Cinnamon Apple Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup applesauce

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 and 2/3 cups cinnamon chips

These are like chocolate chips except instead of chocolate they are cinnamon flavoured! Hershey's makes them and you can also find them at Bulk Barn or the bulk bins in some grocery stores.

Icing Glaze Ingredients:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. warm water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar in large bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in applesauce. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in the pecans and cinnamon chips. Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 with the batter. 

Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before glazing. To glaze, stir together the powdered sugar and warm water until smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cooled cupcakes.

This recipe can also be adapted to make a coffee cake instead of individual cupcakes. To make a cake, pour the same batter into a greased 13"x9" cake pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. After the cake has cooled completely in the pan on a wire rack, drizzle with the glaze.

*Recipe adapted from Hershey's