Brownie Batter Cupcakes

These may look like ordinary cupcakes, but MAN ALIVE, they're nothing but ordinary... Dropping a frozen mound of "brownie batter" into the middle of a fancy chocolate cupcake before baking it certainly can't send you in the wrong direction, I say!

Brownie Batter:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup milk
1 devil’s food cake mix

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined.

Using a cookie dough scoop (or small spoon), drop rounded balls of batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze overnight.

(Makes about 30 dough balls.)

Cupcakes:

1 devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/3 c canola oil
2/3 c applesauce
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325°. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Combine all ingredients in mixer and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined.

Using a large scoop (about 3 tbsp) drop batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full.

Remove brownie batter mounds from freezer and press into the cupcake batter. Bake for 22-28 mins. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Makes about 30 cupcakes.

Frosting:
You'll never guess which one I used... :) Click here to find it.

Comments from the cook: My in-laws were here for the weekend, and I had been waiting for about a month to try these out. I knew we needed to have LOTS of mouths around to help eat these...or we'd have been in a whole heap of trouble!

The original recipe called for 1 cup of oil, and I substituted part of it for applesauce (I have a hard time pouring 1 cup of oil into ANY recipe...amazing or not!). The original recipe also called for chocolate chips in the cupcake batter, but I forgot to add them, and never felt like final product was lacking anything. Much the opposite, actually! Obviously, the chocolate frosting from the HoHo cake has become my new favorite. If you wanted to use the frosting from the original recipe, you certainly could. I just never hesitate to stick with something I KNOW will work...

These were good the first day, but were even more amazing the next evening. The brownie centers softened and the frosting was more set up.

Oh, and one last thing... I had ONE more cupcake than I had dough balls, so I threw a frozen ball of chocolate chip cookie dough into the center of the last cupcake. It was INCREDIBLE. Perhaps an idea for next time. :)
Originally found on Pinterest, which linked it back to this site (recipe said to have been adapted from Cook's Illustrated).