If you're looking for something sweet...

This week I had the honor of baking cupcakes for a surprise baby shower for two of my old coworkers who are both expecting girls.  I was in the chocolate mood and was looking for something new to try.  I stumbled upon a recipe that promised to be the best moist chocolate cupcake recipe ever.  Well that is a pretty big promise to make so I decided to put it to the test along with my standby vanilla buttercream recipe courtesy of Magnolia Bakery.  After several hours in the kitchen of baking and decorating, and a few small samples of the sugar cookies and cupcakes, the jury was out, this new recipe was now on the top of  my list of Chocolate Cupcake recipes.  I just hope everyone else agrees!  I chose to use vanilla buttercream but I think next time I'll opt for something chocolate, maybe a rich chocolate frosting with chocolate chips mixed in, making it a triple chocolate threat.  I recommend serving these with a large glass of milk.

 

 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting and Sugar Cookies

Best Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
Courtesy of The Sugar Bar

Recipe yields 24 regular cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup soft dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tbs coffee granules
• 1 1/2 cup milk (I used whole)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Beat butter till soft, smooth, creamy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat another minute or two until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
3. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa and coffee granules together. Mix the vanilla and milk together in a glass liquid measuring cup.  Add a third of the dry ingredients into batter, mix well. Add half of the liquid, beat well. Alternate till you end with the dry ingredients.
4. Line muffin tray with liners. Fill cups 2/3 full.
5. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees and bake 25-30min. (Mine were done after 23 minutes)
6. Let cool completely before icing.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing
Courtesy of Magnolia Bakery

Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 6-8 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk this time but I've used 2% as well as skim in the past.)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of a good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. (I used 6 1/2 cups)
3. If desired, add a few drops of gel food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

***Since this was a baby shower I needed to make them extra special so I tinted a 1/3 of the frosting pink, another 1/3 purple, and kept the last of it white.  After icing them I topped them with a few sprinkles of Luster Pearls I found at Williams-Sonoma.  To top it all off I made "engraved" sugar cookies with my new favorite cookie gadget from Williams-Sonoma  and decorated them with pink and purple icing and more Luster Pearls. 

***Bonus Recipe***

I hosted a game night a couple weekends ago at my house and made a few foods to snack on.  Among the snacks was a recipe I found on the Chex Website.  I did not want to go with the traditional savory mix so I chose a sweet recipe.  It was definitely a big hit and I can't wait for another game night so I can make it again.  This recipe makes a lot so you'll want to share with friends and family because if you don't you may just end up eating it all yourself.  Enjoy!

Chex® Honey Nut Cherry Crunch 

Makes 28 servings (1/2 cup each)

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups Honey Nut Chex® cereal
• 4 1/2 cups Rice Chex® cereal
• 2 cups whole cashews
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup dried cherries (I substituted craisins)
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In a large microwavable bowl, mix cereal and cashews.
2. In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and honey and salt uncovered on High about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir butter mixture. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
3. Microwave uncovered on High 4 minutes, stirring every minute. Stir in cherries and sesame seeds. Microwave an additional 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Store in airtight container.

Nutrional Information:
1 Serving: Calories 160 (Calories from Fat 60); Total Fat 6g (Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 190mg; Total Carbohydrate 22g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 11g); Protein 2g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 25%