Mint-Filled Brownie Cupcakes

Nearly everyone I know, young and old, loves brownies. Dense, rich and fudgie are the words that come to mind when I think of sinking my teeth in a decadent chocolate brownie. Nothing beats a good brownie.

I have made plenty of brownies in my lifetime from milk chocolate to dark chocolate; ones filled with nuts, caramel, even swirled with cream cheese but I have never made peppermint ones or have I made them in the shape of a beloved cupcake.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies

Finally, an amazing gluten-free brownie recipe that comes together in one bowl, no mixer required, and has only a few key ingredients! No need to mash up black beans or add baby food prunes to this recipe. No weird blend of various gluten-free flours either and that means no funky aftertaste. This recipe uses almond flour as its base and then a few other ingredients we all have in our pantry. If you have a really good quality dark cocoa powder then have that handy; the better the cocoa powder, the better the brownie - guaranteed!

Now be forewarned, the batter is really thick. In fact when I was mixing it I kept checking the source recipe to ensure I didn't omit any liquids by mistake but I didn't. Then I read the little note in the recipe that said "batter will be thick". They weren't joking. First you need to really stir the batter well to get everything incorporated. I just kept folding with a rubber spatula and that worked very well. Then you need to be careful when you add the batter to the prepared pan. It is hard to move it around once added because it is very sticky so I recommend dolloping scoopfuls evenly throughout the pan then smooth it all over on top with buttered fingertips.

These bake up in 40 minutes and you need to be careful not to overbake or they will get very crusty on the edges and dry out in the insides. Once a knife inserted in the center comes out relatively clean then they are done. Also, don't let them rest in the pan long because you want to stop the baking process once they are out of the oven. Just lift them out gently by holding onto the sides of the parchment paper and place them on a cooling rack. My last tip for you is this - don't cut them (or any brownie for that matter) until they are cool. The reason behind this is that cutting a brownie while warm and then letting it come to room temperature will result in very dry sides rather than that dense gooey texture we love in a brownie.

So if you are ready, let's get baking!

RECIPE:
* adapted source recipe: Guilt-Free Brownies, Chatelaine Magazine

WHAT YOU NEED

8" square baking pan lined with parchment paper so there is 2-3 inch overhang of paper on all 4 sides

2 1/2 cups icing (powdered) sugar
2 cups almond flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder - I used Valrhona
1/8 tsp salt
4 egg whites
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together first 4 ingredients
ADD egg whites and vanilla extract
FOLD well to combine all ingredients
DOLLOP batter evenly into prepared pan and smooth top
BAKE 40 minutes
REMOVE from oven and immediately remove brownies; transfer to cooling rack
LET cool completely before cutting into bars

ENJOY !


Linked here:

Bite-sized Nutella Brownies

Want to make a treat that takes minutes to prepare and not that much longer to bake? Better yet, has only 3 ingredients? Then try this recipe for Nutella Brownies!

You will need some flour, an egg and of course, Nutella. Make these in your mini-muffin pan for the perfect bite-sized treat. The original recipe also calls for hazelnuts but my kids aren't fond of them so I left them out.

I did use the stand mixer to blend the batter but a whisk and a bit of labor will do the trick just as nicely.

Be careful not to over-bake these or they will run on the dry side. Lastly, a swirl of chocolate fudge frosting on these little guys would be a lovely addition.

Let's get started !

Ready for the oven

RECIPE:
*adapted source recipe: Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts with Just Four Ingredients, Abby Dodge

WHAT YOU NEED

1/2 cup Nutella
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 egg

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 12 mini muffin cups with paper or foil liners
IN A MEDIUM BOWL, blend together all ingredients until smooth
FILL cups 3/4 full with batter
BAKE 9-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center still comes out a bit "gooey"
REMOVE brownies immediately from pan and let cool on rack

ENJOY !

Also seen here:

Hummingbird Bakery's Traditional Brownies

Another superb recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. These are dense, rich, and true to their word : traditional. They taste the way a brownie is expected to taste. A bit of a dry, crisp crust. A thick, chewy and oh-so-moist center.

Because chocolate is the most prevalent ingredient and the flavor that really shines through here, it is essential to use top quality chocolate. Otherwise you can expect a mediocre brownie and who wants that?

I used a mixture of 70% Callebaut dark chocolate and Lindt dark chocolate in these bars and the taste is nothing less than phenomenal.

It is also one of the fastest brownie recipes I have ever made. Comes together in a snap! Baked at a low temperature for just 30 minutes ensures no dry edges and no over-baking.

These are amazing jazzed up for dessert too. Serve a square of warm brownie topped with vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of hot fudge sauce. Nothing beats it !

Now let's get started

The look of a perfectly baked brownie:

The crust starts to dry a bit and the brownies pull away from the sides of the pan

RECIPE:
*altered source recipe: Traditional Brownies, Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

WHAT YOU NEED

6-1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate*, roughly chopped (*I used 1/2 Dark Callebaut and 1/2 Dark Lindt)
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1-2/3 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs

MAKE IT

LINE 9” X 13” baking pan with parchment paper
SPRAY parchment paper with cooking spray
PREHEAT the oven to 325°F
MELT chocolate and butter in a large saucepan stirring constantly with a silicon spatula
REMOVE from heat and add the sugar stirring until well incorporated
ADD flour and stir until well incorporated
FOLD in eggs and blend with spatula until thick and smooth
POUR batter into prepared pan
BAKE 30-35 minutes until top is starting to get flaky and edges have pulled away a bit from side of pan

LET COOL completely before cutting into bars

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Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

Let's face it, who doesn't love brownies? And who doesn't love cupcakes? No show of hands? Exactly.

Why choose? Combine the rich and chocolatey density of a brownie into a cupcake topped with fudge icing and you pretty much have my definition of heaven.

I had 2 special ingredients on hand for this recipe but you can make it without them. Just ensure you have some good quality dark chocolate (4 ounces worth) before you begin. I wanted to dress these up a bit so I chose an extra dark Godiva chocolate (85% cocoa) and for the decorative topping I opted for some Brownie Tattoos I had purchased several weeks ago at Michael's Craft Store.

The trick to working with the tattoos in this recipe is to use a puncher or circular cutter to get a clean circular cut. After you cut out the circle, simply peel off the edible tattoo
and press gently down onto the icing.

These bake up nicely in paper liners and tend not to rise too much
due to the heavy brownie batter. If you want to bake directly in a muffin pan
then ensure you spray the tin liberally with cooking spray.

Frost them using a piping tip or an icing spatula

to spread frosting over the cupcakes. I used a Wilton 2D tip.


Then apply the tattoo cutouts and enjoy!

LET'S GET STARTED!

RECIPE:
*altered source recipe: Brownie Cupcakes, Joy of Baking

WHAT YOU NEED

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cup fine granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

FUDGE FROSTING

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/3 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Brownie Tattoos (optional)

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 325F
LINE muffin tin with 12 paper liners

IN SMALL DOUBLE BOILER, melt chocolate and butter stirring constantly until smooth and combined
SET ASIDE and let come to room temperature
TRANSFER to large bowl and whisk in sugar and vanilla extract
WHISK in 3 eggs, one a time, until combined
STIR in flour and salt
DIVIDE equally into muffin tin (I use an ice cream scoop to measure out the batter)
BAKE 23-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out sticky with moist crumbs
LET COOL in tin 5 minutes them transfer to cooling rack
LET COOL COMPLETELY

FROSTING:

IN SMALL DOUBLE BOILER, melt chocolate whisking continuously until smooth
REMOVE FROM HEAT and let come to room temperature
IN STAND MIXER fitted with paddle attachment, mix butter 2-3 minutes MED speed
ADD melted chocolate
BLEND until combined
ADD icing sugar and vanilla extract
BLEND slow speed 1 minute, scrape down sides and mix 3 minutes MED speed
SPOON into piping bag fitted with your tip of choice
PIPE frosting onto cooled cupcakes
CUTOUT brownie tattoos, peel of backing and press down lightly into tops of cupcakes

ENJOY !


Also seen here:

Chocolate Banana Brownies

Rich, filled with chocolate, moist with bananas and the size of a piece of cake ! These brownies are amazing and shouldn't be missed. Thanks goes to Chef Michael Smith for, yet again, another superb sweet recipe.

These brownies are quite dense and moist due to the addition of 1 cup of butter, 4 bananas and 4 whole eggs. Let's not forget an entire POUND of dark chocolate.

I did adjust the recipe a tad by adding chopped white chocolate to the batter along with 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.

Due to their weighty batter, these babies take a full 1 hour and 15 minutes to bake. And surprisingly, you can get all of this batter nestled nicely into an 8" X 8" baking pan. I usually bake my brownies in a 9" x 13" pan so this was a bit on the scary side for me. I wasn't sure if they were going to rise up properly let alone cook all the way through. Trust in Chef Smith for he is the master! Sure enough, these were PERFECT.



LET'S GET STARTED

RECIPE*:
*source recipe: Banana Brownies


WHAT YOU NEED

1 pound of dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup of unsalted butter
4 eggs
4 ripe bananas (med size preferred)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 ounces chopped white baking chocolate

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven 325F
BUTTER AND FLOUR 8" X 8" square baking pan
In MED saucepan, melt butter and dark chocolate. Set aside
IN LARGE BOWL, mash together eggs, bananas and vanilla extract
WITH WOODEN SPOON, stir in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder
FOLD in melted chocolate/butter
FOLD in chopped white chocolate
POUR into prepared pan
BAKE 1 hr 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean & brownies are firm to the touch.

ONE WORD: WOW!

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