Carrot Cupcakes

Ellie is back in my kitchen today and still has not let me down. This cookbook is definetely a keeper and I don't plan to let my copy go anytime soon.

I promised Camden we would make a snack together today not sure what I would make. I quickly looked through my pantry contents hoping to find some inspiration. I knew I wanted something baked, sweet and relatively easy for a four year old. I quickly thought of the two brown bananas sitting on the counter, but, we were not in the mood for anything banana, having had smoothies last night for snack. I figured I'd pop open Ellie's cookbook knowing she'd deliver something perfect for the occasion.


And there they were. I had carrots and half a package of cream cheese I needed to use up. The only thing I did not have was applesauce. Hmm...what to do? I had a can of pumpkin puree in the pantry, so I figured that would work.

I was honestly not sure about this recipe. The cookbook stated that you could use plain whole wheat flour instead of the pastry whole wheat, which I decided to do since that's what I had. I was almost sure that these would be very healthy, heavy, dense tasting cupcakes. They. weren't.

They were sweet, moist, light, and warm tasting from the spices with just the right balance of sweetness from the frosting. I was impressed. Still am. The pumpkin added a warmer, richer flavor. However, I have not tried these as originally intended with applesauce. I am anxious to see the difference. But, I really liked the pumpkin, so maybe I won't. I would imagine this probably altered the nutrition a little, but as I've mentioned before, I am not a calorie counter.