Next Post
Grilled Blackberry, Strawberry, Basil and Brie Pizza Crisps
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
It’s crunch time.
Literally.
I have got less than twenty-four house till I leave on a 6:00am flight tomorrow morning. That means I need to be up and out of here by 3:00am for the hour and half drive down to Denver, where I then have to park the car and catch a shuttle to the airport.
So fun right?!
I finally decided to just stick with the fam and go to Oregon, so I am not just leaving for a week, I am leaving for the whole summer. This means it is total craziness right now.
Now I am trying to decide what to take with me. What do you guys think, should the ice cream maker make the trek? I am thinking it will be a sad summer without it, but then again I am going to a place where it snows in July.
I am going to be traveling for like 10 days in-total. South Carolina for a week, then back to Denver (not our house – DIA) to get in our parked and pre-loaded car and then drive out to Mt. Hood, Oregon. Therefore, I have been cranking out recipes like a mad person.
My kitchen it a complete disaster zone and the worker dudes from next door are my new best buds.
They really like my cooking and especially my treats. They had their fair share yesterday and it’s safe to say they were some dang happy workers!
Yes, I have been passing off cupcakes, dinners, snacks and appetizers to anyone and everyone I see.
But I have to say, the worker dudes were the most excited, so I liked them the best!
Here’s the deal. Since I am dead out of time I am just gonna let the pictures do the talking.
There is a lot of them.
Ten total.
The very best chocolate cupcakes, frosted with brown butter vanilla bean frosting, topped with brown butter, brown sugar vanilla bean popcorn and then drizzled all over with chocolate.
Yes, I am well aware these are insane.
Who puts popcorn on their cupcakes?
Me!
And trust me, you should too!
It’s so good, I promise!
Oh and if anyone’s looking food, you’re welcome any time.
Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Popcorn Chocolate Cupcakes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories Per Serving: 367 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee hot
Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter softened, stick
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 of a vanilla bean beans scraped out
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
Popcorn
- 3 cups air popped popcorn
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and suger. Whisk to combine. In a small bowl add the milk, egg, canola oil and vanilla extract. Stir lightly and then add to the flour mixture. Beat until the ingredients are well combined and then add the warm coffee. Beat well, until the mixture is very smooth. Line a muffin tin with liners and using a 1/4 cup measure, add batter to each cup. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
- While the cupcakes bake make the frosting. Add 4 tablespoons butter to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until brown bits appear on the bottom, about 5-6 minutes, then immediately remove from the heat and add the cream and brown sugar. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in the vanilla bean seeds and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Once cooled beat in the remaining softened butter. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the bowl and beat together until well combined.
- To make the popcorn. Preheat oven to 250°
- Pour popped popcorn onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Add butter to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until brown bits appear on the bottom, about 5-6 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the popped popcorn. Stir until evenly distributed. Sprinkle salt and brown sugar over the popcorn. Bake for 10 minutes. Baking helps the brown sugar and butter stick to the popcorn a litte better. Allow to cool before topping the cupcakes.
- To assemble the cupcakes: Frost the cupcakes using a knife and a good amount of frosting. Add a handful popcorn to each cupcake and use your hands to mold it together into a mound, making sure to push the popcorn into the frosting. Some will fall off, just do your best to keep most of the popcorn on the cupcakes. Drizzle the melted chocolate overtop the popcorn and place the cupcakes in the freezer for 5 minutes or let sit on the counter for 30 minutes so the chocolate can harden. Then eat!! These are best the very same day you make them.
The workers dudes are gonna be happy today!
Wow, girl! You impress me every day. These are drool worthy. Keep up the good work. I love your blog. 🙂
Thank you so much, Nat!
These look like so much fun! Those were some lucky worker dudes! So…I thought when I first started reading your blog that I read that you lived in Utah?? Where in Colorado are you? Just curious. I live in CO to (but just barely).
Yup, CO! I live in Frisco, right next to Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper. I love it here!
Thank you, Amber!
I’m really glad Oregon is only a state away from me 🙂 totally going to go to your summer house and stalk your kitchen for recipes like this! That tower of popcorn is amazeballs!
Haha! You are welcome anytime!
Thanks Hayley!
I might have to become one of the worker dudes next door so that I can get your handouts 😉 I hope you have a safe and fun trip, my dear! And these cupcakes look obnoxiously great with the popcorn cluster AND the vanilla bean frosting. Holy wow!
Thanks Julia!! I think the workers dudes were pretty happy! LOL
Ha, I feed the neighborhood too! These are like crazy insane kid’s dream cupcakes. I love the way you think!
Haha! Thank you, Cathy!
Whooooaaaaaaaa! These are insane! In love!
Thanks Ashley!
These are the best cupcakes I’ve seen! Love the addition of popcorn! I wish I one of those worker dudes so I could taste-test them for you! 🙂
Haha! Thanks Liz!
This is the cupcake of my dreams… seriously. What a colossal, scrumptious creation!
YES! I love creating dream cupcakes!
Hehe!
Thanks Georgia!
I feel your pain! Before leaving for a two week long vacation, I was frantically trying to make (and then eat!) a ton of recipes. At least I don’t post every day . . . you have been one busy lady! OK, I will admit, I first thought you had put popcorn in the cupcakes and was totally curious as to how that would’ve worked:) I am all over how tall these get with that popcorn – way easier and (healthier?:) than piping a ton of buttercream. Great stuff, Tieghan!
Ha! Thank you, Mary!
Have a great trip crazy girl! And I love everything salty sweet, so popcorn on my cupcakes? SURE!
Thanks Erin!
Just pinned these! WOW!
Yay! Thank you so much, Maria!
These babies have some serious height! I adore sweet popcorn mixes, so I’m all over these! Oh, and I vote for the ice cream maker. I enjoy ice cream, even when it snows! 😉
Thank you, Jennifer! Oh and I have the ice cream maker packed!
They are sky high and beauties! I love them! All the layers of flavors, ingredients, gosh, I want.
Question about the cupcake batter/recipe itself … do you love, love, love the cupcake itself? Is that an adaptation of the Hershey’s choc cake recipe, which is similar to Ina Garten’s recipe? When I saw the coffee, I wondered. It’s sort of what my fave choc cake recipe is based off of but I am wanting to try a choc cupcake recipe that’s totally amazing. Just wondering if you’re madly in love with it.
Brown sugar, browned butter, popcorn, vanilla. Heavenly!
Thank you, Averie! Yes, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the cupcake recipe. It is my go to chocolate cupcake recipe and I have been making it for years! It is actually my moms recipe, who I think got it from her mom, but she could have totally got it from Hershey’s (it is written on on old index card). Who knows! the only thing I have changed about it is adding the coffee, which everyone is my house agrees is the best thing ever! The coffee helps highlight the chocolate. These are the most delicious chocolate cupcakes, with or without the popcorn! At least we think so!
Oh my GOSH!! I’m trying to figure out how I can stuff this whole thing in my mouth
Haha! Thank you, Steph!
These. Are. BEAUTIFUL.
Thank you so much, Jamie!