Carrot Cupcakes with Pureed Carrots

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons baking soda 
• 0.3 cup tightly brown sugar dark packed
• 0.3 cup browned butter melted
• 8 oz pineapple crushed canned
• 0.8 cup well-mashed carrots pureed cooked
• 3 large eggs 
• 1.5 cups granulated organic
• 0.8 cup grapeseed oil 
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 1 cup pecans toasted chopped (walnuts okay, too)
• 0.5 cup raisins assorted (golden, flame, etc.)
• 0.8 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup coconut or sweetened packed flaked (not too firmly )
• 9 ounces unbleached flour all-purpose
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Equipment

• bowl
• paper towels
• oven
• muffin liners

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 to 27 cupcake cups with paper liners.
2. Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice.
3. Put the raisins in the pineapple juice to soak, then pat the rest of the pineapple as dry as possible using paper towels.
4. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
5. Add oil, butter, eggs, and vanilla and stir until well mixed. Stir in nuts, coconut, carrots, and your drained pineapple.
6. Drain the raisins and add them. The batter should be really thick.Divide equally among the cupcake cups. They should be filled a little more than 3/4 full, because these don’t rise very much.
7. Bake on center rack for 20 to 24 minutes or until cupcakes are set.
8. Let cool completely, then ice with cream cheese frosting.Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat together 8 oz softened cream cheese and 4 oz softened butter. Stir in 2-3 cups powdered sugar and beat until light, then add a teaspoon of vanilla and a dash of fresh lemon juice.