Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
Taking a walk on the dark side today! Chocolate cupcakes are fabulous and all but what about DARK chocolate cupcakes? Dark chocolate cupcakes garnished with the creamiest, dreamiest peanut butter frosting to ever grace your tastebuds and sprinkled with those magical orange, yellow, and brown gems we call Reese’s Pieces.
An intensely flavored moist dark chocolate cupcake, a silky frosting, and a delightful crunch on top. This, my friends, is how you dessert.
I’m not usually a recipe dedicator, but I wanted to give a big shout out with this recipe to my friends Monica and Eric who just tied the knot this weekend. Their wedding gift from me was a super-cool cupcake carrier, and I’m pretty sure these would be the perfect cupcakes to fill it. ;)
But instead of talking about these yummy cupcakes today, I would really love to share with you about my friend. Can I tell you a story?
If you have a solid “base recipe”, the options are endless. For example, a perfect vanilla cupcake can quickly transform into a peanut butter & jelly cupcake. Or turn into a pistachio cupcake with strawberry frosting. Or, my favorite, a coconut and caramel filled variation. We all know the saying if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But, by all means, jazz things up a bit!! And that’s exactly what we’re doing today. I made a batch of my super moist chocolate cupcakes, intensified the chocolate flavor, and topped with something all of us peanut butter aficionados can appreciate. Totally appropriate for your Monday morning, no?
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
An intensely flavored moist dark chocolate cupcake, a silky frosting, and a delightful crunch on top. This, my friends, is how you dessert.
I’m not usually a recipe dedicator, but I wanted to give a big shout out with this recipe to my friends Monica and Eric who just tied the knot this weekend. Their wedding gift from me was a super-cool cupcake carrier, and I’m pretty sure these would be the perfect cupcakes to fill it. ;)
But instead of talking about these yummy cupcakes today, I would really love to share with you about my friend. Can I tell you a story?
If you have a solid “base recipe”, the options are endless. For example, a perfect vanilla cupcake can quickly transform into a peanut butter & jelly cupcake. Or turn into a pistachio cupcake with strawberry frosting. Or, my favorite, a coconut and caramel filled variation. We all know the saying if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But, by all means, jazz things up a bit!! And that’s exactly what we’re doing today. I made a batch of my super moist chocolate cupcakes, intensified the chocolate flavor, and topped with something all of us peanut butter aficionados can appreciate. Totally appropriate for your Monday morning, no?
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cream butter and sugar together just until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined. Add in vanilla and beat again.
- Combine, flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
- Alternating, add flour and milk, starting and ending with flour, beating just until combined.
- Spoon batter into cupcake tins lined with paper liners or lightly greased, to 2/3 full. I use a Large Cookie Scoop. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 16-18 minutes, until done. Use a toothpick to test for doneness, inserting in center, if it come out clean with no batter or crumbs, they cupcakes are ready.
- Let cupcakes rest in pan for 20 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely. Once cool, frost as desired.
