Carrot and Walnut Cupcakes

Just as I am not a fan of cooked raisins, I am also (not usually, anyway) a fan of carrot cake. I was always of the "what's the point of that?!" mentality. I was pretty much making these cupcakes because 1) Isom loves carrot cake (as does Sarah) and 2) I committed to baking all the recipes in my book (regardless of their taste appeal to me). So, I found myself mixing together the unthinkable---carrots, walnuts, and raisins. My poor, perfect sugar, butter, and egg mixture! It seemed so totally wrong to destroy the glutton in a bowl with fruit and veggies! Bleck. Like the dutiful little cupcake baker I am, I proceeded (with caution) with the recipe. Twenty minutes later---mmm, mmm, mmm! As the "healthy" cupcake baked, I whipped up cream cheese frosting (still with the sad, bent whisk). I frosted and garnished with walnuts, each of the 18 carrot treats. Although Isom didn't polish off three in one sitting (as he did with the Gingerbread cupcakes), I'll take gobbling down two in one sitting as a good sign. Gabe was another story. "Bleck" was pretty much his opinion on the matter. The carrot and walnut cupcakes made for a fun treat to bring to my friend who recently had a baby. I'm happy to report that I survived the only (fingers crossed) cupcake that will contain both fruit and veggie as the main components.