Black Bottom Cupcakes and Snickerdoodles!

As promised in a previous post {my, that was a lot of p's... Dr. Seuss would be proud!} here are the recipes for the fabulous desserts featured at Ty's party.

Side note about desserts...
They are a must!
Day or night!
Every.
Single.
Day.

I didn't realize what a dessert family I grew up in, until Bry and I got married. After a family get-together one evening he commented on the fact that we always have dessert.

My quizzical look, and cocked head silently asked him, 'Yes. And....?'

But it's not only that our family always has desserts, it's that there is always chocolate associated with the dessert.

My dad is the worst. The man lives for chocolate. Chocolate with peanut butter. Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. Chocolate chip cookies.

And now that I think about it, my brother has it bad for the dark dessert as well. I vividly remember walking in on him in the kitchen when he was a Freshmen, his head shoved into the pantry, mumbling, and calling out to the chocolate chips, only to emerge, holding the Costco-size bag of Tollhouse Chocolate Chips, many of them evidently having jumped in his mouth.

But my mom may be the worst. The lady loves a mean slice of chocolate fudge cake. Linda's Fudge Cake from Cheesecake Factory or the darn Motherlode from Claim Jumpers often frequented our fridge as short-lived leftovers.

So, yes, it's true. We are not only a dessert family, but a chocolate dessert family! I can live with that!

And now for the recipes. I'll start with the killer chocolate cupcake. My mom makes them, and they may be the next best thing to..., well, they are darn good :)

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Batter:

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1/3 c. oil

1/2 t. salt

1 c. water

1/4 c. cocoa

1 t. vanilla

1 T. vinegar

1 t. baking soda

Mix and fill 20 cupcake molds about 1/2 full. Set aside. Make Cream Cheese Topping. 

Cream Cheese Topping:

1 8 oz. package cream cheese {softened}

1/3 c. sugar

1 egg

Pinch of salt

Blend together, then add 1 6 oz. package of chocolate chips

Top each 1/2 filled cupcake mold with a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. 

Aunt Cathi's Snickerdoodles 

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. shortening
3 c. sugar
4 eggs
5 1/2 c. flour
4 t. cream of tartar
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
4 T. sugar
4 t. cinnamon

Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, sugar, and eggs. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls.

* Mix sugar and cinnamon; roll balls in mixture.

Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. {I use Silpat or parchment paper.} Bake 8-10 minutes, or until set, at 400 degrees. Remove immediately from baking sheet.
{Don't overbake! I usually take them out of the oven when puffy and starting to split... leave on pan to set and cool a bit.} As they cool, they harden.

Enjoy!
Bake a bit today.
Share with friends.
Play Thankful Elf and deliver to loved ones, with a tag letting them know you are Thankful for them!
But do save some for yourself :)