Day 3 of 14 Days of Apple and I decided I wanted to make an apple muffin/cupcake. I was looking around at different recipes for inspiration and guidance when I found one I like at MarthaStewart.com. That recipe calls for shredded apples and something about imagining myself taking an apple to a grater made me think of shredded carrots. I still have a scar on my thumb from shredding a carrot a little too aggressively when I was 12, but that’s another story. Anyway, I decided to split the four cups of shredded apples into two cups apples, two cups carrots et voila.
Then a serendipitous catastrophe occurred. While pouring sugar into the measuring cup. (I know, I should have been scooping it in), a big chunk from the bottom the container came tumbling forward and an avalanche of sugar fell onto the counter. I’m not the only one, right? Tell me I’m not the only one. Anyway, I got so flustered that I forgot to add the second cup of sugar that the Martha Stewart recipe suggests. By the time it dawned on me (I was about to spoon (not pour) the batter into the baking cups), I figured it was too late. The result? Light fully cupcakes that are sweet enough, but not too sweet. I wouldn’t add that sugar back in.
A word about shredding apples. It took a bit of time. I peeled the apples first, cut them in half and then used one side away from the seeds as a “handle.” Then flipped them around and used the other side away from the seeds as a handle. It took 3 apples to get 2 cups of apple. Once that was done, I didn’t have the energy to shred the carrots by hand (and I get kept looking down at my scarred thumb), so I pulled out my Cuisinart Mini Prep and let it take care of the job in 1 minute.
Apple-Carrot Cupcakes
Makes 24
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups grated McIntosh apples (about 3 medium apples)
2 cups grated carrots
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle attached, cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs and the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add the carrot and apples. In three batches, add the dry ingredients, mix thoroughly. Scoop into muffin cups, dividing evenly and bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely.
Maple – Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
Method
1. Cream together the cream cheese and the butter with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat the mixture, incorporating it as you go. Add the maple syrup and beat it in until just combined.
