Ferrero Rocher Mini Cupcakes

They won the poll! I knew they would. And I'm ecstatic because I really wanted to make them! I started with the chocolate hazelnut cupcake recipe from Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman. I chose it because it called for Nutella instead of hazelnut extract (which I don't have, nor do I know where to find some). I filled the suckers with MORE Nutella. Then I topped each one with the crispy part of a sugar wafer cookie. Finally I topped them with half semi-sweet/half milk chocolate ganache filled with chopped hazelnuts. I couldn't find hazelnuts in the store, so I rummaged through a bag of espresso trail mix I got from Target. I got about 1/3 cup of hazelnuts from that. These tiny cupcakes are slam full of hazelnut flavor. The ganache is rich but delicious. The chopped hazelnuts give it great texture. The sugar wafer cookies go stale quickly, but once they're soggy you don't even know they're there. Definitely make these at home if you love Ferrero Rocher chocolates!

Ingredients (sans milk because I suck at remembering things) Mmmmm Nutella batter!!
Ready for the oven...
The sight still makes me drool!
Can you see the thin wafer cookie and the yummy Nutella in the middle?
A sea of Ferrero Rocher heaven!

Mmmm aren't they yummy? Here's a handy little video to show you how to put them together!

Cupcake recipe adapted from Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman
Ferrero Rocher Mini Cupcakes
Makes 24 minis and 6 regular

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup Nutella (plus the rest of the jar, for filling)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules (my own addition)

Ganache
8 oz. semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (or both)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (325 F for dark pans) . Line mini muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes) . Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add 3/4 cup of Nutella and blend thoroughly. (Warm the milk in the microwave. Stir in instant coffee until disolved.) Alternately add flour mixture and milk, blending well after each addition (Don't overmix! Blend only until no traces of flour remain.)
4. Using a tablespoon, fill each cup with batter. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.
5. When cupcakes are cool, fill them with the remaining Nutella.
6. Make the ganache. Put chocolate chips and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute, depending on your microwave. Stir gently with a rubber spatula. Heat for 15-20 more seconds. Stir until well blended. Let sit about 30 minutes, or until ganache is spreadable. Stir in chopped hazelnuts and spread on cupcakes.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 4
Tenderness: 4
Frosting: 5

Chocolate Frangelico Cupcakes w/ Nutella SMBC

This month I decided to join the fun of Cupcake Hero! If you don't know what it is, CLICK HERE for details! In a nutshell, Laurie from Quirky Cupcake chooses a theme ingredient each month. You have to use the ingredient in either the cupcake, filling, frosting or all three if you're crazy like that. The winning recipe gets a cool Cupcake Hero t-shirt, and this month, a surprise gift from Tempered Woman.

The theme ingredient for February is liquor. I browsed my parents liquor cabinet, got a buzz from sniffing a bunch of bottles, and eventually made a slightly uninhibited decision to use Frangelico hazelnut liqueur. I knew it would pair well with the new jar of Nutella relaxing in my kitchen cabinet (the very first jar of Nutella I've ever had, by the way). I used the recipe for Kahlúa cupcakes from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella, but I replaced the Kahlua with Frangelico. Then I made the most delicious frosting to ever come out of a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. No lie. I challenge anyone to make a more luscious frosting. I have 3 words for you: AIN'T... GONNA... HAPPEN! I started with Swiss Meringue Buttercream, then added about 1/2 a jar of Nutella. Hahahahaha ohhh it's so good it makes me giggle!

ingredientsfolding the egg whites into the batter smooth yummy batter!cooling on my new stackable racks I got for $6 at Big Lots! Here they are, and THEY ARE GOOD!

Chocolate Frangelico Cupcakes (adapted from Crazy About Cupcakes)
Makes 24-28 cupcakes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, + 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.

2. In a large bowl cream together the butter, cocoa, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy, 3-5 minutes. Add egg yolks and beat for 4 minutes.
3. In a small bowl mix water and Frangelico.
4. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternating with the Frangelico mixture. Mix on medium speed until ingredients are almost combined.
6. With clean beaters and a large bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form soft peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar to make a meringue. With a rubber spatula, fold the meringue into the batter.
7. Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes. Finish cooling on wire rack.

Nutella Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my own recipe)
Makes about 4 cups (enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes)

4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened, cut into tablespoons
1/2 jar of Nutella (about 1/2 - 2/3 cup)

Put egg whites and sugar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes total. Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; add Nutella a few tablespoons at a time and continue beating until incorporated.