A friend recently requested chocolate cupcakes with coconut frosting for her birthday treat. She was very specific; she wanted a bite-sized dessert that would taste like a Mounds candy bar. After doing a recipe search and not finding exactly what I was looking for, I decided to wing it. Since I wanted a moist and very chocolatey cupcake, I went with a recipe for Dark Chocolate Cupcakes that I’ve had great results with. The batter is made with sour cream and two kinds of chocolate (bittersweet and cocoa powder). Yumm!

I made a basic cream cheese frosting and flavored it with a little coconut extract, vanilla and sweetened shredded coconut. I mounded a blob of icing onto each cooled cupcake, swirling it around to make it look pretty then garnished it with a bit more shredded coconut. The result was a perfect Mounds Cupcake. My friend was so excited when she saw them, and even more excited once she took a bite.

These delicious dark chocolate cupcakes go great with a variety of frostings, such as cream cheese, vanilla, or berry (strawberry, raspberry). Enjoy!!!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
-recipe from Cook’s Illustrated (March 1, 2005)

This recipe does not double very well. Cupcakes made from a doubled batch and baked side by side in the oven yield a slightly compromised rise. It’s best to make two separate batches and bake each separately. Store leftover cupcakes (frosted or unfrosted) in the refrigerator, but let them come to room temperature before serving.

Makes 12 cupcakes. 

 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa (1 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
3/4 teaspoon baking powder 
2 large eggs 
3/4 cup sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
1/2 cup sour cream (4 ounces)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan (cups have 1/2-cup capacity) with baking-cup liners.

Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogenous and thick.

Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes. (To frost: Mound about 2 tablespoons icing on center of each cupcake. Using small icing spatula or butter knife, spread icing to edge of cupcake, leaving slight mound in center.)

Blog parties I’m linked to:
Cupcake Carnival
Cupcake Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesday Tastes
Delicious Dishes
Whatever Goes Wednesday
Chocolate Fridays

Tags: birthday treats, bittersweek chocolate, cupcakes, dark chocolate, kid treats

Pudding is comfort food, and in this case it’s delicious, chocolatey and super easy to make. A small amount of this pudding goes a long way because it’s so rich. Normally, I’d serve the chocolate pudding with some lightly sweetened whipped cream but since I was making it for my munchkins, I didn’t bother. My 6-year-old exclaimed after eating a few bites, “Mommy, how did you make pudding so good?” Priceless! I told him I was magic.

I altered the recipe just a tad based on a few reviews I read about it on the epicurious.com website. I reduced the cornstarch to 1.5 tablespoons and used 1 cup of half & half and 1 cup of 2% milk. The pudding was thick enough without being too thick and had a nice, silky texture. If you substitute semi-sweet chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate, reduce the sugar a bit (bittersweet has less sugar). Serve as is or garnished with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and fresh berries. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Pudding
-recipe from epicurious.com

It’s the extra chocolate that enriches and elevates this dessert from the simple to the sublime. And it takes about 2 minutes longer to prepare than pudding from a boxed mix. What a difference 2 minutes makes. Makes 6 servings.

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch (I used 1.5 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups light cream
3 ounces chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in 1 cup of the cream until smooth, then whisk in the remaining 1 cup cream. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to whisk and boil for 1 minute.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate and vanilla. Let stand for 5 minutes until the chocolate is melted, then stir gently until the pudding is smooth. (Do not stir too much or the pudding might thin out.)

Divide the pudding among 6 small dessert dishes. Let cool for about 20 minutes to serve warm and soft, or chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Mothers’ Little Helpers
June 1999
by Melanie Barnard

I’m linking to these blog parties:
Foodie Friday
Friday Favorites
Finer Things Friday
It’s A Hodgepodge Friday
New Friend Friday
Company Girl Coffee
Chocolate Friday
Friday Food
Follow Me Friday
Favorite Things Friday

Tags: bittersweet chocolate, cornstarch, double chocolate pudding, half & half, light cream, milk, sugar, unsweetened cocoa

These orange-scented muffins are moist, not too sweet and studded with chocolate chips. I’m eating one now between sips of freshly brewed French roast coffee…Yumm! I got the recipe out of the Fresh Every Day Cookbook by Sara Foster. She calls the muffins Orange Chocolate Muffins, but I renamed them Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins since they’re not really chocolate muffins (other than the chocolate chips).

I followed the recipe as written, using Trader Joe’s High Fiber cereal in place of All Bran or bran flakes. The addition of the fiber cereal means you’re getting some roughage along with your chocolate. See…chocolate can be healthy! Next time I make them, I’ll definitely add dried cranberries, too, since I love the flavor combo of chocolate, orange and cranberry.

Orange Chocolate Muffins
-recipe from Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes From Foster’s Market by Sara Foster

These are best served warm, fresh from the oven. Makes 12 large muffins.

1/2 cup bran flakes or All Bran cereal
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
Grated zest of 2 oranges and 1/2 cup of their juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line 12 large muffin cups with liners and spray the top of the pan with vegetable oil spray or grease lightly.

Stir the bran flakes, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl.

In a separate large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the egg and mix to combine. Add the sour cream, orange zest and juice, and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Add the bran-flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of an electric mixer until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips to combine. Do not mix any more than necessary.

Use a 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them to just below the rim of the cup. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center of a muffin and the muffins spring back when touched. Let the muffins rest for about 5 minutes before turning them out. Serve immediately or cool on a wire rack.

Tags: bran cereal, butter, chocolate chips, Muffins, orange, orange juice, orange zest, sour cream

Mole, a Mexican specialty, is a rich, thick sauce with complex flavors. It is usually labor-intensive and includes a long list of ingredients. This quick version of a mole (pronounced MOH-lay) uses canned chipotle chilies and diced tomatoes to form the sauce for tender chunks of chicken. The smoky, spicy sauce includes chocolate, an ingredient commonly found in some moles. Don’t worry, the sauce doesn’t taste like chocolate…it just provides another layer of flavor.

After reading a few other mole recipes, I decided to add 1 teaspoon of oregano, 1 chopped clove of garlic and a dollop of peanut butter to my simmering Chicken Mole with Chipotles. The extra ingredients aren’t necessary but added just a little more flavor. A friend of mine who swung by right after the mole finished cooking got to try some. She loved it (and wanted seconds)! Husband and I loved it, too. The mole was spicy but not too spicy. Serve with steamed rice.

For other fun recipes, check out Foodie Friday.

Chicken Mole with Chipotles
-recipe from epicurious.com

Mole, a classic Mexican chili sauce, gets streamlined here. Chipotle chilies (available canned at Latin American markets and many supermarkets) add heat, while unsweetened chocolate provides subtle sweetness. Serve the stew in shallow bowls with steamed rice. Add an arugula, orange, and red onion salad and a basket of warm corn tortillas. For dessert, offer cinnamon-spiked hot chocolate and wafer cookies. Makes 4 servings.

6 skinless boneless chicken thighs, each cut into 3 pieces
2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 14 1/2-ounce cans chili-style chunky tomatoes in juice
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle chilies plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Coat chicken on all sides with cumin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sauté until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add onion and sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, broth, chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, and chocolate and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens slightly, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; serve.

Tags: Chicken, chipotle chile, chocolate, cumin, Mexican, mole, peanut butter, tomatoes

Chewy and delicious, these gussied-up chocolate chip cookies have a few bonus ingredients thrown in for kicks (oats, coconut, raisins and/or pecans). You can have fun changing up the add-ins each time you make them. Add more chocolate chips if you don’t like raisins or pecans. Anyway, you get the picture…just make ‘em how you like ‘em!

I followed the recipe except I used coconut instead of pecans. I also threw in extra chocolate chips. The combination of chocolate chips, raisins and coconut was great! A few of these cookies and a cold glass of milk might just make your day…it’s worth a try!

John’s Kitchen Sink Cookies
-recipe from marthastewart.com

Makes 24
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture just until combined.

With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chunks, raisins, pecans, and oats.

Drop 2-inch balls of dough, spaced 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten dough balls slightly. Bake 12 to 16 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned, rotating sheets halfway through.

Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

From Everyday Food, March 2008

Tags: chocolate chip, coconut, John's Kitchen Sink Cookies, oats, pecans, raisins

If you’ve got a few ripe bananas to use up then you should give this recipe a try. It’s moist, easy to make and a nice change from plain ol’ banana bread. Each bite of this coffee cake is loaded with cinnamon and chocolatey goodness.

The recipe calls for a metal pan but the glass Pyrex 8×8 pan I used worked fine. I added a teaspoon of vanilla to the cake batter and omitted the walnuts from the streusel. Speaking of the streusel, next time I’d only use about a teaspoon of cinnamon instead of the tablespoon that the recipe calls for. And you could cut down on the chocolate chips if you want it less chocolatey.

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine

Use bananas with some black spots on the skin, a sign that they are really ripe. Makes 12 servings.

1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
3 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside. Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter, and egg in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and blend well.

Spread half of batter (about 2 cups) in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

Tags: banana, chocolate chip, coffee cake, struesel

Little Guy had a birthday this week and requested chocolate cake as his special treat. Recently I’d run across a recipe for chocolate mayonnaise cake so I decided to give it a go. For me, my favorite part of the whole condiment-in-cake experience was when I was making it. The kids were watching me mixing the ingredients and started laughing when they saw me dumping mayonnaise into the mixing bowl. I’m not talking a giggle here and there but full-on, doubled-over laughter. I found out later that what made it so funny for my oldest child was that he thought his little brother was going to end up with a gross birthday cake. In his brain, mayonnaise goes on sandwiches not in cake. Fortunately, the cake turned out moist and quite tasty…there weren’t any complaints.

The cake recipe didn’t include a frosting recipe so I just made my own using cocoa, softened unsalted butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. If you don’t like winging it and need a recipe to follow, go to the Hershey’s website (hersheys.com) and try their “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting. I garnished the cake with white sprinkles and grated bittersweet chocolate. It was a happy day indeed!

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
-recipe from bestfoods.com

Serves: 12

 2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1-2/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
1-1/3 cups water

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans*; set aside.
 
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.
 
3. In large bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise at low speed until blended. Alternately beat in flour mixture with water, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour into prepared pans.
 
4. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. On wire racks, cool 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely. Frost, if desired, or sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
 
*Or, prepare cake mix as above in 13 x 9-inch baking pan and bake 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Tags: cake, chocolate, mayonnaise

I like to call these cookies “Little Bites of Chocolatey Heaven”. They’re moist, delicious and loaded with chocolate. Need I say more?

Instead of using both chocolate chips and chocolate chunks,  I used 1 bag of Guittard Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (my favorite brand). I also used 1/2 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Coffee Extract instead of the espresso powder because that’s what I had on hand. I made three different versions from the same cookie dough: Some plain, some rolled in powdered sugar and some rolled in Wilton Sparkling Sugar (as seen in the photo). Although the sparkling sugar is pretty and adds a slight crunch to the moist cookie, my favorite was the plain version (pure unadulterated chocolate). The cookies are best after they’ve cooled. Mmmmm, chocolate!

Double Chocolate Chunks
-recipe from kingarthurflour.com
 
Break open these dense, brownie-like drop cookies hot from the oven to find pools of melting chocolate inside. Once they’re completely cooled, the chocolate pools solidify into nuggets; either way, they’re oh-so-chocolatey-good!

1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1 cups (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup (2 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa
1 3/4 cups (7 1/4 ounces) King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat Flour or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line with parchment two cookie sheets.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth. Stir in the cocoa powder, then the flour; the dough will be stiff. Mix in the chocolate chips and chunks.

Drop the cookies by tablespoonfuls (about 1 1/2″ balls) onto the prepared baking sheets*, leaving about 1 1/2″ between them. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan. Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

*Variation: Drop the dough balls into confectioners’ sugar or coarse sugar, rolling to coat, before baking. Or sift confectioners’ sugar over the cookies before baking, or drizzle with melted chocolate afterwards—or go wild, and do it all!

*Reader Mrs. M. says she makes a “Chunky bar” variation of these with 4 ounces (2/3 cup) chocolate chips, 4 ounces (3/4 cup) raisins, and 4 ounces (3/4 cup) peanuts, instead of all chocolate chips and chunks. We found that these cookies will be VERY soft coming out of the oven, but don’t panic; they’ll firm up nicely as they cool. Thanks, Mrs. M!

Tags: chocolate, cookies

Brownies are comfort food, plain and simple. Who can pass up a plate full of freshly baked homemade brownies and not have at least one? Good grief, that’s crazy talk!

These brownies are easy to make but the directions are a little different than other brownie recipes. In Step 3, I made the mistake of using a whisk to mix the eggs with the cocoa, vanilla, etc. Because there wasn’t enough moisture from the eggs, it all clumped up and stuck to the whisk. Definitely use a wooden spoon for this step. The rest was straight forward…just stir everything together and spoon the batter into the prepared pan. The recipe calls for Dutch-process cocoa, a mellower and less acidic cocoa that is used in batters with baking powder and/or eggs. A fairly common brand to find in the grocery store is Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa. Another option is to mail order Dutch-process cocoa through kingarthurflour.com.

Fudge Brownies
-recipe from kingarthurflour.com.

Fudgy, cakey, fudgy, cakey… can’t make up your mind? If you’re looking for a brownie that’s right in between those two styles, you’ve found it. These brownies combine a fudge brownie’s ultra-moist texture with a subtle cake-like rise, for the best of both worlds. Our guarantee: These brownies, deep chocolate brown inside with a lighter-colored top crust, will be about 3/4″ to 1″ tall when cut. They’ll be ultra-moist without crossing the line into gooey/underbaked.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups chocolate chips

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan
 
2) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it’s hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.
 
3) While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.
 
4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.
 
5) Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.
 
6) Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9″ x 13″ pan.
 
7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving. Yield: Two dozen 2″ brownies.

Tips from King Arthur bakers:
When testing to see if brownies are done, take a cake tester or the tip of a sharp knife and carefully poke it into the center of the pan, digging around just enough to see the interior. You should see moist crumbs, but no uncooked batter. Yes, you’ll be left with a small divot in the center of your brownies; just cut around it when you’re cutting the brownies into squares.

Tags: Baking, chocolate, fudge brownies

Mmmm, chocolate cupcakes.  I’ve tried making Devil’s Food Cupcakes before but have never been happy with the results. That is until I met this recipe for Chocolate Devil’s Food Cupcakes.  These cupcakes were really good…moist and chocolatey with a fine crumb. Although the cupcakes and frosting are from two different sources, I thought they worked great together. I recommend spending the extra money for the cake flour because it is specially milled to create a tender texture in cakes. The creamy vanilla frosting recipe makes enough to spread an ample amount of frosting on each cupcake. You’ll want to double it, however, if you want mounds of frosting on each cupcake or you’re going to pipe the frosting on with a decorating bag.

For other great cupcake ideas, visit Cupcake Tuesday.

Chocolate Devil’s Food Cupcakes
-recipe from foodnetwork.com

Makes: 36 medium-sized cupcakes

 3/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cocoa powder
6 ounces butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together boiling water and cocoa. Cover and set aside. With a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and add this mixture, alternately with the buttermilk. Add cocoa and water mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Scoop into cupcake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely before decorating. 

Easy Vanilla Frosting
- recipe from kingarthurflour.com

Yield: 2 3/4 cups frosting

This is a simple, basic frosting, good for spreading on cupcakes or in-the-pan cakes. It goes together quickly and spreads easily.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk or cream

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, shortening, and salt till fluffy. Add about half the confectioners’ sugar, and beat slowly until well blended. Add the vanilla and half the milk or cream, and beat until fluffy. Continue mixing in sugar and milk alternately until they’ve been completely incorporated. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. 

Tips from King Arthur bakers:
If you want some frosting left over to use in decorating, increase the ingredient amounts to: 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, approximately 6 cups confectioners’ sugar, and up to 1/2 cup milk or cream.

Tags: chocolate, cupcakes, vanilla frosting