For the cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) Nellie’s Free Range Unsalted Butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large Nellie Free Range Egg
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting:

• 4 large Nellie’s Free Range Eggs, whites only
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

To make the cupcake:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and brown sugar and beat with an electric hand mixer until well combined. Add the egg and blend until fully incorporated.
• Add the warm water and molasses, mixing to thoroughly combine, then add in the flour, mixing again until well blended.
• Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and mix well until all ingredients are fully incorporated and the batter is smooth.
• Divide batter evenly between the 12 lined cups in your prepared muffin tin (an ice cream scoop helps to make portioning easy).
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool while you prepare the frosting.

To make the frosting:

• Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a simmer, but not a full rolling boil.
• In a large metal heatproof mixing bowl, add the egg whites and sugar, and whisk heavily by hand until frothy and foamy.
• Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan (being sure the bowl does not actually touch the simmering water), and whisk by hand constantly for about 7 minutes.
• Continue cooking until the temperature reaches 140F (if you don’t have a candy thermometer, simply stop at the end of the 7 minutes when the eggs have thickened and the sugar is fully dissolved). Once the mixture reaches 140F, remove from heat.
• Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the meringue on high speed until stiff peaks form. This can take up to 5 minutes.
• Pipe or spread the meringue frosting on the cupcakes, and use a culinary torch to lightly brown the meringue (see notes). Finish with any additional decorations as desired and enjoy!

Nellie’s Notes:

If you do not have a culinary torch, you can place the cupcakes under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Just be sure to watch them closely as they’ll toast quickly!