© 2012 Blake Stokes

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

8 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces. 2 Ounce bittersweet chocolate chips 1/2 Cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder 3/4 Cup all-purpose flour 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda 3/4 Teaspoon baking powder 2 Eggs 3/4 Cup sugar 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 Teaspoon salt 1/2 Cup sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a medium, heatproof bowl, combine the butter, chocolate chips, and cocoa powder. Using a double boiler, melt the ingredients together, stirring constantly until smooth. Set aside until cool to the touch. Combine the flour, baking soda and powder together in a small bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Add in the sugar, vanilla, and salt, whisking together to combine. Stir the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add one third of the flour to the egg/chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Mix in the sour cream. Pour in the rest of the flour, and stir until no streaks of flour remain. Divide the batter into the cupcake cups, and cook until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18- 20 minutes. Cool completely, and then frost with your chosen frosting. I recommend Easy Coffee Buttercream frosting.

Recipe provided courtesy of Americas Test Kitchen. For more great recipes www.americastestkitchen.com

These are the cupcakes I made at my mom's house to celebrate my 17th birthday. They're a rich, tasty treat that really highlights the chocolate. A quick note, a double boiler is a cooking technique where you put about an inch of water in a medium saucepan, bring it to a boil, and then place a heatproof bowl with your ingredients over the top and use the heat to cook them.