Green Velvet Cupcakes

I love making food for specific holidays so this weekend I made some green cupcakes to get ready for St. Patrick’s Day. Looking around on the Weight Watchers website I found a red velvet cupcake recipe and knew I could color them green instead of red to go with the holiday theme.

Last year I had my first red velvet cupcake and I’ve been hooked ever since. Finding one that is Weight Watchers-friendly was an additional treat.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 cup(s) buttermilk
1 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light butter, softened
2 large eggs
* Note: I reduced the recipe by half *

Additions:

1/3 cup applesauce
1/8 tsp espresso powder

Nutella, if desired
Lite Cool Whip

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare muffin tins with liners.

In a bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa; set aside.

In another bowl, mix together buttermilk, vinegar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract; set aside.

With an electric mixer on high speed, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated thoroughly.

Add 1/3 each of flour and buttermilk mixtures to sugar mixture; beat until just combined. Repeat until all of flour and buttermilk mixtures are incorporated. Add applesauce and espresso powder and mix thoroughly. Add green food coloring to desired coloring and mix well with mixer.

Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 full with batter. (Note: these do not rise very much as shown in the photos below.)

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out dry, about 25 -30 minutes; cool for 5 minutes in pan and then cool completely on a wire rack.

Dig a hole in the center and add some Nutella for even more chocolate flavor.
Spread green food coloring along sides of icing bag; fill with Cool Whip and pipe onto cupcake.