Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes
I’ve been eyeing these cupcakes for quite some time. They’re from Smitten Kitchen and they’ve been on my to-bake list since they popped up over a year ago. Since then, many other bloggers have made them and raved. I finally took the leap and made these for our Superbowl XLIV party.
Everyone enjoyed the cupcakes and I think my favorite part was the ganache filling. It was just perfect. Of course, all of the components of this cupcake were really good. The Guinness in the cupcakes keep them very moist. Even a couple days later, this cupcake was very tasty and moist. Each component has alcohol in it, so these were the perfect cupcakes for a Superbowl party. They’d also be perfect to celebrate St Patty’s Day!
I got 21 cupcakes out of the batter, but since they didn’t have nice pretty domes, if I make these again, I’ll portion the batter into 22-24 cupcakes. I don’t like when cupcakes don’t rise up and dome and just spread out and get a flat top that hangs over the edges. They still taste amazing but just don’t look as pretty, and they’re hard to get out of the cupcake pan.
One Year Ago: Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Two Years Ago: S’Mores Cupcakes
Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes
Yield: ~20
Ingredients:
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 c Guinness
1 c unsalted butter
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 c sour cream
Ganache Filling
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
2/3 c heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1 to 2 tsp Irish whiskey (optional)
Baileys Frosting
3 to 4 c confections sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 Tbsp Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)
Directions:
Make the cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
Make the filling
Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
Fill the cupcakes
Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
Make the frosting
Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.
Ice and decorate the cupcakes.
You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day.
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I have my tried and true ATK version but I always love discovering new chocolate chip cookie recipes!
Brown butter makes everything better!
I am pretty boring with chocolate chip cookies and stick with the recipe on the back of the bag, but the size of these and the twist on ingredients makes me want to give these a go!
I use half the bag of chips too – I like them that way! 🙂 I might have to give this one a shot – I really liked the brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip I made last week.
I love trying new ccc recipes also. You don’t mention what the texture of the cookie is. I like crispy edges and chewy centers, very hard to find.
Well, I know what’s happening with the half block of cream cheese in my fridge just waiting to be used up! Cookies are in my future, score. 😉
I love adding sea salt to chocolate things! I haven’t tried it on chocolate chip cookies, but it sounds delicious.
These look awesome, I am still searching for the perfect recipe!
The cookies sound amazing! I love the addition of cream cheese! CC is my favorite cookie and I am terrified to make them because I have no self control. I love the dough and I love the cookie!!
These sound like they take the best components of all my favorite cookies (browned butter, a sprinkling of sea salt) and merge them together.
I always stick with Tollhouse cookies. I need to open my eyes to the wide world of chocolate chip cookies varieties out there!
I made these today and they were fantastic–thanks for sharing the recipe! (*^_^*)
aahh this is recipe that i looking for to make choco chip cookies… thank you for post it 🙂
Made these but didn’t know you have to refrigerate the dough prior to baking hope they come out okay!
beantownbaker — January 5th, 2013 @ 4:31 pm
They should still turn out ok. They might spread a bit more than mine do. Let me know how they come out!
Made these with the kiddies today and WOW! They are delicious! It made a lot of dough though (I made smaller cookies than the recipe called for), can I freeze the dough in small balls?
Making these today! Can’t wait to see how it turns out. I have another great brown butter choc chip recipe but never tried with cream cheese. Thought I would share my tip for the sea salt…I love a salted cookie! I wait until the cookies have cooled 5 minutes before sprinkling, it’s not too hot that the salt sinks into the batter but not too cold that the salt just bounces off.
These look amazing! I am definitely going to make them!