Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting

Interesting fact: I used to dislike sweet potatoes when I was little.

Weird, I know, right? Because now, they are one of my favorite foods. I have no idea what was going on in my child brain; how the hell could I have not picked up on this freakin' Godsend of a vegetable?! Perhaps it was just the picky eater in me...

Not only can sweet potatoes be baked into pies, casseroles, or cupcakes *ahem, but they also have a super-mega-awesome dose of Vitamin A (I heard that they can contain up to as much as 300% of your daily intake!). This is definitely a good way to eat your veggies, kids.

Without further ado, I give you the Super-Mega-Awesome Sweet Potato Pie Cupcake!

(adapted from how sweet it is):

Yields: 16-17 cupcakes

For the graham cracker crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I just take graham crackers and crush 'em up. Like a boss.)

4 tbl butter, melted

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

For the cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

8 tbl unsalted butter, melted

3-4 medium to large sweet potatoes, baked and mashed (you could boil the potatoes, but personally I find that baking them for 50 minutes to an hour releases more of their flavor. It's up to you, though).

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. For graham cracker crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and cinnamon until moist. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and press it into a cupcake liner. Repeat with the remainder.

3. Bake for 5-7 minutes until the crust is set. Set aside to cool.

4. For cupcakes: Whisk together egg and sugar until there are no lumps. Add in butter and vanilla extract, then the sweet potatoes.

5. Add in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to the wet ingredients. Add in the milk and stir until smooth.

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

For the brown sugar frosting:

8 tbl unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup flour

1. With an electric mixer, whip butter and brown sugar until creamy. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and flour.

2. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes and serve!