February 5, 2012

5/52 Peanut-Apple-Cupcakes

Winter has finally arrived. The snow has mostly melted but it is still very cold outside.
Eating healthy is always a good thing but even better when it's cold, right?

So let's assume that baking (or rather: eating) cupcakes with apples, fresh ginger and peanuts is healthy.
Because it is, isn't it?
Besides the health-aspect, I picked these cupcakes because the combination of peanuts and apples is hard to resist. Isn't apple jelly the best thing you can put on your peanut butter sandwich? I sure think so. (My mom won't even touch a peanut butter sandwich unless there's apple jelly on top...)

Oh, but before we start with the recipe, let's pretend you haven't read the title and introduction of this post. Because I made a little rebus or picture puzzle for you. 
I know it's a tough one but what did I bake this week?
 Congrats, well done! Peanut-Apple-Cupcakes it is!

Peanut-Apple-Cupcakes
Adapted from Cupcakes which my cousin-in-law Karmen gave me for Christmas

Makes 12 cupcakes:
vanilla pulp of one vanilla bean (or vanilla extract)
200 g (1.8 stick or 7 oz) butter, at room temperature
160 g (0.8 cup) sugar
4 eggs
200 g (1.6 cups) flour
2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
2 apples, peeled and roughly grated
1 piece of fresh ginger (about 2 cm/0.8 in), peeled and finely grated
1 lime

Frosting: 
3 tablespoons peanuts
150 g (1.3 stick or 5.3 oz) butter, at room temperature
150 g (7 oz) cream cheese
2 tablespoons peanut butter
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • Preheat oven to 180 °C (360°F).
  • Mix together vanilla pulp, butter and sugar until creamy.
  • Add eggs one at a time.
  • In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Sift over butter mixture and combine quickly.
  • Mix apples and ginger with lime juice and zest. Fold into batter.
  • Fill in prepared muffin pan and bake on middle rack for 25 minutes. Take out of pan after a couple of minutes to cool off completely.
    • For the frosting, chop and roast peanuts. 
    • Stir together butter, cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar. 
    • Top cupcakes with frosting and sprinkle with roasted peanuts.
    My modifications:
      I didn't roast the peanuts and added them to the cupcake batter together with the apples and ginger. I just felt that there should be a bit of peanut flavor in the cupcakes as well, not just in the frosting. So I didn't sprinkle anything on the frosting.

      I also just chopped the apples and ginger, as opposed to grating them. (And yes, only because I was too lazy...) But since I chopped them pretty finely, you are not biting on big chunks of apple or ginger when eating the cupcakes.

      6 cupcakes went straight to the freezer, without frosting. So I only made half of the frosting for the remaining 6 cupcakes.

      What is your favorite "healthy" baking recipe?

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