Cosmic Brownie Cupcakes
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Calories: 357kcal
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.
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US Customary - Metric
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
*Dutch processed cocoa is different from regular unsweetened cocoa powder. For more information about the differences, see this post: Which Cocoa Powder Do I Use?
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.)
Piping Tip used to decorate the cupcakes: Wilton 1M
How to Store: These cupcakes will keep for a few days, covered at room temperature. Keep them in an airtight container, so they don’t dry out.
Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which may answer any other questions you might have.
Nutritional values are an estimate. Nutritional information is for the cupcakes only and does not include any frosting.
This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 528IU | Vitamin C: 0.05mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg