Soldier Cupcakes

For my son's birthday this year, it was all about soldiers, military, GI Joe. In keeping with that theme, we decided on soldier cupcakes. These were the easiest, most fun cupcakes I've decorated to date. I made my usual buttercream frosting and colored it using two different greens from Wilton. I started with Leaf Green, but didn't like the green it was turning into, so I added Juniper Green to it and luckily it turned into the green I was hoping for. Then I used Wilton tip 233 to make the blades of grass. This was my first time working with this tip and I had so much fun using it. I love that it doesn't have to have a perfect look, so it doesn't really matter how experienced of a decorator you are. The tip itself creates a really cool look and is easy to use. It took a little bit of time to pipe the grass onto each cupcake, but nothing too involved. I bought the little plastic soliders awhile ago, specifically for my son's cake/cupcakes, and they worked perfect. I was really happy with how these turned out and so was the birthday boy!

Heart Healthy Cupcakes

These are not my standard cupcakes that I usually make, topped with a ridiculous amount of frosting, but they are equally as good and significantly healthier. I found this recipe in a Family Fun Magazine quite a few years ago. I remember liking them, but had not made them in so long. In an effort to be healthier, I decided to make them the other day, only this time I made some changes (healthier changes) and I couldn't be happier with the result. So happy in fact, the cupcakes were gone within 2 days and not only did I love them, but my kiddos did as well. Here is my adapted version of the recipe:

Heart Healthy Cupcakes

1 cup (8 ounce can) crushed pineapple in its own juice

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 egg white

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups coarsely shredded carrots

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the mixture and drop in the eggs, egg white, oil, honey, vanilla extract, and reserved pineapple juice. Beat at medium speed until blended, about 1 1/2 minutes. With a spoon, stir in the crushed pineapple, shredded carrots, and applesauce. Then spoon the batter into paper baking cups set in muffin tins. Bake until a toothpick stuck in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Remove pan from oven and cool on a wire rack for 2 minutes. Serve warm or cool...either way, they are fantastic!

**I just recently started substituting honey for sugar whenever possible. This is the first time I tried it with this recipe and I really liked using the honey. I couldn't tell a difference. Here is a great link if you're interested in substituting honey into more of your baking. It's a healthier alternative to sugar.