Chocolate Easter Cupcakes

While some people are busy out shopping for chocolate Easter bunnies I’ve been busy making chocolate cupcakes. 

This cupcake recipe is extremely tasty.  The secret weapon inside the cupcake and icing?  Cinnamon.

I think I’ll just let the pictures convince you these are worth making.

Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 1/4 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 c. sour milk

1/2 c. hot water

1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 heaping tbsp. cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 1 dozen cupcake cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, add butter, sugar, eggs, and melted chocolate chips.  Mix until completely blended with electric mixer.  Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa; mix again.  Add flour, milk and hot water; mix thoroughly.  Add cinnamon and vanilla; beat again.  You will notice batter will turn light and fluffy. 

With a small ladle fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake.  Remove from oven and cool on bakers rack. 

For the frosting, make your favorite chocolate buttercream icing and add 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon.  Frost cupcakes when completely cool.

 

 

These cupcakes are moist and tender.  And they won’t last long – that’s a promise.

Fill your Easter baskets with these

I decided not to buy Easter candy this year.  Instead, I chose to make a simple chocolate peanut butter confection. By all appearances, these little babies will have people thinking you spent hours making them, but that’s not the case.

These peanut butter balls are smooth and creamy, and I will warn you in advance, you cannot eat just one.

Ingredients:

1 c. creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp. margarine

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp. vegetable shortening

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

In a saucepan, add peanut butter, margarine, and salt.    Melt just until soft, remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla, and  sugar.  Mix thoroughly.  Roll the peanut butter mixture into balls.  (You can decide how big, or small you want to make your little morsels.)  Set onto the lined cookie sheets, refrigerate for 1 hour.  Keep balls in the refrigerator right up until dipping time. Melt chocolate chips and vegetable shortening in a double boiler.  (Be very careful not to get any water into the chocolate – this could cause your chocolate to seize.)  Once the chocolate has melted, remove balls from the refrigerator, dip one ball at a time into the chocolate. (Using two forks helps you handle the chocolate covered balls with ease.)  Return balls back onto the cookie sheet to harden, store in the refrigerator until serving.

Happy Easter everyone!