Everyday is a special day cupcakes

These delicious chocolate cupcakes, are simple enough to make any day and nutritious enough to eat everyday! (Makes about 24 cupcakes)

Ingredients: 


Wet ingredients

• 2 cups thawed or fresh strawberries pureed (in their own juices)*
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 2/3 cup cooking oil, or melted butter or shortening
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract 
• 1 cup skim milk ( can be whole, soy, etc.)

Dry ingredients

• 2 cups cake or all purpose flour ( enriched or whole wheat is even better)
• 1/2 cup dark cacao powder (unsweetened)
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tbsp. baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, blend all wet ingredients well, except milk. In a separate bowl, blend all dry ingredients, the flour should become a nice light brown color by well blending the cacao into it. Slowly add your dry ingredients to the wet ones, a little at a time, until you've blended them both together, you can add the milk at this point. You don't have to mix like crazy, you just want a nice uniform batter.

Set your oven to 385*C, line your cupcake trays and fill each until about 2/3 's full. I like to use an ice cream scoop so that all my cupcakes are the same size.

Bake on middle rack in your oven for approximately 16-18 minutes.

Cool and Ice, with whipped cream, prepared frosting, or a simple buttercream.

* instead of strawberries, you can use cherries, raspberries, blueberries etc