40 Calorie Chocolate Muffin Cupcakes

I think I need to explain a couple things from the title.

First off, what on earth is a muffin cupcakes? 

Well, a muffin tends to carry the stereotype of dry and not very sweet.  A cupcake is supppsed to be moist cake covered in frosting.

This is a cross between the two.

These are incredibly moist and fluffy (the most moist and fluffy muffin/cupcakes ice EVER MADE) but they don't have frosting. So, muffin cupcake. Looks like a muffin, tastes like a (DECADENT) cupcake.

Also, I am not a calorie counter (did that for a while, hated it, and quit.)  But, other people do and they like these kind of recipes.  Win for them, win for me!  You would never guess these have no butter or oil. Never. Somehow, the zucchini shreds disappear while baking and become agents for the lightest, moistest cupcakes.

And let's talk about pumpkin. You may notice I use it way more than applesauce. In my experiences, pumpkin produces fudgier brownies and moister baked goods than applesauce. Although the color is a little more difficult to disguise, it is thicker and I've really liked the texture it has given my recipes. In both of these recipes my family was unaware "Mary Frances's pumpkin (my brothers act as if it is a bad word:)" was in it. 

Between the pumpkin and whole wheat  (fiber boost) and zucchini and applesauce (fruit and veggies) these are wonderful snack options. Or lunch. Good grief, eat them for breakfast - it's really good, I promise. (From experience:)

And they take all of 15 minutes to whip up and then less than 15 more in the oven. That's all the time you need to have a healthy, low cal, and delicious cupcake no one would guess has zucchini or pumpkin in it. 

 

40 Calorie Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe Source:  Slightly adapted from Yammie's Noshery
Yield: 24 muffin cupcakes

1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 375º. Grease muffin tin (24 mini)

Combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the applesauce, egg, vanilla, and zucchini and mix with a spoon just until combined.

Divide the batter into the baking cups and bake for 11-13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one comes out clean.

Thanks to our zucchini plant, I've been using it in everything.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies.  Tied with these.  Much thicker and fudgier than these cupcakes (they ARE brownies!) and the zucchini didn't disappear as completely as in these cupcakes.

Cinnamon and Sugar Zucchini Bread.  So moist and delicious!

Frosted Zucchini Bars.  My brothers and Dad love these.  I think it is the frosting more than anything:)

Carrot Zucchini Bread Pancakes.  My new favorite breakfast! 

White Chocolate and Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes

I've been seeing this combo of white chocolate and peanut butter all over the blogosphere.  I finally decided to try it!

These are actually fairly fluffy and not as dense as I expected.  Between the banana, yogurt, and peanut butter, I expected these to be mini pound cakes.  But no, these are slightly moister than traditional cake, (and I like mine that way!) but still fluffy and tender. 

I debated how I wanted to do this, but the end result is even better than I had hoped.  The banana is subtle, and the peanut butter and white chocolate get to shine.  I'm not a huge white chocolate fan, but I had most of a bag left over from this milkshake so I had to use it!  Peanut butter (aside from being my favorite ingredient ever) was a new and exciting pairing.  I wasn't disappointed by how they blended.  The white chocolate wasn't overpoweringly sweet and neither was the peanut butter overly nutty.  The flavors are both there and compliment each other really well.

The frosting is SO simple and yet it adds so much to these cupcakes!  I guess in order to call it a cupcake, it needed frosting, and I really like this one.  It is more of a thick glaze, but these cupcakes really don't need very much.  To be honest, they don't need the frosting, but they looked so boring on their own, I needed something to make them photogenic.  (Isn't it always the best recipes that look the worst?  I mean, how can I tell you this cupcake blends three incredible flavors in a moist and tender cupcake when all there is, is a tan cupcake with no color or chunks of texture?  So, I needed the frosting.  And the sprinkles, because sprinkles make everything festive:)

White Chocolate and Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life.  Adapted from Chiquita
Yield: 12 frosted cupcakes

Cupcakes:
2 medium bananas, ripe and mashed
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 oz. white chocolate chips, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Optional: Sprinkles, white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.  Line and lightly grease a regular 12 cupcake pan.

For cupcakes:  Mash bananas well.  Beat eggs and add bananas, milk, yogurt, peanut butter and vanilla.  Stir until smooth.  Add melted white chocolate chips and stir.  Combine sugar, flour, salt and baking soda and add to wet ingredients.  Stir until moistened. 

Spoon into prepared pan, filling 3/4 way full.  Bake for 15-17 minutes.  Let cool before frosting.

For frosting: Melt butter and white chocolate chips in microwave for 30-40 seconds, stirring occassionally.  Heat for 10 seconds longer, if necessary.  Stir in peanut butter and let cool for one minute.  Spread on cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with sprinkles and white chocolate chips, if desired.

Mint Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

I love how versatile chocolate is.  It goes with everything, doesn't it?  Peanut butter, caramel, bananas, dates, . . . and yet I haven't done anything with mint.

Shame on me.  Shame, shame.

I have a good reason for it, really I do!  In addition to not liking chocolate, half my family doesn't like mint.  So that is why this only makes four or five.  Waste not, want (a diet) not.

I was reminded of this classic duo after looking through pictures from Savanna's birthday party.  She used Junior Mints and chocolate in a dessert version of Chopped.  While we didn't have Junior Mints, we did have Andes Mint Baking Chips.

 

Mint and chocolate is a cool and refreshing dessert flavor combination.  Very sophisticated and more formal than, oh, lets say these.  And I know any mint and chocolate lover will flip for these.

Aaaannnnd this isn't a cupcake, just to let you know. Its a brownie. (Love brownies.) They're so much denser and chewier than cupcakes. (LOVE brownies.) And they tend to be richer and more chocolaty (LOVE brownies!) So, that's why we have brownie cupcakes.  (Love - oh, never mind.)

Rich and chewy brownie base topped with smooth and minty buttercream?  Sign me up!

Truth be known, I had never made buttercream.  (Shame, shame.)  Wow, was I missing out or what. So smooth and thick, perfect for frosting. It even cooperates with slow photographers! Never sliding, never smushing, just sitting there quiet and firm, waiting patiently for me to find the right angle and lighting.  What's really awesome is that it holds it's shape really well so when you bite into it, you bite clean - no smearing or dripping. you know how it gets that slight "crust" after sitting out? Bite through that and then it melts in your mouth.

The cupcakes cool fairly quickly, so it is easy to beat the buttercream while the brownie cupcakes are baking and cooling and is a cinch to frost (remember how cooperative the frosting is?)  You can choose to color your buttercream, if you wish; it adds a festive air and coordinates with your flavor.  (I'm OCD the way.)  Also, I only added mint extract to half of my buttercream because as much as I wanted to keep the extra icing to myself, I knew I needed to share some of it with my brothers.  They don't like mint.  Shame, shame.

Update:  I made these again and doubled the recipe.  I got a round dozen this time!

Mint Brownie Cupcakes with Mint Buttercream
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Yield: 5 frosted cupcakes 1 dozen frosted cupcakes

Brownie Cupcake
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tbsp. water
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Andes Mint Baking Chips
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Buttercream
1 stick butter, softened
1-1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tbsp. milk
drop of green food coloring (optional)
1/8 tsp. mint extract (opt.)


Brownie Cupcake
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp. water
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups Andes Mint Baking Chips
2 egg
1-1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Buttercream
2 sticks butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp. milk
drop of green food coloring (optional)
1/8 tsp. mint extract (opt.)

Preheat oven to 350. Place cupcake liners in muffin pan.

Melt coconut oil on stove. Add sugar and water and stir until dissolved. Add andes baking chips and stir until smooth. Let mixture cool before whisking in egg.

Add flour, baking soda and salt to chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For buttercream: Beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and milk and beat until smooth. Add food coloring and extract, if desired.

Oh, and maybe you are wondering why the cupcakes have coconut oil and not butter when we use butter again in the buttercream. Well, long story short, I used a recipe where there turned out to be too much butter. Not only did it pool in the bottom of the cupcake liners, it and egg were all I tasted. So, I being incredibly afraid of wasting another batch of cupcakes, used coconut oil instead of butter to see if it turned put differently. Because the amount of coconut oil worked great, you should be able to sub butter for the coconut oil with no problems at all. Maybe you weren't wondering that at all, but now you have another Mary Frances kitchen fiasco to add to your collection!

Linked up with Mandy's Recipe Box, nap-time creations, and Chef in Training.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

I really enjoy cooking and there are several reasons.  One, I love looking at all the different possibilties for food.  Two, I love the process of baking.  Three, I really enjoy feeding people good food.  And finally, I love to eat food.  And if I am going to eat it, it might as well taste and look really good.

Yesterday, I needed to make a snack for a class I am part of.  Fall is such a fun season with the beautiful colors, crisp weather, and wonderful smells.  For me, nothing says fall like pumpkin and cinnamon.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life.  Slightly adapted from Taste of Home.
Yield: Well, this recipe originally made 24 regular sized cupcakes. But the recipe above is the halved version and I got 36 mini cupcakes and 6 big cupcakes. And the frosting frosted all the mini ones

Prep: 25 min. Bake: 15 min. + cooling

1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons applesauce
1-1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
7 oz. pumpkin puree
1 cup + 3 tablespoons flour
1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup buttermilk

2 oz cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

 

In a large bowl, cream butter, applesauce and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin. Combine the flour, pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and ginger; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.

 

Fill paper-lined mini muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

 

For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers.

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