Tuesday, January 15, 2013

It's Snowing Again + Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

I passed my Wintermester class with a B!
choc cream cheese cupcake collage
 I decided to work most of the days this week before my Spring classes start next Tuesday. I got a message from my mom saying that if I decided to bake something and bring it to work that her coworkers would happily dispose of them. 
hint taken.

 The only rule was whatever I made could not contain nuts of any kind since a few people were allergic. Plus the dessert had to travel well and didn't need refrigeration since the fridge at work is always packed full.

  I never realized how many dessert recipes that I've bookmarked to try that also contain nuts {about 80%}so I  had to do a little searching. I decided that I would make a regular dessert meaning it would most likely contain grains, white sugar, dairy; basically the desserts I generally try to stay away from. 

It seems that everyone at work knows about my love for baking and willingness to provide desserts...
Jon {the boss} loved my GF dark chocolate brownies that I made with coconut oil.
Dark Chocolate GF Brownies
I made these Cadbury Egg Blondies at least 4 or 5 times for everyone since I posted the recipe. 
A classic like these puffy chocolate chip cookies are always a hit. 
The Toffee Chocolate Chip Blondies were also happily eaten when I made an extra pan . 

   After work Monday night, my mom and I made a quick trip to Whole Food's where we picked up a carton of milk for my dad, some vegan cake slices for me and a big container of their Mexican chicken soup which I love. This morning we woke up to discover that it was snowing once again in our part of Texas which no one expected. My mom and I stayed home from work because like on Christmas, we got the worst of it compared to the other towns so today was a lazy day.
chocolate cream cheese cupcakes
 I had to make the cupcakes in batches since I only had 1 cupcake pan. You will want to distribute the cream cheese a little better than I did since I added a little too much to the first batch and ran out for the second, but they all tasted good. Next time I might try using *tofutti's better than cream cheese {it's dairy free} so I can eat more than one cupcake and not having to worry about it upsetting my stomach.


Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Adapted: Table for Two
yields: 2 dozen cupcakes
Notes:
-I cut the sugar down to 1 1/2 cups, the salt content to 1/2 tsp, and used unsweetened applesauce instead of the oil.
-I baked the cupcakes for only 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened*
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mini or regular chocolate chips

Cupcakes: dairy & egg free
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar {I used 1 1/2 cup}
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water
2/3 cup oil or unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 muffin/cupcake pans with liners or spray with non-stick spray.
2. In a bowl, mix everything for the filling except the chocolate chips until smooth and fluffy. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until blended.
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the water, oil/applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla into the dry mixture until no streaks of flour are visible.
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full of batter then add 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick that's inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can either store the cupcakes in an air-tight container at room temperature or in the fridge. 

3 comments:

  1. They look so cute! I envy your mom's colleagues :)

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  2. These both sound incredible and look absolutely gorgeous! It’s actually my mom’s birthday today, and though I can’t exactly make these and give them to her since she’s lives far ..I can make them for myself and eat them to celebrate my mom’s birthday, right? That’s allowed, isn’t it? Dropping by from KitchenArtistry

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  3. I think that is perfectly allowed Nilanjana ☺

    ReplyDelete