Cupcake Creation

I've been eating pretty healthy these days, but I do allow myself one small treat a day... a scoop of sorbet, a skinny cow ice cream, or a piece of chocolate. Today, I really wanted a cupcake. I found an easy cupcake and icing recipe from Cooking Light, and I was able to make cupcakes and icing with ingredients I had in the house in about 15 minutes. To be safe, I only made half of the recipe (6 cupcakes). I'll eat one or two, and I'm sure Brent will take care of the rest :-)

I followed the recipe, but I put a little twist in the icing. The other week at the grocery store I bought some crystallized ginger because it looked interesting. I have been thinking about what I should make with it, and I decided to make chocolate cupcakes with ginger cream cheese frosting - they were delicious! You can get crystallized ginger at the regular grocery store in the produce section in a little package. The recipe below is for the half batch, but you can double or triple if you're really hungry!

Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from Cooking Light)
Yield: 6 cupcakes
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cupcakes, place brown sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended. Add egg, beating well. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, mixing well. Mix in buttermilk. Stir in vanilla extract.

Spoon batter into 6 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched lightly in the center. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup low fat tub-style cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

To prepare frosting, combine powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and chopped ginger in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Spread frosting on each cupcake. Sprinkle with more chopped ginger, if desired.