Thursday, December 13, 2012

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes for People.com!



I still haven't made any Christmas cookies, but I made these adorable cupcakes for People.com. As in People Magazine!!! Outside I'm calm and collected, inside I'm jumping up and down with glee! How exciting is that? I was asked to contribute a kid friendly holiday cupcake photo and I didn't have anything on my blog that was quite right, so I came up with these hot cocoa cupcakes that were not only cute but tasty and full of holiday flavors. 

I started off with my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and substituted prepared hot cocoa in place of the water and added a handful of chocolate chips for extra richness and flavor. Then instead of frosting, I used an array of cocoa toppings that included fresh whipped cream, mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips and crushed peppermints. Since these cupcakes are essentially mugs of hot cocoa, I finished them off with edible mini candy cane handles. I loved how these turned out! If you like chocolate and mint, these are sure to be a hit with your little elves. 

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes from Monica h


For The Cupcakes:
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup prepared hot cocoa, cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
For The Whipped Cream
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnishes:
  • mini marshmallows
  • mini chocolate chips
  • crushed peppermints
  • 18 mini candy canes

For The Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake tins with 18 paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Using a wire whisk, blend the dry ingredients thoroughly.

Add the oil, prepared hot cocoa, vanilla and eggs to the dry ingredients. Whisk until well incorporated and no lumps remain. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Evenly divide the batter between the lined cupcakes tins.

Bake the cupcakes for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes; then place them on a rack to cool completely.

For The Whipped Cream: In a medium bowl, combine heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until thick, creamy, and slightly stiff, being careful not to overbeat. 

To Assemble The Cupcakes: Pipe or mound the sweetened whipped cream onto the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a sprinkling of mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips and crushed peppermints. Add a mini candy cane tucked into the side of the cupcake, to make a handle for the "mug" of hot cocoa. 
Serve immediately. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. 

Makes 18 cupcakes. 

31 comments:

  1. WOW!! That's fantanstic! Congrulations, Monica! The cupcakes and photos are beautiful! How's Hayden?

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  2. Way to go Monica, congratulations!

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  3. Fabulous news and fabulous cupcakes! Brilliant idea. Gorgeous

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  4. That's fantastic! And those look delicious! Well done!

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  5. Doing the happy dance for you, Congratulations!! Super cute cupcake.

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  6. These are so, so cute! :) And congrats on the whole People thing! That's major!!!!

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  7. Beautiful photos and tasty recipe which is totally worthy of People!!! Congrats my friend and thanks again for the treat!

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  8. These cupcakes look so good. Congrats on People.

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  9. Go, girl! Very clever creation, my friend. Merry Christmas!

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  10. Really really creative! You rock!

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  11. Those are just way too cute, and I really wanna eat one now!

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  12. These Hot Cocoa cupcakes are absolutely gorgeous, very cute and festive cupcakes, I'm really delighted with your creative work. I've featured this recipe on my blog, hoping that you don't mind, but if you do, please contact me and I'll remove it. All the best.

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  13. I saw these cupcakes on people.com and came to your site! I'm going to make them and I'll tell you how they came out! They look amazing!

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  14. These look delicious! I usually make baked doughnuts but was tempted to make these after. Great job, and beautiful pictures! sugar free chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

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  15. what a wonderful idea. I'm making this soon, sooner, soonest!

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  16. These are lovely, we often have cupcakes at Christmas for a good alternative to Christmas pudding, I really want to try these this year.

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  17. Yes yes yes!these are so freaking good thanks for the recipe:)

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  18. Can these be left at room temperature for several hours without the whipped cream melting? Or dobyou recommend keeping them refrigerated up until you're ready to serve?

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    Replies
    1. They can stay out a couple hours as long as it's not overly warm.

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    2. Great, thanks so much! Making these for my coworkers. I baked them tonight, and they look delicious! Can't wait to decorate them tomorrow!

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  19. Hi! Making these for tomorrow. Can I ice them tonight and put them in the fridge?

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  20. I just made these for a family holiday meal and they were a HUGE hit! I made the rookie mistake of putting the candy canes on the cupcakes several days in advance and they got gooey and the red dye ran into the frosting. I was able to add more crushed peppermint the day of the meal and they turned out great! I plan to make these again!

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  22. I was wondering what brand of cocoa powder did you use? Also how do you prepare the hot chocolate, with water or milk?

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  23. I used Guittard hot cocoa mix but really you could use anything, even Swiss Miss. i always make it with milk because I think that tastes best.

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  24. Thank you, I think I am going to try these out!

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  25. Im excited to try these out. but i have a question. when doing the hot cocoa do you mix it with milk or water? noraml when i make hot cocoa i do water but i dont want the cupcakes to come out wrong.

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Thank you for your supportive comments. I appreciate each and every one of them!