decadence in moderation

OK gang--today I had a change of plans. I was supposed to be heading out to PA for a job interview today, but ended up having it rescheduled & working from home. So, I had a little bit of extra time, and decided to try a new recipe. I subscribe to a lot of fitness magazines and have been dying to try out this recipe for chocolate cupcakes since my copy of Shape arrived last week. When I first flipped through the magazine, I loved that they did comfort food healthy makeovers. I was even more excited to see a chocolate cupcake in there--made with butter sugar and flour. To top it all off, it included a marshmallow 7 minute frosting. Given that I consider peeps a major food group, this was a huge seller for me. Finally, the icing on the icing on the cake--they're only 4 points plus each! Seriously! How can I say no?

I made the following 2 modifications: first, I substituted nonfat greek yogurt for the low fat buttermilk (less calories & more protein...but negligible enough to not affect the points plus values); second, I used 2 egg whites, again, not enough of a difference to affect the points values. Also, the 2nd egg white was unnecessary. I had so much frosting, I could have frosted 2 batches of the cakes.

I haven't done the taste test yet, but I have had a lick of the frosting, and its great. And the cakes look fluffy and delicious. I will report back tomorrow.

In general, I love the idea of cupcakes. They're automatic portion control (if you eat just one), fun for sharing, and just plain cute. The fact that these are also REAL FOOD but low in points, makes this recipe is already a win win win for me!