Life by Chocolate Cupcakes

One of my good friends, Christina Hunt, got me on this Pioneer Women cookbook kick and I love it! This is the best stuff I have ever had! The recipes are never good for you, but she claims her food is "cowboy" food and I don't think many working cowboys worry about their weight.

Life by Chocolate Cupcakes

CUPCAKES

2 c. Sugar

2 c. Flour

1/4 t. Salt

1/2 c. Buttermilk

2 Eggs

1 t. Baking Soda

1 t. Vanilla

1 c. Butter

4 heaping T. Cocoa Powder

1 c. boiling Water

Hersheys Kisses, unwrapped

Canned Pitted Cherries (optional)

GANACHE

8 oz.Bittersweet Chocolate

1 c. Heavy Whipping Cream

6 T. Corn Syrup

2 t. Vanilla

Preheat oven to  350 and grease muffin tins.  To make cake batter, combine flour, sugar and salt.  Set aside. In a separate container, combine butter milk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla.  Stir to combine and set aside. Ina saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add cocoa powder and stir.  Add boiling water, allow to bubble for a few seconds, then turn off heat.  Pour chocolate mixture over flour mixture.  Stir a few times to cool the chocolate.  Pour buttermilk mixture over the top and stir to combine.  Pour 1/4 cup cake batter into each muffin cup.  Lightly set one kiss in the middle of each cupcake; do not press down. Alternately, you can add 3 canned, pitted cherries to each muffin before adding the batter.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Allow 5 minutes to cool in the pan, then remove cupcakes and allow to finish cooling on the baking rack.

To make the ganache, heat cream and corn syrup over medium heat.  Chop chocolate and add to a bowl.  Add vanilla to cream mixture, then pour cream mixture over the top of the chopped chocolate.  Whisk together until melted, smooth and glossy.  Dunk cupcakes in ganache.  Allow to cook and set before serving.

James ate his like a puppy and then wanted me to take pictures of how silly he was eating like a puppy.

 These were so moist and fantastic! Just a few side notes...

*I didn't have any Buttermilk, so I used the old 1 Tablespoon of vinegar and then fill to the 1 cup line of the wet measuring cup and then let it sit for a couple minutes.  It only called for a 1/2 cup so I halved the proportions.

*I've never made Ganache before but now that I have, let it cool.  It works warm, but it is so much thicker and yummy when its cooled.  I double dipped the first batch and that was nice too.  I got distracted with the second and I was glad I used liners because I probably wouldn't have been able to get them out.  Darn Facebook! Distracting me from my responsibilities!

*The first batch I didn't use liners, but the kisses stuck to the tin...I don't think that was the point of using them to leave them in the tin.  I did spray the tin, but they stuck.  Maybe you need to flour too? The second batch I used liners but I sprayed them, they come off really easily that way so you can just strip them and then dip and no one will know your little secret. 

I just got a Logan kiss on the arm for no reason...sweet boys! He ran in and kissed my arm and ran out back into his bed! Smart kid I guess!