thank crunchie cupcakes it's friday!

so this has been a real chocolate bar tribute week. first toblerone and now crunchie...yes, i also adore crunchie...it's that delicious honeycomb in the middle that gets me every time! so what better thing to do than chop up a few bars and see how they taste in a vanilla cupcake. i used the same recipe as the toblerone ones and just kinda higgledy-piggedly hacked up the crunchie bars with great gusto and tossed them into the batter (secreting a few crumbs along the way for myself) and then baked. when they came out of the oven it looked like the honeycomb had melted and left this lovely golden yellow tinge through the cupcakes. very pretty. i had some icing in the freezer left over from a previous batch - bailey's icing, so i added some chocolate to it and then spread it on. topped the little cups of temptation with some more chunks of crunchie bar and let the tasting begin...

opinions were definitely united by all who tasted...these are a keeper! to be made again when the crunchie craving comes around. when you bit into the cupcake you could see all the lovely bits of honeycomb throughout the cupcake and it looked so good. the taste was there of the crunchie (but being the addict i am, i feel i could have added more...i mean, c'mon, you can NEVER have too much crunchie!) the cake went great with the chocolate baileys icing and well, i could have eaten all of them...but self-restraint kicked in and i remembered that i do supposedly make these for others.

i think out of the two, i enjoyed the crunchie ones more...and i think it's because of the honeycomb...it justs blends so well into the batter and provides you with this little surprise when you get a mouthful of it. the bits of honeycomb just melt in your mouth.

so my little chocolate bar week is over and next week i shall have to start delving into thoughts for Paddy's Day and Easter cupcakes. there are also a few food blog events coming up that i'd like to enter and need to get my baking cap on for those...such is the life of a currently unemployed (but soon to be employed) cupcake fanatic. i eat, sleep and think cupcakes! anyone interesting in joining a cupcakes anonymous group???

Seeing as this is my second time this week to use this recipe, i'm gonna post it below....

Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes 12 regular cupcakes

½ c. butter, at room temperature

2/3 c. sugar

3 large eggs

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ c. all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

½ c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Add the vanilla along with the last egg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add half the flour mixture to the butter and mix on medium speed.

Add the remaining flour and the milk, beat at medium speed, then increase to medium-high and beat until incorporated.

Add in your favourite chopped up chocolate bar - toblerone, crunchie...whatever takes your fancy!

Pour the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove the cakes and cool completely on a wire rack.