Bite-Sized Ginger Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 13 cup unsulphured molasses
• 5 Tbs. margarine or unsalted butter
• cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup skim buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 oz. low-fat cream cheese or mascarpone
• softened
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
• 2 tsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger
• optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Coat 2 12-cup mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.
3. To make Cupcakes: Combine sugar, molasses, and margarine in saucepan.
4. Heat over medium-low heat 3 to 4 minutes, or until margarine is melted and mixture is smooth.
5. Remove from heat, and cool 15 minutes.
6. Whisk together buttermilk and egg in bowl.
7. Whisk in molasses mixture.
8. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl.
9. Whisk buttermilk mixture into flour mixture.
10. Fill muffin cups to within 1/8 inch of rims.
11. Bake 12 minutes, or until Cupcakes are puffed and set.
12. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack.
13. To make Topping: whip cream cheese, honey, and orange zest with fork in bowl until smooth.
14. Dollop 1 tsp.
15. Topping mixture onto Cupcakes, and sprinkle with crystallized ginger, if using.