On the Road

We left early, before the sun had even come up for the day.

Said good bye to the babies, their uncle was staying the week with them.

And set out to discover new lands.

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.