Chocolate Stout Cupcakes: Slainte!

For the last few days I have seen recipe after recipe for chocolate-stout (insert baked good here). I had a recipe that I'd found last year but didn't have the chance to make before St. Patty's day had come and gone. So I decided this would be the year I would try. I learned a few lessons making this recipe, hopefully they'll help you out!

1) Have the beer at room temp if possible. That way the melted butter won't solidify

2) There's no need to use an electric mixer in the beginning (or at all really) unless you have one with a deep bowl and won't make a mess. The wet ingredients are very, very wet and will cover your counters in a beery solution if you're not careful.

3) The recipe does not call for cupcake liners, but we all know life is better if you use them.

4) The recipe says to fill the cupcakes 3/4 full which seems a lot, and when you rotate the pans at 12 minutes you might be worried at the ginormous cupcake mounds in your oven. Fear not, I think something chemical happens with the beer/carbonation and they end up being perfectly normal sized cupcakes.

5) There's a recipe on Food Network for a cream cheese frosting. I was lazy and bought mine from the store - Betty Crocker's popular for a reason.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

· 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

· 2 cups sugar

· 2 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· Pinch fine salt

· 1 bottle stout beer (recommended: Guinness)

· 1 stick butter, melted

· 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

· 3 large eggs

· 3/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.

3) In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at time.

4) Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

5) Lightly grease 24 muffin tins. Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full.

6) Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans.

7) Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.