Yields:  24 mini cupcakes
Time: 40 Minutes
Vegetarian Recipe

These mini cupcakes get a zip of flavor from crystallized ginger

sprinkled over the creamy frosting.

Cupcakes

• ½ cup agave
• ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses
• 5 Tbs. vegan butter, cut into pieces
• ½ cup almond milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. unsweetened cocoa
• ½ tsp. baking soda

Topping

• 4 oz. low-fat cream cheese or mascarpone, softened
• 2 Tbs. honey
• ½ tsp. grated orange zest
• 2 tsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger, optional

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 12-cup mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.
Begin with the cupcake mixture by combining agave, molasses, and vegan butter in saucepan. Over medium-low heat cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until vegan butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat cooling for 15 minutes.

Next whisk together almond milk and egg in bowl. Whisk in molasses mixture.

In separate bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cocoa, baking soda. Then mix together almond milk mixture with flour mixture.

Fill muffin cups to within 1/8 inch of rims. Bake 10 – 12 minutes, until cupcakes puff and set. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Next we are going to make frosting mixture: whip cream cheese, honey, and orange zest with fork in bowl until smooth. Take 1 tsp. topping mixture onto Cupcakes, then sprinkle with crystallized ginger.