Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Uh huh, and you thought these were just plain chocolate cupcakes with cute sprinkles.  OH, NOOOO!  These have so much personality!!  Let me tell you why!

I had Mexican hot chocolate a long time ago.  It was SO good, I loved the little spiciness and tiny bit of heat on my tongue after I took a drink.  It just warmed me right up.  I was thinking about it again recently with the weather getting cold, but needed to make some cupcakes for some adults.  I knew only adults would be eating them and I wanted to set off all of their gastro-intestinal alarms so I thought these would be awesome.  Ok, just kidding.  But the chocolate and the spice and the heat just all work and definitely an unexpected flavor combination.  It isn't enough heat to bother most people and you can definitely use the lesser amount or even none at all.  (or more!). 

These really are just a basic nice dark chocolate cupcake with the addition of a few ingredients.  I will warn you the batter will be VERY thin.  You did nothing wrong.  They are so moist when they are done!  I got about 32 cupcakes from this recipe.  Do not fill your liners more than halfway full.  The icing recipe will be exactly enough if you are piping and maybe a bit more if you are just spreading icing on so be generous if you are doing it that way.  If I were making these for people I knew loved the heat I would have but a tiny sprinkle of cayenne on top.  Instead, I used fun little fall sprinkles!  Like I mentioned before, remove the cayenne and cinnamon if you want just a plain super moist delish chocolate cupcake.  But I encourage you go for the gusto!

Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cup flour (all purpose)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
5 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine dry ingredients n a large bowl or in the bowl of your standing mixer.  Add in remaining ingredients except boiling water, mix to combine.  When well combine add in boiling water and mix again, just until the water is incorporated.  This recipe will yield about 28-32 cupcakes.  You could also make in a 9x13 pan.  Cupcakes bake 20-25 minutes.  If you are using a 9x13 bake it for 30-35 minutes!  Let cool and let's make this creamy frosting!

Frosting:
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup warm water (may need an extra couple of tablespoons especially if piping)
4 cups confectioners sugar

Mix all ingredients until smooth and creamy!  Pipe or spread icing on your cupcakes!

Enjoy these unusually delicious treats!

Eclair No Bake Dessert

Long ago, in a place far, far away......

 

I met my bestie, Mel.   She taught in the classroom next to me and my principal suggested I introduce myself because we were both young, (see I told you it was a long time ago) and she thought we would get along well.  So that morning, when we met in the gym to get our students, I saw her walk in.  She appeared about 7 feet tall and had ALL this red (natural) LONG, curly hair bouncing side to side.  I thought to myself, "self, she isn't friend material look at her strutting in here like a diva".  She had on 4 inch heel boots, and was gorgeous and I thought, "wow, she is obviously delusional with her perfect hair, high heeled boots, makeup, accessories and all her tallness, in PRE-K".    Anyway, isn't it funny (and sad) how we judge people.  I think I was actually not judging, but intimidated by all that hair.  I finally decided to invite her class over to our classroom for a dance party after several days of being asked, "Have you met Melissa yet"?  It has been downhill ever since!!  We laugh over this still, 10 years later.   After 2 marriages (neither of us were married when we met) , 3 kids (almost), lots of tears, laughter, sadness, joy and 1500 miles apart later we are still best friends.  She married a wonderful man and they are creating a beautiful family!  I am so happy for ALL of them!  Oh WAIT.....did I mention, I picked her husband for her?  Ok well not really, but I facilitated it, isn't that just as important?  Thanks to her visiting me in Nebraska, and a blizzard, she is one adoring wife, of Tom!!

Mel with her husband Tom and son Jackson (and a little pink bun in the oven too)!

As we become better friends and started spending more time together outside of work, Mel just became part of our family.  She would come over and I would have a list, we affectionately called "the tall girl list".  You guessed it, she helped me paint rooms, hang curtains, cleaned out top cupboards. HA!  Oh, the painting...........!  Was not her favorite tall girl list chore.   I know she is thrilled over my creation of the tall girl last even to this day.  Yea, I am sure she is...

I was just starting to get into cooking, and she dubbed me the "soup Nazi".  Soup has always been my thing.  We would concoct some amazing creamy, fattening soup, slap a Grands biscuit on top and hang out, for hours, or days!  Mel on the other hand, is Betty Crocker.  There is nothing this woman doesn't bake or create.  It would become a tradition for her to make us this Eclair Dessert or we would go pick up french silk pie, (before I knew how to make it)  and we would stay up all night, my husband was working grave shifts then, and just laugh and have great adventures.  She was part of our family from the beginning and it just seemed like we had always been friends.  My husband had to nickname her Rusty.  I am sure she enjoys that to this day as much as she enjoyed the tall girl list back then!

I am not sure how I survived life before her, and there are times the distance since my husband and I moved will kill me but, one day Mel, I swear we will be neighbors, and I won't have 1500 miles separating me from my sister from another mister!  Thanks for sharing your life,  your food, and yourself with us all these years, you have never really been a friend, you have just been part of our family! 

Aren't girlfriends the best?  Are there things you do with your girlfriends that are hilarious and fun?  Did I mention we used to drive through the worst parts of Philly just for fun?  OMG, we drove through some sort of "event" on this narrow street in Fishtown and we couldn't get out of it so you threw the car in reverse and backed up 2 blocks to get out of it?! "Yelling" at me the whole time, "OMG OMG OMG OMG, WHY do you NEVER give me the right directions ANYWHERE" ROFL  I miss our adventures, Ikea, Staples (mwaaahaha), farms out in Franklinville and coffee, at Fortesque at midnight.  Some of these I still laugh out loud about when I think of them!  I love you and miss you!!

Eclair No Bake Dessert
3 small boxes of vanilla instant pudding (I used sugar free)
4 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 - 8oz tub of cool whip (feel free to substitute fresh sweetened whipped cream)
16 ounces of chocolate frosting.  (it can be store bought, or homemade)
1 box graham crackers (not the cinnamon ones)

In a large bowl combine pudding mix, vanilla, and milk.  With an electric mixer, beat until combined.  Fold in cool whip or whipped cream.  In a 9x13 pan, lay the bottom with graham crackers.  Don't crush them, lay the crackers so they cover the bottom.  Add half of your pudding mixture on top and spread evenly.  Add another layer of graham crackers and the rest of the pudding mixture.  Now take your icing and microwave it for a few seconds to make it almost runny.  It will pour easily over the top and you can use an offset spatula or knife to spread it out.  If you don't heat it up to thin it out, it will be impossible (obviously) to spread it over soft pudding.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.  I like to put mine in the freezer for a few minutes as well, I like the texture when it has been SLIGHTLY frozen but not completely.  Feel free to just chill if you like.

Easy or what?  The best thing is the memories it brings back, AND how delish it is.

 

Your "besties forever" chefwannabe

PS.  FYI, if there were written on paper, it would be unreadable because of my tears...HAPPY ones of course!