Too much of a good thing?

  

  Sometimes there is no reason to bake other than to use up ingredients that are going to go bad. In this case, it's holiday chocolates.  We have so many boxes of chocolates left over from the holidays! Perhaps this is due to the fact that my family now has a taste for fresh baked sweets.  For this, I cannot fault them. Whatever the reason, these chocolates have to go... they are taking up too much room in my cupboard! 

  I highly recommend these cupcakes. They are sinfully delicious. If you happen to have a box of Ferrero Rocher taking up space in your cupboard (or three as in my case),  I suggest you bake up a batch. They sure don't last long in cupcake form!

*PS- if anyone out there has recipe ideas for Quality Street or Pot of Gold chocolates I'm all ears!

Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes

This recipe yields 2 dozen standard sized cupcakes
*Adapted from Julie Wilson*

For the cupcakes you will need:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 cup strong black coffee (I used 1 cup hot water + 2 Tbsp instant coffee, vanilla hazelnut flavour)
• 24 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, unwrapped

Directions:

~ Preheat oven to 350*F

~ Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt

~ In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla and butter

~ Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and fill it with the egg mixture

~ As you stir, slowly add in the milk and coffee (the batter will be soupy!)
~ Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake at 350* F for 17-20 minutes

~ Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

~ Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting 

For the icing you will need:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup Nutella
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp of instant coffee dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm milk

 ~ Blend Nutella and butter using a mixer until creamy and fluffy~ Add sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating with a few drops of the milk/coffee mixture and mix until        well combined
~ Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes
~ Garnish with unwrapped Ferrero Rocher chocolates