by themselves (their favorite little snacks :D)!  I got lots of love notes from my 6 year old (we are officially bff's now!), the sweet hubs cooked lunch and dinner and the older kids did the dishes.  The only thing I did was make the cake, er, cupcakes.

My husband loves turtles.  The chocolate, caramel and pecan candy.  I buy him a box once in a while and the kids pretty much think their mission in life is to sneak into them and then brag to Daddy about it.  It's kind of turned into a little game.  I've started buying turtles for my sweet hubs just so the kids can play their little game.  They even like to tell where they found the turtles, how they got to them, how many they ate, where they ate them, and even where they stashed the wrappers (like, in Daddy's shoes....).

While I was trying to figure out the perfect cupcakes to make, my sweet little 6 year old spied a box of turtles on top of the fridge and suggested we make turtle cupcakes.  She's pretty much brilliant!  This Caramel Buttercream frosting  got to be the caramel part of the turtle cupcakes.  And it was awesome!

2/3 cup butter, divided
1/3 cup brown sugar

Combine 1/3 cup of the butter and the brown sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Once the mixture has come to a boil, stir in remaining 1/3 cup butter and stir until melted and mixed in.  Let the mixture come back to a boil and boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Combine butter and shortening in a large bowl and beat until they are well mixed and smooth.  Add powdered sugar and mix until well mixed.  Add milk and mix until smooth (should be thick).  Add cooled caramel and mix until well combined.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Linked on Manic Monday, Tatertots and Jello and The Busy Bee's.