Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

The youngest member of the Wisconsin Test Kitchen got a new cookbook for Christmas, and was pestering us to make something out of it. It was Packer Sunday, and we decided chocolate fudge cupcakes with peanut butter icing sounded like a quality game day treat.

Yeah, they're wearing Packer jerseys over their pajamas.That's how we roll on Sundays. 

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy of Tate's Bake Shop: Baking with Kids

6 T salted butter
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Peanut Butter Icing
Recipe courtesy of Tate's Bake Shop: Baking with Kids

3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 8 muffin cups. 

Combine the butter and chocolate in a medium microwavable bowl. Microwave the mixture on low, stirring occasionally until just melted. 

Stir in the sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each one. Stir in the vanilla, then the flour. 

Divide the mixture into 8 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one cupcake comes out with moist crumbs attached.

Let them cool completely on a wire rack before icing them. 

To make the icing, put the sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla in a small bowl. With an electric mixer, beat the ingredients until they are creamy. 

Add the cream and beat the mixture until it's soft and creamy. 

Spread the icing over the top of the cupcakes. Top the icing with chopped peanuts or sprinkles if desired. 

Notes from the Test Kitchen:
-We highly recommend the cookbook! It gave easy step-by-step instructions and only called for a minimal amount of ingredients. If you want to buy a copy for your own little chef, we've included a link:

http://www.amazon.com/Tates-Bake-Shop-Baking-Kids/dp/0312513968/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421610720&sr=8-3&keywords=tate%27s+bake+shop+cookbook&pebp=1421610728565&peasin=312513968

-Cooking is even more fun with Sawyer now that she's getting older. In addition to her being able to crack eggs or measure and pour ingredients, we can now make cooking time a math lesson also. We've been working on basic fractions (if you need 1/3 of a cup, how many do you need to make a whole cup?), and addition and subtraction (if we have 8 eggs in the carton and use 2, how many do we have left?). Think outside the box, and take the opportunity to make a yummy treat a learning experience as well. 

Also, the cupcakes turned out delicious- super moist and the peanut butter icing was great paired with the chocolate cupcakes. Make a batch of these, it's a great way to spend a little quality time in the kitchen with your little chef.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew