Fauxstess Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes!

These are such a great addition to your child (or in my case, husband)’s packed lunch. I cheat a little at this recipe and use boxed cake mix and store bought marshmallow fluff, but sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day to make everything from scratch. However, this is still a MUCH more healthy recipe for you than the real thing. If you are super anti-boxed-mix, make your own favorite chocolate cupcakes or use our vegan recipe for chocolate cupcakes. Any recipe for chocolate cupcakes works, just make sure you use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil!

Instructions:

Using a melonballer, remove centers from the cooled cupcakes. Set centers aside for another use (or eat them now!)

To make Vanilla Cream filling:

4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, softened

4 Tbsp Kelapo Coconut Oil, softened

7.5 oz jar Marshmallow Fluff

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cups sifted Powdered Sugar

Mix butter and coconut oil on medium speed until light and fluffy—about 1 minute. Add Fluff and beat for 1 minute or until well combined. Add vanilla extract. With mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar; once the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase speed to medium, and beat for 1 additional minute. Transfer filling to a pastry bag fitted with a round pastry tip (or ziplock baggie with the corner snipped off). Pipe filling into cupcake holes until level with the top of the cake. Transfer filled cupcakes to the fridge. Once filling is firmed up a bit (about 30 minutes), gently smooth any bumps in the filling with your finger (it shouldn’t stick to you—if it does, they need to be chilled longer). They are now ready for the ganache.

To make Chocolate Ganache:

3/4 cup Heavy Cream

6 ounces chocolate chips

In a small saucepan, warm cream over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, just until you see a bubble come to the surface. While cream is heating up, place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let it sit for a minute; gently stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Place bowl with ganache over a small pan of barely simmering water to keep it warm while you work (caution: do not let the bowl with the chocolate touch the water, if the ganache gets too hot it will separate, so keep a close eye on it). Working quickly, spoon about 2 teaspoons of ganache over each cupcake, and spread to the edges using a small spatula. Allow ganache-topped cupcakes to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour (if you touch the ganache, it shouldn’t transfer to your finger).

For White Chocolate Squiggles:

2 ounces White Chocolate

Heat white chocolate over a double boiler until about 75% of the chocolate is melted. Remove bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Transfer chocolate to a pastry bag fitted with a small, round tip (or again, a ziplock baggie with a tiny hole cut out! Pipe seven squiggles across the tops of the chilled, ganache-covered cupcakes. Chocolate should harden instantly.

Once ganache and white chocolate are hardened, cover cupcakes and store in the fridge. Remove cupcakes 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

-AM