Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello!! Its been a long time since I've last wrote here and what better way to come back than sharing carrot cupcakes with you! I'm so excited about these, and I cannot stress on how GOOD they are!! My little brother, who isn't the biggest carrot desserts fan, LOVED them! I mean he left his buffalo wings for these and that's saying a lot.

Funny things is, I'm actually eating one right now whilst I write this. Which would explain why I keep emphasizing HOW AMAZING THEY ARE. No joke.

Before I share the recipe, I wanna talk add some pointers about these cupcakes.

1. They are actually healthier than regular cupcakes because instead they only contain 1/4 cup oil. But trust me, they taste divine!

2. They are sooo moist! I really hate using that word but in this case there's no other way to describe them.

3. Since there's not much oil in the recipe, these cupcakes retain their moisture from the apple sauce in them. This makes them taste all the better. You can always use store bought apple sauce, but I honestly think the homemade ones taste much better. I would love to share my recipe on homeade applesauce so if you'd like that, let me know by leaving a like at the bottom of the page.

Alright, now, the precious moment...

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups (174 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 cup (47 grams) canola oil 1 cup (198 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 cup (125 grams) unsweetened applesauce 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups (148 grams) finely shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots) 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (42 grams) finely chopped walnuts, divided

For the frosting:

8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups (250 grams) powdered sugar

Directions

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, and eggs. Stir in the applesauce, vanilla, and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the walnuts.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Make the frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until very light, creamy, and smooth. On low speed gradually add in the sugar and beat until fluffy.

Frost cupcakes and decorate with remaining chopped walnuts, if desired. Serve or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

I really hope you guys enjoy these cupcakes if you decide to make them (which I realllllly recommend) and I would also love it if you could leave a comment on how they turned out!

xoxo- Taleen