Brownie Cupcakes

Do you ever get a brownie craving? I do. Often. They usually come late at night. When I don't feel like baking, or after every place that would sell a respectable bakery brownie is closed. I'll express my feelings to Grant. I'll tell him how much I need a brownie. He will say - "I'll go get one for you". After many, many years of being married, he KNOWS I won't send him to Albertsons for a brownie, so he's safe offering at ELEVEN PM. When I want a good home made brownie, nothing else will do. Not a boxed brownie. I want one of Sheri's really dense brownies, or a legendary (in our neighborhood) Carol Merrill brownie (actually I love the frosting even more than the brownie!), or a Barefoot Contessa "Outrageous " brownie, or a Cooks Illustrated Classic Brownie.... So a few nights ago, I found this recipe and thought - my troubles are over. I can make a batch of these, wrap and freeze each cupcake, and have them for emergencies. Kind of a Brownie 911. Crisis averted.

Oh and btw- these brownies are really, really delish. Fudgy, chewy and chocolaty. I LOVED the frosting* too. The piping isn't necessary, but it looked fun, so I thought I would give it a whirl.

Brownie Cupcakes

Brownie:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2/3 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/3 to 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Brownies:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place rack in center of oven. Line 10-12 muffin cups with paper or foil baking cups.

Melt the chocolate and butter in double boiler. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, remove and let cool for a few minutes. Mix in sugar a little at a time, until all sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the flour and salt just until blended. Don't over mix*.

Evenly divide the batter between the muffin cups. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE*. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost. You can either spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a small spatula, or if piping, use a medium to large closed star tip to make little rosebuds.

Chocolate Frosting:

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Beat the butter in a separate bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat until all ingredients are incorporated. Increase speed on mixer and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 minutes).

Recipe from the JoyofBaking.com

Tips:

-If you don't have a double boiler, you can either: Melt the chocolate and butter in a stainless steel or other heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Or, use the microwave. Be careful not to scorch the chocolate. Heat for about 30 seconds at a time, then stir.

-I made 12 cupcakes in a standard size muffin tin. After removing from the oven, they sank a bit in the middle. If you baked longer, they wouldn't sink as much, but the cupcake would be dry. I just filled in the indentation with a little frosting.

-**Two of the most common mistakes in making brownies are to over mix (once the flour is added) and to over bake.

-*The third most common mistake/sin: Canned Frosting. Don't go there.

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