Weekend Recap and Chocolate Cupcakes

What a weekend.

I surly hope that the rest of you were not as busy as I seemed to have been.

Saturday:

Sleep in to shake off the last remnants of my cold.

Then I did a little laundry and light house work.

After that my friend picked me up and we drove to a nearby town to check on a friend of her's.

Later in the day, we attended a Forensic conference.

And finally dinner with friends.

Sunday:

Breakfast and an estate sale with Steph from Hope Sewing Genetic.

Then my sister and her kids came by for a visit.

And we made...

Chocolate Cupcakes.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• 4 large eggs, room temperature

Directions:

Melt Chocolate:

• Place chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water on low heat for about 10 minutes.
• Stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces of chocolate remain.
• Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm 5 to 10 minutes.

Cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
• Set aside.
• In a small bowl, sift together flour and baking soda.





• Set aside.
• In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
• Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated.
• Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla.
• With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat.
• Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.
• Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
• Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
• Add marshmallows on top for a bit of added fun.