Gather your ingredients. You'll need:
For the choclate cupcakes:
*3 cups all purpose flour
*2 cups white sugar
*1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
*1 tsp. salt
*2 tsp baking powder
*2/3 cup vegetable oil
*2 cups water
*2 tbsp vinegar
*2 tsp vanilla extract
*about 1/2 cup crushed pretzels

For caramel buttercream:
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tbsp milk
3 tbsp caramel sauce (add or lessen depending on how caramel-y you want the frosting to be)

For decorations:
24 mini prezels
1/2 cup melted chocolate
1/2 cup caramel sauce.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.

Stir in oil, water, vingar, and vanilla until well blended.

Sprinkle a coating of crushed pretzels on the bottom of the cupcake liners. Then pour the cupcake batter into the liners until about 2/3 of the way full (I always overfill mine :P)

Bake in preheated over for 25 min. and allow to cool. While this is going on......

Prepare you frosting. In a large bowl, cream together butter and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, blen in confectioners sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in milk and caramel sauce, and blend well. keep frosting covered until you frost.

Make your decorations. Half-dip mini pretzels in melted chocolate, and place on a wax-paper covered cookie sheet. Let harden, and dip the other half of the pretzels in caramel sauce. Keep in the freezer until ready to use.

Time to decorate!!!! Frost a cooled cupcake with caramel frosting, and add a little caramel drizzle if you want. Top with a chocolate/caramel cover pretzel.

Enjoy!!!!!!!! :)