Normally on Thursday I’d do a “Life Lately” post. But life lately at the Kissel house has been a lot of coughs, sniffles, and runny noses. Lucy got a bad cold first, and because she was so pathetically cute we had to snuggle and love on her even more than usual . . . so now Matty and I have colds as well. Boo!
So rather than post a bunch of pictures of runny noses and mamas without make up on, I have a special treat for you today . . . a guest post!! That’s right, my sister-in-law, Sarah, is here on the blog today to talk about one of the most delicious desserts I’ve had in a darn long while. Sarah, her husband Brian, and their sweet baby boy Tommy live in Bloomington, Illinois . . . which is about 6 hours from here. We don’t get to see them that often, but we met up at the cottage last weekend, and Sarah blew me away with these cupcakes. Seriously . . . I think I ate 6 of them in two days!
Here’s one of my favorite pictures of Sarah and Tommy. I don’t know how she bakes cupcakes when she could just be doing this all the time:
But anyways, without further adieu, I’ll pass things over to Sarah so she can share her recipe.
As Molly promised in her last post, here is the lowdown on the sweet treat I whipped up last week at the cottage… chocolate cupcakes with chocolate chip cookie dough frosting! Actually, it was the second time I turned out a batch of these last week. The first time I had a few leftover cupcakes (by which I definitely don’t mean those I had set aside for my own enjoyment after they conveniently didn’t fit on the serving tray). Molly, equipped with an eagle eye for sweets, spotted the container of them in the background of a photo taken in my kitchen and inquired as to why I’d never made them when she was around. So, situation now remedied!
(Hey guys, it’s Molly again . . . here’s the picture to which Sarah was referring. Yes, she and Tommy look cute, but do you see that Tupperware on the shelf in the background? That’s what caught my eye!)
Anyway, the cake portion of these little gems is simply from a mix. I’m a fan of Duncan Hines devils food cake mix, but anything you like would totally work here. If you have a favorite from-scratch cake recipe, that’d be great too. To be fair, the original recipe calls to fancy up the cake mix with sour cream, extra oil, and other goodies but I figure the frosting is the star of the show anyway so I’ve never bothered with this part. I used Reynolds baking cups (http://www.reynoldskitchens.com/products/baking-cups/) without a muffin tin for the first time and was overall pleased with how they turned out. The cupcakes were a bit freeform, but I like to think it added to the whole homemade, whimsical vibe.
So on to the good stuff – the frosting! Essentially you make chocolate chip cookie dough with mini chips and leave out the eggs so that it can safely be eaten raw. I use my cookie scoop to dole out a dollop of frosting on top of each cupcake and then spread it out with my fingers. Yes, you could use a knife or spatula, but I find that I like the frosting pretty thick and this method works better for me.
A couple other notes on the frosting: I like to use dark brown sugar for its caramel/molasses flavor and am very generous with my pinch of salt. And why stop at 3/4 cup of mini chips? I say a good cupful or more is appropriate.
A Hershey Kiss or store-bought mini chocolate chip cookie would make a perfect garnish for these cupcakes.
Here’s the link to the recipe:
Happy baking!
Thanks to Sarah for taking the time to do a guest post! It gives people something to read, and it gives me more time to wipe runny noses and cuddle Lucy Belle! And because a few people have mentioned that they don’t like when I do recipe posts because they want to see pics of Lucy, I’ll leave you with this one. This is how she’s been napping lately. Rest assured . . . her cheeks are still large!
Have a great weekend!
XOXO
Gary and I will say a prayer for a speedy recovery for all of u, I had a cold for only 2 days last week 🙂 we were surprised and happy it only took away two of our vacation days from us. Thomas looks so sweet in the pictures and like always Lucy and her cheeks r precious, Sarah thank u for the cupcake idea we are planning a small birthday party in march and I didnt want to order cake and Gary suggested the cupcakes that u made. U all look like u are doing well 🙂 we extended our vacation by two days but will be heading home on sat. Take care xo
Well done Sarah!! These look amazing and I can't wait to try them!!! Molls, Lucy's cheeks are definitely large and in charge 🙂