Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tonight we had a very healthy dinner of cod with lemon quickly sauteed and roasted purple potatoes. We also had some Benzinger white wine, where we visited on our honeymoon. Then I started paging through some cookbooks for dessert, since it is the weekend after all. Check out carrot cupcakes above from Ad Hoc at Home (one of my all time favorite cookbooks).  Things I think about this recipe:

• There is no beating cream cheese frosting. Seriously, is there anything better? No, I don't think so. Oh my goodness.

• What is the difference between cupcakes and muffins? I didn't find my paper baking cups until after I was baking them, and my husband was shocked I was just baking them in my muffin pan that I had rubbed with butter and drizzled with some flour. He said he thought the difference between muffins and cupcakes was the paper baking cups. I think the difference may be the texture. You can just yank muffins out of the pan without losing half of it, but cake you want to get it out of there so it stops cooking in a hot pan straight out of the oven, but to pull on it at all would mean to lose some of it.There you are - the paper baking cups actually seem to perform a function!

• I ran out of vanilla extract halfway through and substituted white creme de cacao in the frosting. Totally delicious. I don't think Scott would have even known had I not told him. 

•  Do they carrots retain their nutritional value after being baked for 20 minutes at 350 degrees? I like to think so!

• Thomas Keller is a genius. Every single time I make a recipe of his I think "The man has done it again! How does he do it every time?!" Amazing.