Fun Cosmic Brownie Cupcakes with the rich chocolatey taste of brownies, but with a moist, cupcake texture, topped with fudgy frosting and colorful sprinkles to resemble that childhood favorite snack.
If you grew up loving Cosmic Brownies, you are going to love these! This is the cupcake version of this lovable snack and let me tell you that they are SO rich and chocolatey, kids and neighbors and spouses will devour these. Trust me, I know.
Why You’ll Love These Cupcakes!
- Super chocolatey & rich.
- Easy to make even though they’re made from scratch
- Perfectly moist and fudgy.
- Fun & nostalgic
Pro Tip
Use hot coffee instead of water – This is optional, but it will give these cupcakes an even deeper chocolate flavor.
Recipe
Cosmic Brownie Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder, not Dutch processed cocoa-see notes (I use Hershey’s brand)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk, near room temperature
- 2 large eggs, near room temperature (make sure eggs are the correct size and not small or extra-large sized)
- ½ cup hot coffee or hot water
For the frosting:
- 1 (12 ounce bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled down to room temperature
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s brand)
- 2 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk (may add in another tablespoon if needed)
- 1 cup Cosmic brownie sprinkles, candy coated mini chocolate chips (link in the notes and the post)
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add cupcake liners to two (12 count) cupcake pans and spray them very lightly with non-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar and brown sugar). Mix well with a whisk and set aside.
- Add all the liquid ingredients (except for the coffee) to another medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk well.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed only until the ingredients are combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again only for about 5-10 seconds more.
- Add the hot coffee (or hot water) and mix on medium to medium-high speed only until well combined.
- Be careful not to over mix. Once it’s combined, stop mixing. Mixing too long will give you very dense cupcakes. (Feel free to watch the video to see exactly how long I mix the batter.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for only about 5-10 seconds.
- Fill the cupcake liners a little over half way up (about ⅔ of the way full). Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 18-22 minutes. Ovens vary. Cupcakes are finished baking when the tops are slightly firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into one of the middle cupcakes comes out with a few moist crumbs on it or clean, but no raw batter.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and set the pans on wire racks to cool for about ten minutes, then take cupcakes out of the pans and let cool completely on wire racks before adding the frosting.
- Pipe or spoon the frosting onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with the candy coated chocolate chips.
For the frosting:
- Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips (not the candy-coated chocolate chips) to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 40 seconds and stir. If not fully melted, heat 20 more seconds at a time, stirring in between, until all melted and smooth. Set aside to cool until it’s almost room temperature (about an hour or so). Alternately, set in the fridge to chill for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Make sure it doesn’t get cold and firm up. It needs to be around room temperature, but not warm.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature butter and mix with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Add the cocoa powder and mix on low until combined, then on medium-high speed until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of milk, then mix on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Add the melted and cooled chocolate and mix on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Check the consistency. If too thick, add milk, a tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Pipe or spoon the frosting onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with the candy coated chocolate chips.
Notes
Nutrition
How to Share
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Video
How to make these cupcakes
(The full printable instructions are in the recipe card above.)
Step 1
Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Step 2
Mix the liquid ingredients separately.
Step 3
Combine them in one large bowl, mix and stir in the hot coffee or water last—it really enhances the chocolate flavor!
Step 4
Fill cupcake liners about ⅔ full.
Step 5
Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 18-22 minutes. Ovens vary.
Step 6
Make the frosting – Melt the chocolate chips, whip up the buttercream, and mix everything together until smooth and fudgy.
Step 7
Decorate – Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle on the fun and colorful candy-coated chocolate chips, then enjoy!
FAQs
This recipe makes about 24 cupcakes.
Don’t use Dutch processed cocoa as it isn’t acidic like cocoa powder and using it would cause the other ingredients to need to be adjusted. If you want more information about the different types of cocoa powder, see this post: Why Do Recipes Say Not to Use Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder?
You don’t, but just know that the cake will not have a coffee taste. The coffee just brings out the chocolate flavor. If you don’t like the idea of using it though, you can just use water and it will turn out just as tasty. Just make sure not to completely omit the liquid. How can I tell when these cupcakes are fully baked?
These cupcakes can be made ahead of time, however they are best eaten within a couple of days, since cupcakes tend to dry out quicker. Make sure to store these in an airtight container to keep them as fresh and moist as possible.
If you want to freeze these, just wrap them in plastic wrap or place in a freezer bag and freeze up to two months. To see more tips about freezing cakes and cupcakes, check out this post: How to Freeze Cakes and Cupcakes
These cupcakes will keep for a few days, covered at room temperature. Keep them in an airtight container, so they don’t dry out.
Check out this post for more tips on storing cupcakes: How to Store Cupcakes
I have not tried this recipe out as a layer cake, but I have a very similar recipe that was written specifically as a chocolate layer cake. You can check that out here: Chocolate Butter Cake
I used piping tip Wilton 1M.
Want to know how to pipe on cupcakes without supplies? Check out this post: How to Ice Cupcakes without a Piping Bag
These are also called Candy Coated Chocolate Chips – The exact ones I bought are not available at the moment, but here are some other options: Option 1, Option 2, Option 3 – (The kind I bought (Baker’s Choice) were a bit less expensive, so do a quick search first for ‘candy coated chocolate chips’ and see if they show up.)
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Supplies used
- Mixing bowls
- Silicone spatula
- Hand mixer or Stand mixer
- Ateco 18 Inch Piping Bags
- 2D or 1M piping tip for piping onto cupcakes
- Candy Coated Chocolate Chips – The exact ones I bought are not available at the moment, but here are some other options: Option 1, Option 2, Option 3 – (The kind I bought (Baker’s Choice) were a bit less expensive, so do a quick search first for ‘candy coated chocolate chips’ and see if they show up.)
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