1 down, 100 to go!

Well I just finished the first of my 101 things!!! I am feeling so accomplished (if not a little nauseated from eating the finished- supersweet- product).

So what epic project did I choose to be my first? Cupcakes, naturally!

Carrot Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

(recipe taken from CraziBeautifulWomen)

Cupcake Ingredients

1 C flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 C granulated sugar

1/3 C packed brown sugar

2 eggs (I used Ener-G egg replacer from my food storage because I realized halfway through that I didn't have any eggs! It worked but I had to add more liquid to get the right consistency.)

1/2 C vegetable or canola oil (I used half canola oil and half olive oil. Because I'm healthy like that. And really because I ran out of canola...)

1 1/2 C lightly finely packed shredded carrots (For me, this was 2 large carrots and 1 small one)

1/3 C dried cranberries or raisins (opt) (I used craisins but will probably leave these out if I make the cupcakes again, because I thought the flavor was way too overpowering.)

nuts (opt) (I really, really hate nuts, so I obviously didn't add any. What a way to ruin a carrot (cup)cake!)

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 bar of cream cheese (4 oz)

1/4 C maple syrup

(I also added a bit of powdered sugar to thicken it up, and I added some ground cinnamon and nutmeg to give it a little more flair.)

I also sprinkled some ground cinnamon on top to make it prettier. Cause I was trying to be "gourmet."

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line with paper liners or grease a muffin tin.

2) Shred carrots and set aside.

3) In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

4) In a large mixing bowl, blend the granulated and brown sugar with the eggs until thoroughly combined. Pour in the oil and continue to mix for about 30 seconds. Pour dry ingredients into egg mixture and add shredded carrots and cranberries. Also add nuts at this time if desired.

5) Divide the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 14-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake in the center of the pan comes out clean. Rotate the pan halfway into baking time. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool on a rack to room temperature.

To make the frosting, whisk the maple syrup with the cream cheese until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes and top with desired topping (optional toppings include: finely chopped toasted pecans, fine sprinkle of ground cinnamon, orange zest) if preferred.

Makes 12 cupcakes.