Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

I love brownies, but I'm a very picky brownie eater. I usually go for the really really fudgy ones, and the cakey ones are the last kind I usually go for. These Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes were a bit of an in between: kind of fudgy, kind of cakey. They were definitely a great cupcake that mimics a brownie. They were what I expected, and wasn't let down. If this cupcake were to have been too fudgy, then they wouldn't have been so good. These were just right. This recipe from 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson is a must try!

First, I mixed together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, I added the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and melted butter.

I added the vanilla and almond extract...

...the eggs...

...and the flour mixture.

The batter was very smooth.

I then folded in the chocolate chips.

The batter was for exactly 12 cupcakes.

Without any decoration at all, they're quite ugly. They still tasted pretty good though!

These were decorated with the Chocolate Fudge Frosting I have used so much.

The semisweet chocolate chips really brought an extreme brownie feel to these cupcakes. These weren't very moist though. They were normal, yet tasty. They got pretty decent reviews from the people that tried them. My favorite is the variation that follows.

This recipe included one variation:
Substitute white chocolate chips for the semisweet.

I frosted these with a really yummy Coffee Buttercream.

I think it was the white chocolate chips that did me in. They added a nice smoothness to the batter, and they really brought out the almond extract in the batter. This batter was complemented really well by the Coffee Buttercream. It was just airy and yummy!

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes
*makes 12 cupcakes*

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 eggs
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325F.
2) Line muffin pan with paper liners.
3) In a small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
4) In a large bowl, whisk together granulated and brown sugars and butter until smooth. Whisk in vanilla and almond extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture, beating until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
5) Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 28 minutes or until a tester inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached and a little melted chocolate. The tops of cupcakes will not spring back when touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting
*makes enough to frost 12 to 18 cupcakes*

Ingredients :
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp chocolate cream liqueur
1 tbsp strong brewed coffee or milk
pinch salt

Directions :
1) In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, butter, chocolate liqueur, coffee, and salt until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary.
2) Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes.

Coffee Buttercream
*makes enough to frost 16 or more cupcakes*

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioner's sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp hot coffee
1 tsp coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlúa

Directions:
1) In a small bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together butter, sugar, and salt until well combined. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, beating until frosting is smooth.
2) In a small bowl, mix together coffee granules, hot coffee, and liqueur. Stir until coffee granules are dissolved. Let cool completely.
3) Add cooled coffee mixture to butter mixture, beating until smooth, creamy, and well mixed. You will need to scrape down sides of bowl several times while mixing.
4) Spread icing over cooled cupcakes with a knife or place in a pastry bag and pipe decoratively over cupcakes.



Recipes from 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson