Brittany Bakes: Piña Colada Cupcakes

The other day I was talking to my mother, and I told her I was going to send her a recipe for these Pina Coloda Cupcakes. She started to say,"Yummmm," and then she interrupted herself and said, "Wait, You Don't Like Coconut." My mother loves coconut, but growing up I hated coconut. I had told my mother a million times as a child and a teenager that I hated coconut. But she would always forget, and make me coconut cake or buy me coconut candy and I would say,” Mom, I've told you a million times I don't like coconut." And she would look at me like I had just insulted (which I pronounce in-SALT-ed by the way) the entire human race and say,” HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE COCONUT?" But a few years ago, I developed a deep love for coconut, and now that I like coconut she starts to remember that I hated it? Good Grief.

I was combing through my Hungry Girl Cookbook, and came across this fabulous recipe for Piña Coloda CupCakes. Don't judge too much by the picture because I'm really bad at making food look pretty, but believe me these taste totally amazeballs.

Piña Colada Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For Cupcakes:
2 cups (approximately 1/2 of the box) moist-style yellow cake mix
1 and 1/2 eight-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice (not drained)
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

For Frosting:
4 ounces canned crushed pineapple in juice (drained)
1 jell-o sugar free vanilla pudding snack
1 and 1/2 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract
1 no-calorie sweetener packet

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients meant for the frosting in one bowl until well blended. Refrigerate until cupcakes are ready to frost.
3. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and undrained pineapple. Add the coconut extract and mix ingredients until well blended (takes a little bit to become liquidy).
4. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups or non-stick spray. I suggest baking cups, because the pineapples make it more apt to stick to the pan.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool before frosting and enjoy.

P.S.-They are 118 calories each!