mint brownie cupcakes and bullriding

I realize as I am putting up these posts on the blog that I don't talk much about my life these days. The truth is, I'm pretty busy with work, research, and trying to decide what to do with my life next year. I mean, ideally, I will have a job next year, but who knows where it will be, or what I will be doing.

So, again, I turn to baking things to quell the anxiety I have over what will happen to my future. Also, we had Mix 'n Munch.

I have never made brownies from scratch. I once dated a guy who loved brownies, and did whatever he could to get women to make them for him. Then, one day, he made them for himself, and he was a little disappointed to find out how easy they are to make. I like that about brownies, and I have never wondered what I was missing by making them from mixes.

However, they're in the book, so I made them.

But first, I watched Championship Bull Riding with Stephanie, Layne, Ryan, Cathy, and some of her miscellaneous EFY friends (too much to explain). I am posting a picture of it here to help all of you to see that there is more to my life than just cupcakes and research. There are also Stephanie-orchestrated white trash outings.

Although it is more complicated than your average brownie recipe, in that it involves more than adding eggs and oil to a mix of dry ingredients. But I think it is the adding of the York Peppermint Patty that makes them great.

Mint-Filled Brownie Cupcakes

8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used the last of my Trader Joe's chocolate)

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

1 c. sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted (I do not sift)

12 small chocolate covered peppermint patties (I used York Peppermint Patties)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin with paper liners. Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally just until melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. Whisk in sugar and salt until mixture is smooth; whisk in eggs to combine. Gently whisk in flour and cocoa just until smooth (do not overmix). Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into each lined cup (I used a small cookie scoop). Place 1 peppermint patty on top, gently pressing into batter. Top with 2 tablespoons batter, covering patty completely. Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted halfway in centers (above mint patty) comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

According to Nick, who used to be my home teacher, this is a good recipe because it seems like it's just a brownie, but then, when you bite into it, there's a surprise inside. He's going to be a doctor. They were a hit at Mix 'N Munch, as evidenced by the fact that I had to take a phone call, and by the time I got in line for food, they were all gone.