Brownie Cupcakes

Can you tell I love brownies? I'm addicted to them. So of course I thought brownies would be the perfect thing to bring along when I went to see a friends' new baby for the first time. But I wanted to make cupcakes. Because I wanted to make pretty icing. So I had an inspiration:

Brownie cupcakes. Why not? There are directions for cake-like brownies on the back of the brownie mix, so I thought I'd give it a try. I used a pouch of brownie mix and added mini chocolate chips (because she just had a baby, duh, that means she needs chocolate!). Paired with the sugary buttercream, the darkness of the chocolate brownie was a great combination. And you can probably tell it was a girl, from the pink and the pearls. Such a sweet, cute, adorable baby girl.

This recipe couldn't be easier. Since I used a pouch of brownie mix instead of a box, it only made about 10 cupcakes. Perfect for a gift or for a small dinner party. (If you have a box of brownie mix in your cabinet, you can still make the recipe. Just follow the directions for "cake-like brownies" and double the frosting recipe.)

Enjoy!

Brownie Cupcakes

Printer-Friendly Recipe

Ingredients:

For Brownie Cupcakes

1 pouch Brownie Mix (10.25 oz /8x8 pan size)

Water, eggs, and oil called for on back of pouch, made for cake-like brownies

½ cup mini chocolate chips

For Buttercream Frosting

1/3 cup unsalted butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Food coloring and/or sprinkles for decoration, if desired

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2.    Prepare brownies according to the directions on the back of the pouch for cake-like brownies (either extra water or an extra egg, depending on the brand you use).

3.    Fill muffin cups about ¾ full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

4.    To make the frosting, beat butter with a hand-mixer until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one and mix until combined.  Add the vanilla. The frosting will be crumbly. Add the cream, starting with 2 tablespoons, and beat until the frosting is the desired consistency (adding more cream if necessary). Add food coloring if desired.

5.    Frost cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles, if desired.

Yield: 10 cupcakes

 

Muffin and Cupcake Monday