Blue Moon Cupcakes

So here's the thing.

I'm not really into beer. 

But these cupcakes are awesome. 

Chris loves Blue Moon, so when I saw these on Erica's Sweet Tooth, I knew I had to make them.
The orange hints in the beer are brought out really nicely with the orange peel, and the cream cheese frosting is delicious!
Fun fact: Chris and the boys ate these cupcakes faster than any other treat I've ever made. And they've been the taste testers for A LOT, so that's a pretty big deal :)

Blue Moon Cupcakes
Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes
The Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Flour- 2 1/2 c
Baking powder- 2 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Blue Moon beer- 1 c, plus more for brushing on the warm cupcakes
Milk- 1/4 c
Unsalted butter- 3/4 c, room temp
Sugar- 1 3/4 c
Eggs- 3, room temp
Vanilla- 1 tsp
Orange zest- 1/2 tsp
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Combine beer and milk in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, ~2 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and beat.
5. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk/beer mixture to the butter, beginning and ending with flour.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes at 375 degrees F for 18 minutes, or until the tester comes out clean.
7. When cupcakes are done, poke holes in the tops and brush with beer.
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
Cream cheese- 12 oz, cold
Unsalted butter- 6 tbsp, room temp
Freshly squeezed orange juice- 1 tbsp
Orange zest- 1 tsp
Powdered sugar- 4 c (more may be needed to stabilize)
Directions:
1. Cream butter and cream cheese in bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment until smooth and creamy, ~2 minutes.
2. Add orange juice and zest and beat.
3. Gradually add the powdered sugar (1 c at a time). After it's all been added, switch to whisk attachment and beat for an additional 2 minutes to fluff it up.

Enjoy!