Favorite Carrot Cupcakes | Red, Round, or Green

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (we use Grade B)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (we use organic cane sugar)
• 1 cup plain full-fat yogurt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour of your choice — all-purpose, white whole-wheat, or spelt will all work fine
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 cups grated carrot
• 1 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (you can also use walnuts if you prefer, or omit the nuts altogether)
• Orange Cream cheese icing (recipe below)
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Zest of 1 orange
• About 3 cups confectioner’s sugar (you may need slightly less or slightly more, depending on the consistency you prefer in your icing)