Applesauce Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

With a certain birthday coming up I asked J what he would like me to make for him.  Applesauce Cupcakes are J's second favorite dessert.  First are Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars (which rarely leave the house http://furfish.blogspot.com/2012/10/peanut-butter-bars.html and I made them for him last week), second are Applesauce Cupcakes, and third is Peanut Butter cookies http://furfish.blogspot.com/2012/06/peanut-butter-cookies.html.  The Husband loves his peanut butter.  I like them because they are a good cupcake I can make for my nut and milk sensitive friends, because they have neither.  You could add nuts if you wanted to.  I think walnuts would be good, but J is not a nut (unless they are well buttered, and um.....peaed?) so all of my more nutty desserts are not allowed to stay in the house too long.  Much like certain relatives I suppose.

Ingredients, Assemble!

Applesauce Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup Butter (1 stick) room temperature or slightly melty
• 1 and 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 Eggs
• 3 cups Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 and 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Cloves
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2+ cup Applesauce
• 1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (food processor works great)

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix dry ingredients in.  Fold in applesauce and apples chunks.  Add more applesauce if it looks too dry.  Lunchable sized applesauce packs are 1/2 cup.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 min for full sized cupcakes.  (I got my oven down to 16 minutes exactly.  My oven runs hot.)  Makes 24+ cupcakes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min for 84+ mini-cupcakes.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup Butter (1 stick) room temperature or melty
• 1 (8oz) package of Cream Cheese room temperature or melty
• 5 - 6 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Tbs Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 tsp Vanilla (optional)
• Cinnamon

Cream together butter, cream cheese, and heavy whipping cream.  Add powdered sugar and mix in one cup at a time.  Add cinnamon to taste.  I like it really cinnamon-ey so I think I added like 4 Tbs of ground cinnamon.

To quote my friend Heather, "If there is no frosting, it's a muffin.  Muffins are healthy.  You're welcome."  I admit, the same logic does not quite apply to a bran muffin with frosting on top and calling it a cupcake, but I think these could pass for muffins.  They are pretty dense.  But a blueberry muffin with cream cheese frosting sounds good right now.

Even more perfect with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.
Enjoy.