Somoa Inspired Cupcakes with Recipe!

These little beauties were my answer to the baking itch, and the fact we decided to not give into Girl Scout Cookie temptation. Truth is, I don't know any girls selling this year, so it was an easy decision. These little lovelies are all from scratch, so prep time is a little longer than the average cupcake. Don't be put off. They are SO worth the effort. They can be broken down into 4 parts...

1. The Cupcake. It is a brown butter cupcake inspired from chockylit's recipe for her Samoa cupcakes. I did make a few changes to suit our tastes. I found these work best if you bake them the day before. They have a lot of butter and it takes a while for the cake to soak up all the moisture.

1 c. unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 c. dark brown sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 1/3 c. AP flout

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Beat the butter for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat for an additional 3 minutes till fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix completely. In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Measure out the milk and vanilla. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and then wet, about 1/4 at a time till all is incorporated. Fill each muffin paper 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees  for 22 minutes. Toothpick will come out clean.

2. A simple Chocolate Ganache. I recommend semi-sweet since the caramel & coconut will be so sweet. This is used as a thin smear on top and then drizzled over the top for effect.

1 cup of heavy cream heated till it just starts to bubble and then poured over 8 oz. of bitter sweet chocolate chips. Still till smooth and then mix in 1 tsp. of vanilla. Let this cool and thicken before spreading over the top of the cupcake. Heat a small bit in the microwave (10 sec. bursts) and stir. Put the rest in a ziplock bag and cut off the very tip for drizzling.

3. Homemade Caramel Sauce. A tsp. or two is used to fill the cupcake as well as drizzle on top with the chocolate. Let it cool so it is still plyable, but will not just soak into your cupcake.

4. Coconut topping. I used the recipe, again from chockylit, but added another cup of plain coconut to it because it was too thin for me. I would suggest keeping a full cup of toasted coconut for assembly to sprinkle on top.

2 eggs

10 oz. evaporated milk

1 1/3 c. sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

3 c. sweetened shredded coconut (toasted) and 1 c. plain coconut

Toast the coconut at 350 degrees in the oven. In a small saucepan add the eggs and whisk them up. Add the evaporated milk, sugar and butter to warm up over medium heat. Keep stirring till it starts to bubble. Put it through a sieve to sift out any lumps.

Add 2 cups of the the toasted coconut and the untoasted also. Let it cool.

Assembly is easy, carve a cone out of each cupcake. Take the bottom off the cone, putting a tsp. or two of caramel into the middle. Replace the top and then frost with ganache.

Take a handful of coconut topping in your hand. Roll it like a snake between your palms. Form it into a ring to put on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle a little of your reserved coconut on top of each ring. Then with your warmed up ganache and caramel in Ziplock baggies or with size 1-3 tips, pipe stripes over your "cookies".

These babies are calorie laden, so they are great to share with friends.

Enjoy!