Apple Spice Cupcakes

Molly and I are headed to a friends place for lunch tomorrow. I hate showing up empty handed, plus I've been looking for an excuse to bake, so I said I would bring dessert. This recipe is adapted from the September issue of Canadian Living.

Apple Spice Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup almond milk (the recipe called for buttermilk but the almond milk worked well)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp each cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch ground cloves
- 1 cup grated and peeled apple (about 2 apples)

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing
- 1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups icing sugar

In bowl of stand mixer, or large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Beat in brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat. Stir in almond milk until combined. In separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients. Stir into butter mixture along with apple until just combined. Spoon into 12 paper-lined muffin cups.

Bake in 375F oven until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean, 17 - 20 minutes. Transfer to rack and let cool. At this point you could pretend they're muffins.

For icing, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth; beat in cinnamon and vanilla. Beat in sugar until smooth. Pipe or spread over cupcakes.

You could probably substitute a cup of mashed banana for the apple and they would still be pretty good. Either way, Brent and I taste tested them and they are a great fall dessert.