Apple and Cinnamon Cupcakes

My family's coming up to visit tomorrow and to check out our new place!

To welcome them, I thought I'd have some cupcakes ready and waiting.

What better time than now to try out a new recipe courtesy of a cookbook from a cupcake kit I received as part of some recent winnings??

♥APPLE AND CINNAMON CUPCAKES♥

Adapted from "Cupcake Creations"

Makes about 20 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces (I used Granny Smith) 
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 T. cinnamon
• 3 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 1/2 c. self-rising flour, sifted

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 320°F (yes, 320°F... crazy, I know...) 
2. LINE cupcake tins with liners.
   
3. MIX together apples, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Set aside.
4. CREAM together butter and sugar.
5. ADD eggs and beat until combined.
6. ADD flour and milk, alternating each and beating between each addition.
7. BAKE for 20-22 minutes; tops will remain slightly sticky so use toothpick test to check for doneness (if toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, they're done!)
   

ICING

CREAM together 1 c. butter and 1 c. powdered sugar.  SPREAD on top of cupcakes.  TOP with cinnamon and sugar mixture.

~♥~

The cookbook that this recipe came from is an Australian cookbook so it gave measurements in metric units but had U.S. conversions (thank heavens!)  They called for caster sugar (berry sugar) and some recipes required essences (instead of extracts) and chocolate drops (instead of chocolate chips).  How fun!!  It was so neat to read :D

These cupcakes had a pretty buttery taste but they were good.  What do you expect, though, with an entire POUND of butter being used between the cupcakes and icing??  I liked the apple chunks and I thought there was a perfect amount of cinnamon in the cupcakes themselves, though.  I'd say these would make GREAT breakfast cupcakes, which is exactly what they're gonna be!