Pot of Gold Cupcakes for St Patrick’s Day
With St Patrick’s Day just a week away, I wanted to share a cupcake recipe that’s perfect for the holiday. I took a chocolate cupcake, filled it with dulce de leche, and topped it with my favorite Swiss meringue buttercream. They tasted as amazing as they sound.
And with the festive cupcake liners and sprinkles, they’re the perfect addition to your St Patrick’s Day party!
My cupcake got a little smooshed when I cut into it to show you the “Pot of Gold” portion of the cupcake (aka, the dulce de leche hidden inside). These cupcakes are the same flavor that I made for Hubby’s 30th birthday party, but I didn’t get proper pictures of them. Since they were such a big hit at the party, I decided to make them again.
One Year Ago: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (also great for St Patrick’s Day!)
Two Years Ago: Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Three Years Ago: Scallop Burgers and S’mores Cupcakes
Pot of Gold Cupcakes
Yield: 24
Ingredients:
For the Pot of Gold Cupcakes
24 Chocolate cupcakes (recipe follows)
about a cup of Dulce de Leche (store bought or homemade)
1 batch of Swiss meringue buttercream
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
2 2/3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
5 oz water + 5 oz milk
Directions:
To assemble the Pot of Gold Cupcakes
Once cupcakes have cooled completely, use the cone method to remove a cone of the cupcake.
Fill the empty cone with dulce de leche. Replace the top part of the cupcake on top of the dulce de leche.
Frost the cupcakes and decorate with festive sprinkles
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350. Place cupcake liners in 2 muffin tins
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract. Set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat until smooth. Set mixer on low and add eggs, one at a time.
Add the flour and sour cream mixtures by alternating between them, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down bowl after each addition.
Gradually add the milk/water and scrap down bowl. Beat until thoroughly combined.
Portion into batter into cupcake liners and bake about 20-25 minutes or until they spring back after being touched.
Chocolate Cupcake Recipe from Confetti Cakes for Kids, by Elisa Strauss
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. 
Aren’t they the best? They’re so addicting. I’ve actually starting using the same ingredients, but mixing them like a more traditional chocolate chip cookie (i.e., softened butter instead of melted), because I like the dough better with softened butter. The baked cookies were just as good. Best of both worlds!
These look gorgeous. Don’t you just love AB??? 🙂
The cookies look great. I love AB too..he’s such a dork (in a good way).
I love the ATK/CI Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I will have to try these to see what I think. I remember seeing that the recipes looked similar so I am sure I will love them.
Another AB lover here. My husband gives me a hard time about my DVR list with him but loves it when I give him a fun tidbit or cook him something from AB.
I completely agree CoCo. Hubby does the same thing. I sometimes even watch episodes I’ve seen before! Hubby doesn’t like to admit it, but he loves AB too. Sometimes he’ll be the one saying “AB says to do this…”
They look SO good!! I am a sucker for a chewy chocolate chip cookie. Although, I must side with your hubby – I prefer mine with just a bit of chocolate.
How much is a stick of butter? I’m not in the US and have never come across this measurement before.
Sorry about that Naomi – 1 stick of butter = 8 Tbsp. Does that help?
this is very similar to the ccc recipe i use, but anything that makes it chewier is good in my books! i will have to keep this one in mind 🙂
Yes Jen, thank you!
Yum! I will definitely be trying these. I always chill my cookie dough too usually because I’m too busy with 3 little ones but I also read that article in the NY times awhile ago and I felt like I deserved a nice big pat on the back for always doing the 24hour chill 🙂 Great post and beautiful cookies!
I love Alton Brown because of his scientific approach to cooking and baking. I’ve been baking “The Chewy” for years. One thing I do differently: Before chilling the dough, I scoop it into balls. This makes the process much easier. Sometimes I freeze the balls for baking later. After I place the balls on parchment, I carefully place a few extra chocolate morsels on top, pointy side up. This extra step produces picture-perfect cookies every time.
The Chewy is my go to recipe for cookies. I make a few alterations, occasionally, such as substituting 1/4 of the brown sugar with dark brown sugar. I bake small portions in mini muffin tins; one batch makes 48 cookie bites that are super chewy and the perfect size bite. I’ve made them every year for Christmas gifts for a few years now.