Looking for a way to use up a few apples that have lost their crunch? This unique and relatively healthy recipe features lots of shredded apples, pumpkin pie spice mix and apple molasses. It’s our adaptation of the Frosted Apple Spice Cupcakes recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts. Enjoy!
Yield: 12
Cupcakes:
1 apple
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour (or use all white)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c sweetened cranberry juice (or unsweetened apple juice)
Set oven to 350 degrees. Shred apple. Combine dry ingredients and set aside in a bowl. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix till fluffy. Alternate flour mixture and cranberry juice, stirring after each addition, just until all ingredients are wet. Drop batter into 12 muffin tins, with liners if desired. Bake 25-30 minutes.
Apple Frosting
2 tbsp butter, room temp
2 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 tbsp apple molasses (or sub frozen apple or cranberry juice concentrate + 1/4 tsp cinnamon)
2/3 cup powdered sugar
Mix all ingredients with a mixer until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if you want a different frosting. Top with crushed walnuts if desired.
