Recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Bourbon Cinnamon Buttercream

I'm pretty sure after a day whose sole purpose it is to spend money on overpriced prix fixe menus and consume chocolate and red velvet by the {large} heart-shaped boxful...we need some fruit in our food pyramids.

So I made cupcakes. With bananas.

Totally counts.



Not to mention the shot of bourbon in the frosting.

We'll need that after we come home from the gym to find that our boyfriends have "reorganized" our pantry in our absence.  By which I mean took what was organized chaos and DESTROYED IT by trying to arrange things in a geometrically reasonable manner.




A sweet gesture to be sure.  So long as your girlfriend isn't irrationally possessive of her six different kinds of flour, half a box of gingersnaps, and rice paper rolls. Among other things. 

In which case, during your cleaning spree it would probably do you good to hide "relocate" the bottle of Maker's and the extra cupcakes.

Because the only thing worse than a girl who's irate over you trying to help her...is a drunk girl who's irate and blaming you for making her fat.

True story.



Anyways. These are good stuff.

You'll crave them when you're annoyed at your boyfriend, when you wake up in the morning, before you go to bed and countless moments in-between.

And with three whole bananas in them, you can totally inhale them without guilt. Seriously. Legit.



One year ago...Mango and Black Bean Casserole, Bok Choy and Baked Tofu Stir Fry in Citrus-Ginger Sauce
Two years ago...Pasta with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Feta and Arugula
Three years ago...Chicken with Caramelized Baby Onions and Honey

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Makes 12-16, adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with cupcakes liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the egg and brown sugar until smooth.  Add in the vanilla. Mix in the greek yogurt and melted butter. Stir in the dry ingredients. Mix in the bananas and milk until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. 
3. Using an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measure, scoop batter in liners until they are 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Bourbon Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
Makes enough to frost 16 cupcakes, adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tbsp bourbon

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the sugar until it's combined and all added. Add in the vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in 2 tbsp bourbon. Taste to make sure it's not too much. Add in the next 2 tbsp. Increase the speed to medium-high and then beat until fluffy, 3-4 minutes.