Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 4 ripe bananas, cut into chunks
• 1 cup fat-free buttermilk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp rum

Make 12 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F; line a 12-cup muffin tin with double paper liners.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the bananas, buttermilk, butter, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and the egg. Stir in the flour mixture until just blended. Stir in the currants. Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full with the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a rack.
4. Meanwhile, to prepare the frosting, in a food processor or blender, combine the ricotta, the remaining 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, the cocoa powder and rum; blend until smooth. Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. I have gone by this recipe dozens of times and I have always wanted to try this. Besides, who does not love a cupcake once in a while? my mom and I totally LOVED these cupcakes. If you want to serve these cupcakes to kids, I recommend using vanilla extract in place of the rum. Vanilla tastes good in almost any treat. These treats are great for adults because they're a guilty pleasure of banana bread with a sophisticated frosting on top. And they say cupcakes are not good for you!