Molly’s applesauce cupcakes recipe

You will need:

• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup shortening
• ¾ cup honey
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup seedless raisins
• ¼ broken walnut pieces
• Your favorite frosting (for dairy-free cupcakes, be sure to use frosting without milk, cream, or butter)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners for 16 cupcakes.

Put a sifter into a medium mixing bowl. Measure the sifted flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt into the sifter. Sift these dry ingredients into the bowl.

Measure the shortening into a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, beat the shortening until it’s fluffy.

Add the honey to the shortening and continue to beat the mixture for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer once or twice and use the rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add half the applesauce and half the sifted dry ingredients to the honey and shortening mixture. Mix at medium speed until all the flour disappears. Stop once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula.

Add the remaining applesauce and dry ingredients. Mix again until everything is blended.

Use a wooden spoon to stir in the raisins and walnut pieces.

Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each about ⅔ full (about two tablespoons of batter).

Bake the cupcakes for 25 to 30 minutes.

Poke a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. Set them on racks to cool.

After 10 minutes, take the cupcakes out of the pans and let them cool completely on the racks before frosting them.