Carrot Cupcakes

If you're anything like me, when you think about Easter you then think about bunnies. When you think about bunnies, you think about carrots. When you think about carrots, you think about ranch dressing or humus or Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese Wedges. No? Just me? Maybe. When you think about carrots, you may also think about raisins and cinnamon and tasty, tasty cake. Then, despite your best intentions to be nice to your thighs after your run-ins with your personal trainer and her 30-pound squats, you make carrot cupcakes.

Carrot Cupcakes
Servings: 24 - 30
Points: A lot - eat at your own risk

For the cake:
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups carrots, grated
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup raisins

For frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare muffin tins with wrappers.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl) beat together the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Once fully incorporated, you'll have a very thick batter. Stir in the grated carrots and raisins. Carefully fold in the chopped pecans.

Fill each cupcake cup 1/2 full. Do not overfill the muffin cups. If you do, the rising power of this batter will cause the cupcake to spill over the liners and create a thick crusty ledge around the cupcake. It's not pretty. I'd know.

Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from cupcake tins and allow to cool on complete on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, start the cream cheese frosting. Yum!

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, stirring until smooth before adding the next cup.

Top each cupcake with a generous heap of frosting. It's so worth it.

Remember, don't tell your hips what you're doing. They really, really won't like you. If they complain too loudly, remind them that you're going on a two-mile run tomorrow. Then take another bite. Mmmm.