Larry’s nuts for anything maple, and I love making cupcakes. So I was naturally drawn to these cupcakes. I’m thinking the toasted walnuts that are added to the cake batter before baking are a nice addition. Too bad I noticed my lonely little toasted walnuts sitting on the counter about halfway into the cupcake baking time. Whoops!

Next time I’ll add the walnuts. They’re still good (not outstanding), and one of my coworkers told me “it tastes like Vermont”. I think that’s the idea.

• Maple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (Baked Explorations, p. 160)