How is it that we are in the middle of February already?!

I know I mentioned it last week and I hate to be cliche but I just can not even believe how fast this year is going?!

Valentines day is next week, do you have anything special planned?

This year I will actually get to spend the day with spunky husband, just the 2 of us! Holla, so excited! Not sure what we will do, if anything. We may just sit in the blissful silence that comes 2 full days a week now that our sweet little lady has started pre-school!

That’s something else I can’t believe! My baby is in pre-school?! Seriously?! Sllllooooowwwww down time!!!!

Anyways I may not know what we will be doing but I sure know what we will be eating . . .

Dark Chocolate Chip Grown Up Red Velvet Cupcakes that’s what!

A few weeks ago I was talking to someone about how I just couldn’t believe that my little lady was starting pre-school and how I wasn’t sure what I would do with all my “spare” time. They joked that I would probably start drinking red wine in the middle of the day because apparently that’s what stay at home moms do once their little ones start school?! Who knew 😉 I can tell you that won’t be the case in this house but it did give me an idea?!

A few months ago we helped out some neighbours by storing some of their stuff while they were in the process of moving and selling their apartment. It  was really no big deal, we were going to be away on vacation anyway and had a whole storage cage we weren’t using so it really was no problem at all.

They were really sweet and grateful for our “help” and when we returned from vacation we found they had sold their apartment, finished moving out and had left us with this fancy looking bottle of red wine.

Jackpot!

Although sadly for that fancy looking bottle of wine, neither spunky husband or myself are big drinkers so it was left to age nicely in the back of a deep, dark cupboard gathering dust. Then I forgot about it. As you do.

Until last week when I remembered this recipe for red wine chocolate cake shared by the incredibly talented (both in the kitchen and behind the camera) Deb of Smitten Kitchen.

These mini cupcakes are dark and decadent perfect to share with someone special (or to keep all to yourself) this valentines day.

When you bite into these cupcakes what you get is an intensely rich, super fudgey, absolutely decadent little chocolate cupcake that has this subtle hum of sweet, heart (and belly) warming spices.

Not being a wine drinker I was worried they would taste winey, especially considering how strong the wine smell was when I was preparing to bake these babies. But you can’t taste the wine at all. I think the wine really enhances and really intensifies the chocolate flavour kind of the same way a shot of espresso does you know?

These  Dark Chocolate Chip Grown Up Red Velvet {Mini} Cupcakes are fudgey and rich and just down right incredible.

I decided just to top these decadent little cupcakes simply with a little whipped cream and finished things off with a little sprinkling of  finely chopped dark chocolate chips (and some edible heart shaped “sprinkles”, with V-day approaching it only seemed fitting – as if I need an excuse to bust out the sprinkles who am I kidding?!) and it was absolute perfection.

Deb uses a cream cheese frosting in her recipe but I think that would have been a little to much for me personally, the plain whipped cream was just enough to balance out the richness of these dark and delicious little cupcakes.

These little Dark Chocolate Chip Grown Up Red Velvet Cupcakes are fudgey, rich, subtly spiced and intensely chocolatey.

Tiny but mighty, the perfect treat for you and your loved ones this valentines day, or any day really, you’re totally worth it.

Dark Chocolate Chip Grown Up Red Velvet {Mini} Cupcakes
Slightly adapted from this recipe shared by the incredible Deb of Smitten Kitchen
Makes approx 24 tiny but intense, dark and delicious grown up red velvet cupcakes

Ingredients –

3 Tablespoons of coconut oil, melted and cooled

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 cup of granulated (white) sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup red wine (any kind you like, I used Margaret River Estate – Cabernet Sauvignon)

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2/3 cup plain flour

3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s special Dark)

1 teaspoon go baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

a pinch of salt flaked

1 Tablespoon of dark chocolate chips, roughly chopped.

Optional but recommended for serving –

Whipped cream (or cool whip)

Dark chocolate finely, roughly chopped

Sprinkles

Method –

1 – Preheat oven to 175’C  and line a mini muffin tray with paper cases and set aside.

2 – In a medium size bowl place coconut oil, egg, sugars, vanilla and beat until well combined.

3 – Add red wine and beat until combined. Don’t worry if the batter looks a little watery at this stage, it’s all good – promise 🙂

4 – Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and beat until just combined.

5 – Add 3/4 of the chocolate chips and fold through the batter until almost combined.

6 – Spoon your dark and delicious cupcake batter into the prepared muffin/cupcake tray then sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips.

7 – Bake for 8-10 mins until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick has just a few crumbs attached when inserted in to the centre.

8 – Allow to cool in the tray for 5-10 mins then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

9 – To serve, top with a little whipped cream (or cool whip ♥) and sprinkle over a little extra dark chocolate.

Enjoy xoxo

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Question of the day –

What sweet treat are you secretly (or not so secretly) looking to indulge in this Valentines Day?