Apples and Spice and Some Caramel for good measure

I had these lovely apples sitting on my kitchen counter. What should I do with them?

I'm making good on my promise of fall cupcakes with these Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream. We started a new tradition of a pre-Thanksgiving party and I decided to bring, surprise, cupcakes. Now, this is a hard crowd to please. Many have tried my other cupcake varieties, so I couldn't fall back on any old standby. Plus, I had some Granny Smith apples sitting on my counter. I figured I might as well use them before they turned into mushy applesauce.

So, the Spiced Apple Cupcake was born! Cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice are the stars of this cupcake show.

Update: The camera cord has been located, so I can finally upload some pics.