Honey-Vanilla Cupcakes

Yes, these are adorable, but there's more! Not only did I embellish my famous moist and sweet vanilla cupcakes with Easter bunnies, I also jazzed up the batter. Here's how:

• I used buttermilk (instead of milk) so the cupcakes would be super moist. 
• I incorporated honey for its distinct flavor and perfect level of sweetness (plus, buttermilk is somewhat tangy, so the honey plays off that). 
• I added more vanilla because, well vanilla is awesome and it's America's favorite flavor. More is more in this case. 

These cupcakes are so incredible you can make them the "base" recipe for future recipes. Next time, try this:

• Fold in chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or berries. 
• Dust the finished cupcakes with powdered sugar or a mixture of granulated sugar and cinnamon (instead of icing them). 
• Slice the cupcakes in half horizontally, put strawberries and whipped cream in the middle (and on top) and create "strawberry shortcakes". 

This is a serious "go-to" recipe for all your future cupcake needs.

A note about the icing: 
I didn't provide a recipe because I used store-bought icing to make the "grass". Yes, I cheat too. You can choose store-bought, OR if you want one of my icing recipes, try one of these:

• The Chocolate Icing from my Cupcake Party post. For the green grass, top the icing with shredded coconut colored green with food coloring.  
• The Vanilla Icing (which I used as a filling) in my Chocolate Chip Chocolate Pretzel Bars. Leave out the chocolate chips and color the icing green if you want "grass". 

Honey-Vanilla Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or coat with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the honey and vanilla.
Beat in the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating each, and beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, filling each cup about 2/3 full.
Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean.
Cool on a rack before icing.

Makes 12 cupcakes