Amazing Brownie Batter Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

Over the weekend I got together with my best blogging buddy, Valerie of The Best Is Yet To Be.  We had been wanting to bake together and being the good friend she is, Valerie allowed me to pick the recipe :)  I chose Brownie Batter Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes and couldn't be happier with my selection!

These cupcakes are amazing!  Seriously!  For a choco-holic like myself, one bite and I was in heaven!  Wrapped inside a wonderful chocolate cupcake is a generous scoop of brownie batter, all topped off with a to die for chocolate frosting!  The frosting reminded me of licking the batter bowl when baking brownies.  While eating them I couldn't decide if it tasted more like a cupcake or a brownie.  For research purposes I've had, ahem, a few.  I think that the brownie flavor wins.   But please, please don't take my word for it- go make these!!! 

You will want to plan ahead when baking, in order for the brownie batter part to stay yummy gooey brownie batter and not bake it needs to be frozen when you add it to the cupcake mix.  Don't worry the brownie batter is egg free, so enjoy it without any risk of salmonella!  I actually wish we would have made more of the brownie batter part just so I could sit there and eat it plain :)

Brownie Batter Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes  Source: Kevin and Amanda

Brownie Batter:
1/4 C butter, melted
1/3 C fat-free sweetened condensed milk (We used regular sweetened condensed milk)
1/3 C milk
1 (18.25 oz) box devil’s food cake mix

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined. Using a small scoop (about 1.5 tbsp) drop batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze overnight or until completely frozen.

Frozen brownie batter nestled inside the unbaked cupake batter

Cupcakes:
1 (18.25 oz) box devil’s food cake mix
1 (3.9 oz) pkg Jello instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
1 C sour cream
1 C vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 C milk
2 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips into a very large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a large scoop (about 3 tbsp) drop batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3rds full. Remove brownie batter from freezer and press into the cupcake batter. Bake for 22-28 mins. Valerine and mine only needed to bake for the shorter amount of time. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

After baking!

Frosting:
5 sticks butter, softened
8 oz powdered sugar
1.5 C unsweetened cocoa powder
a pinch of table salt
1.5 C light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
16 oz milk chocolate chips

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring well every 30 seconds. Allow to cool for 5-10 mins. Combine butter, sugar, cocoa and salt and mix until smooth.  Add the corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, then add the melted chocolate and blend until smooth and creamy.  Our frosting was pretty thin so we set it in the freezer for just a couple of minutes to thicken.  Using a ziploc bag with the corner cut off or an icing bag add a generous swirl of frosting to each cupcake.

*Makes 36 cupcakes! 

Seriously!! How yummy does that look?!?

This post linked to: Cupcake Tuesday at Hoosier Homemade, Sweets for a Saturday #4 at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Valentine's Treats at Baked Bree