chocolate cream cheese cupcakes

did I mention I got muffin pans for Christmas? yea. expect to see lots of muffin/cupcake creations in the next few posts. at least until I get them all out of my system.
I've been wanting to make cupcakes for some time now. I knew the first recipe I wanted to attempt was a chocolate cupcake and I simply could not have asked for a better one. cream cheese and chocolate were meant to be together. these cupcakes are outstanding. they are moist and sweet and oh so delicious, I guarantee you'll be making more.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

:: for cupcakes ::
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups water
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla extract

• preheat oven to 350 degrees F. line muffin cups with paper liners.
• in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and baking soda. stir in butter, water, vinegar and vanilla until blended. pour mixture into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

:: for cream cheese filling ::
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

• in a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, apple sauce, agave nectar and salt until light and fluffy. stir in chocolate chips. drop a heaping teaspoonful of the cream cheese mixture into each cupcake. bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. allow to cool completely before icing.

:: for cream cheese frosting ::
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

• using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in large bowl until smooth. add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.

big, fat, chewy chocolate chip cookies

ok ok... I know I've been a bit MIA for the past week, but with all the work that's been taking over my body, I had little time to talk about food. oh I cooked it, and I baked it. and I even photographed quite a bit of it... but to actually have time to write about it just didn't happen.

so here's the thing. I'm not a chocolate person. don't get me wrong, I really enjoy a big chunk of dark chocolate or a fat, chewy caramel covered in milk chocolate just as much as the next person, but when it comes down to it, I'd prefer something else. like some other type of sugary goodness. that being said, I'm not normally a chocolate chip cookie baker. and even more, I'm not normally a chocolate chip cookie baker TWO weekends in a row. seriously, they are that good. and definitely worth taking a break from working to eat a cookie or two... or three.

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe from AllRecipes.com via smitten kitchen

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips - {I only use 1 1/2 cups}

• preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
• sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. in a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.
• beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.
• stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. drop rounded balls of cookie dough, about a spoonful at a time, onto the prepared cookie sheets. cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
• bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

• once cookies have cooled completely, smash about a 1/4 cup of vanilla ice cream in the middle of two cookies for a delightful summer treat.