Time to bake again.  I signed up for baking once a month for my daughter’s school.  I needed new victims for my recipes.  Kids like cupcakes with frosting, but they don’t know that these come with veggies.  We will see how they like them.  My daughter taste tested them and said they were yummy.  I wanted to use zucchini, but this time I wanted to try a new recipe.  This one I found in the Better Homes and Garden Magazine.  It was a recipe for bars, but I made it into mini cupcakes.

Carrot and Zucchini Mini Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1-1/2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1-1/2 cups shredded carrots (3 medium)
• 1 medium zucchini, shredded (1 cup)
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, ginger, and baking soda. In another large bowl stir together eggs, carrot, zucchini, brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, oil, honey, and vanilla. Add carrot mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined.  Divide mixture into lined mini muffin pans.

2. Bake about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

The frosting they suggested was a Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting. Basically 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp lemon or orange peel.  I decided I wanted to use the Maple Cream Cheese frosting I had used previously.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

• 10oz. cream cheese
• 5 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until well blended. Beat in maple syrup. Chill until just firm enough to spread, 30min

Mmmmm….now doesn’t that look inviting.