Double Maple Cupcakes ( CL).....

A couple of weeks ago, Robin brought me home 2L of Canadian Grade 3( like US grade B or C) maple syrup. Traditionally, the darker grades are for cooking, but a lot of people really like the darker grades( me included) for waffles and pancakes. Since I tend to mix half sugar free and half regular syrup, the darker grades work well for me.

So, I've been itching to bake something with the syrup. Enter these cupcakes. Sometimes a group of recipes from Cooking Light will just stick with me, and I remembered this one. ( As an aside, I made a peanut butter cupcake years ago from the same issue and its weird, but I can't find that PB cupcake recipe on the website).

We're having some people over for dinner tonight after we attend out town's rummage sale. Since I'm making calzone's for dinner, I wanted a light dessert. The maple flavor really comes through too. If you like maple, you'll love these.

Double-Maple Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon imitation maple flavoring
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 cup maple syrup

Frosting:
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon imitation maple flavoring
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.To prepare cupcakes, beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine milk and 1/4 cup maple syrup. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare the frosting, beat 3 tablespoons maple syrup and next 4 ingredients (syrup through 1/8 teaspoon salt) at medium speed of a mixer 1 minute. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating just until blended (do not overbeat). Spread the frosting over cupcakes.

CALORIES 255(28% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 4.5g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 2.7g; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 50mg; SODIUM 207mg; FIBER 0.4g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.9g