How-to Tuesday: Apple Cider Cupcakes

These were absolutely sinful, and made a huge hit at my husband's staff Christmas potluck!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup margarine or unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

splash of vanilla

1 1/3 cups flour (use whole wheat to make extra healthy!)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt (or omit if all you have in the house is salted butter)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup applesauce (for you baby-food-makers, that's about 9 cubes)

Handful of cinnamon chips (optional)

Preheat over to 350F

Now, I'm not a sift-this or mix-these-two-things-together kind of baker. I mix the dry together, and then put in the wet, using my lovely Kitchenaid Standmixer.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full

Bake for 22 minutes, checking often so the cupcakes don't burn

Toothpick test for doneness

Let cool completely on a wire rack

Frost with Vanilla Cinnamon Buttercream

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 cups icing sugar

spalsh of vanilla

1 tsp of cinnamon (or cinnamon sugar)