Well, another rotation down! I can’t believe 5 of my 8 rotations are over and only one “real” rotation left – surgery – I dread it so! At least I’m finished with psychiatry though. To quote one of my friends, “It’s been crazy”. =) I know I’ll be working a lot of hours during surgery and probably won’t be able to blog/bake 2 or 3 times a week like I’ve been doing, but I have about 10-12 blog posts started so hopefully I can still blog at least once a week.
I’ve mentioned my love of brownies before. I especially love brownies with icing, so brownie cupcakes naturally seemed like a good idea and they were! They’re basically just brownies baked in a muffin tin and topped with a chocolate icing…and sprinkles ;). While I’m usually a dark chocolate kind-of-girl I opted for more of a milk chocolate flavor in this frosting, but you could easily add more cocoa powder if you wanted a more chocolatey frosting. And since Valentine’s Day is Tuesday, I used festive sprinkles. Doesn’t everything look and taste better with sprinkles? I think so. Enjoy!
Brownie Cupcakes
for the brownies:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Line 12-15 muffin tins with paper or foil baking cups.
2. Melt the chopped chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Then stir (can also use a hand mixer) in the sugar. Add the vanilla and then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the flour and salt until well blended.
3. Evenly divide the batter between the muffin cups. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake has moist crumbs. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Once the cupcakes have almost completely cooled, frost with icing.
*from Joy of Baking
for the frosting:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 tbsp butter, softened
2-3 tbsp heavy cream
1. Beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and cocoa and mix until combined.
2. Add vanilla and heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
