Truly Different Cupcakes

A fudge-y brownie but in cupcake form.

1 and a half hours

Serves: 18

Easy

An easy to make cupcake that turns out more like a very fudge-y brownie. They live up to their name!

Well, this one is post I knew would come eventually but I never wanted to think about. It doesn’t have anything to do with these cupcakes though. This was the first recipe I made without Grandma Jackie. Unfortunately, she passed peacefully in July. At 95 she lived a long life and was the matriarch of a family who loved her dearly. You can’t ask for more than that. And up until earlier this year when day to day things started to get tougher, she and I would text about nearly every recipe I made. There are lots of ways that I’ll keep Grandma with me — but making these recipes will be one of the main ones.

Now, on to these cupcakes…

I was struggling to figure out which recipe to make as the first one without Grandma. I didn’t really want to make one that was too much of a family favorite. That seemed like it could be pretty tough without her and something I might need to work back up to. I had found this recipe in her recipe box and have always love the name. It just sounds like her and definitely a product of its time. And, Grandma Jackie was herself, Truly Different.

These cupcakes are like a brownie, but kind of fudge-y with an almost kind of caramel flavor. They are quick and easy to make and sure smell fantastic while you bake them. And, since this recipe states — several times — that you shouldn’t beat the batter, you can easily make these without having a lot of clean up afterward!

I strayed from the recipe a bit though. I kept the melted chocolate chips and margarine separate from the chopped pecans and stirred them both in separately. I just think they combine a little easier that way and get evenly distributed better. I would also recommend really good cupcake liners. This isn’t a place to cheap out as the texture of these cupcakes is pretty dense, they can be hard to get out of the really cheap, thin liners.

I hope you give this recipe a try – they are “truly different.” If you do, please let me know what you think in the comments and share of picture of your results with me on Instagram (@BDHBake s).

Truly Different Cupcakes Recipe Card Front

Truly Different Cupcakes Recipe Card Back

Steps:

Preheat Oven to 325º
Melt Chocolate Chips and Margarine
In a medium sized pot over low heat, melt your chocolate chips and two sticks of butter. Keep an eye on it and stir frequently. You want the chocolate and margarine to be just melted and then remove it from the heat and allow to cool.
Chop Pecans
While the margarine and chocolate is melting, chop your pecans. Or, if you have pecan pieces like I did, just break up the larger pieces so they're all about bite size or less.
Combine Eggs and Vanilla
In a large mixing bowl, add your four eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix with a wire whisk until it's about a uniform color. You don't want to beat the eggs, just get them mixed well.
Add Sugar & Flour
Next, add the sugar to the eggs and vanilla mixture and whisk to combine. Again, you don't want to beat it, just mix until the sugar is all incorporated. Then, add the flour and fold it in to the batter. I used a large spatula to be sure I didn't over mix. Just fold the flour in until you no longer see any bits of dry flour.
Add Chocolate, Margarine and Pecans
Now add the chocolate & margarine mixture into the batter and stir to combine. Then, add the pecans and stir until evenly distributed.
Fill Cupcake Tray and Bake
Line your cupcake tray with paper inserts and fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake in your preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes. Usually, I would recommend using a toothpick inserted into the middle to make sure they are done, but because this batter is so fudge-y, that method doesn't work well. Just try to eyeball it. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tray for about 10 minutes after they come out of the oven and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.