{Gingerbread Cupcakes}

My mother-in-law gave me these cute gingerbread man cupcake liners for my birthday last month. 

I knew that I couldn't bake just any old cupcakes in them...they were deserving of something special.

 They needed to GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES, of course!

Topped with these cute little gingerbread man sprinkles I found last year? Definitely.

Here is what the bottom of the liners look like. Cute, huh?

I scoured the internet for a great gingerbread recipe, and decided upon this one for old-fashioned sticky gingerbread, made with boiling water just like our great-great grandmas would have used. Or at least I imagine mine did ;)

And let me tell you...this recipe did not disappoint! It's just the texture and taste I was envisioning. Super yummy! And topped with some extra special cinnamon lemon cream cheese frosting?

Yuh. Uhh. Mmm.

{Old Fashioned Gingerbread}

Preheat oven to 325*.

In a large bowl, mix:

1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark molasses

Add:

2 large eggs

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients thoroughly:

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Add to wet mixture.

Boil (in microwave):

1 cup boiling water

Add to water:

1 tablespoon baking soda

Once dissolved, add water (SLOWLY) to batter and mix until just combined.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

{Cinnamon Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting}

1 cube butter (room temp)

8 oz light cream cheese (room temp)

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Beat together until smooth, then add:

5-7 cups powdered sugar

depending on the consistency you want.

Enjoy!

-Tammy