One night after work I was super in the mood to bake..well..I always am. I pretty much stress bake/cook after I get home every night. Always go straight into the kitchen. It is my favorite way to unwind. My hours are super crazy. I don’t get home until 10 P.M. usually, so I am always wanting to cook when I get home because I don’t get the chance to during the day/evening. So these cupcakes. Vanilla bean and chocolate, two of my favorite things in the world. AND coconut cream cheese frosting. I can’t. These are toooo good. I had to give half of them away or else I would have eaten all of them…I even had one for breakfast one day. Oops.
I love the little chocolate chips running through them. I decided to use mini ones so you’d get more chocolatey goodness in every bite.
Makes 1 dozen standard size cupcakes.
For the cupcakes:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped, pod discarded
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt (I used 0% but I’m sure 2% would work here too)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/2 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips (tossed in 1/2 tsp. flour)
For the frosting:
12 T. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. sweetened shredded coconut
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted for garnish, if desired (I just toast mine in a dry skillet, watching very carefully over medium heat for a few minutes until golden).
Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a cupcake tin with liners. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate small bowl, add the vanilla bean to the melted butter and whisk until the little vanilla bean specks are incorporated. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar. Stir in the Greek yogurt, vanilla, milk, and butter/vanilla bean mixture until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into tins and fill them 3/4 the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until tops are lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting them. I keep them in the tins for 10-15 minutes and then cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack.
To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add coconut and vanilla extract and beat for another minute. Add powdered sugar gradually, and beat for 2-3 minutes on high until fully incorporated and fluffy. Reduce speed and add the sweetened shredded coconut, and beat for another 30 seconds-1 minute. Transfer to a piping bag and frost cupcakes. Top with toasted coconut if desired.
How pretty?!
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