These cupcakes really made me crazy! Crazy loving them! AND they are chock full of healthy zucchini so they are definitely healthy!!!! Well maybe not…..
Soooo good!!! Sooo very sinfully good!
And so very easy!
In a large bowl, pour in the following ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
1 cup grated zucchini
Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
Pour about 1 cup to 1-1/4 cups of mini-chocolate chips (or more if you are feeling extra chocolately that day), sprinkle about a teaspoon of flour over the chocolate chips and stir well. This will help to keep the chips from sinking to the bottom of the cupcakes. Add the chips to the batter blend in gently.
Fill the cupcake paper cups about 3/4 full. Bake at about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
To make the cream cheese frosting:
bring a block of cream cheese to room temperature and place in a bowl. Use an electric mixer on low to break the block up, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and start adding about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time until you reach your desired sinfulness. I mean creaminess. You know what I mean. I used about 1-1/2 cups. You can be daring here too, try different extracts instead of vanilla, I’m thinking next time I’ll try orange.
Now, let me tell you about the zucchini. A friend gave me about 4 HUGE zucchini’s from his garden. I chopped them up and sent them for a whirl in my food processor, some of which I just grated and some I grated a lot. I put it all in a bowl and combined gently and then measured it out in one cup portions and froze it. I have a shelf full of grated zucchini in baggies just waiting for me to bake!!! When I thaw a bag, I don’t drain it, I use every drop of it. Helps to make the cakes moist.
Try it!
Kartwheels in the Kitchen 