Muffin top = bad; Cupcake top = good

I'm sure y'all have been brow furrowed worried about my absence from this-here blog (or....just Grace.)

"Did she pull a Dave Chappelle to escape the demands of being a working mom?"

"Did she run away to be a food truck roadie?"

"Did she get institutionalized after attempting to potty train a toddler who poops like a lumberjack?"

"Did she marry Kim Jong Un?"

As likely as the top 3 items are, the truth is: I've just been lazy. Or busy. Or lazy. Same-same. So to assure you that I'm alive and well, here's a cupcake recipe that is guaranteed to provide your daily recommended dose of antioxidants and protein. Claim may or may not be FDA approved.



dark chocolate & peanut butter cupcakes

For cupcakes:

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces for easier melting later

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli double chocolate chips from Costco)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup AP flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sour cream

For Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tbl unslated butter, at room temp

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 tsp salt

1/3 heavy cream

1. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof bowl and microwave at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds, until completely melted. The 30 second intervals are important because you don't want to burn the chocolate. You can also melt using a double boiler set up but I'm all about minimizing the amount of dirty dishes so I prefer the microwaver method. Set chocolate mixture aside to cool.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder in a small bowl to combine and eliminate any lumps.
3. In another bowl, whisk eggs and sugar to combine. Add vanilla and salt then whisk some more until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift 1/3 of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Whisk in sour cream until combined then sift remaining flour mixture and whisk until batter is smooth and thick
4. Bake at 325F for 18-20 mins, until the tops of the cupcakes are set to touch. Cool completely before frosting.
5. For the frosting: set your electric mixture to med and cream together powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Add the heavy cream and beat on hi until frosting is fluffy, smooth, and you have to fight every urge to stick your face in it.

I had a little bit of batter leftover after filling my muffin pan so instead of dirtying a 2nd pan, I decided to break the don't-fill-more-than-2/3-of-the-cup-rule and distributed the remaining batter among the 12 cups. I know, I'm a rebel. The cupcakes still turned out tasty but they put the term 'muffin top' to shame.