Sweet Spot

I’m watching Toddlers In Tiaras as I write this post.

I’m not proud.

I don’t usually watch this show but Modern Family is a rerun and I don’t have other Wednesday night shows so…here I am.

There is just something ….ummm…gripping (?)  about an overweight woman yelling at her 8 year old to lift her hand weights higher as she jogs down the street. Her mom is literally hobbling behind her chanting, “Grand Supreme! Overall Supreme!” Wow. Speechless.

Ugh. I feel dirty.

{perfect segue.}

Which is why I made Chocolate Oreo Dirt Worm Cupcakes. Actually, this was a complete coincidence. I made these earlier in the week because my daughter loves gummy worms and since I think about baked goods at least 22 hours of every day- at some point the two are bound to cross.

I realize these are nothing new. Folks have been using Oreo crumbs as dirt for years. But, this cupcake recipe paired with the chocolate ganache frosting and the hidden worm stuck in the middle of the cupcake are fun, fresh and funky. Ok, maybe not funky but I had a good alliteration thing going there.

Aside from being one of my favorite chocolate cupcake recipes EVER, these really are a great treat for a classroom or kids event. The hidden worm makes for some surprised faces and lots of little giggles. I’ll do pretty much anything for a genuine munchkin giggle.

The cupcake recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Cupcake Diaries. The gals at Georgetown Cupcakes released a collection of their favorite cupcake recipes and let me tell you, it’s a definite keeper. The Cupcake Diaries is chock full of amazing recipes and also offers some insight into their TLC show, DC Cupcakes. I highly recommend it!!

Anyway, let’s do this, shall we??

Here is our cast of characters:

*Add to this list about 12 oreos, and 1 bag of gummy worms!*

Oh! And adorable cupcake liners. 18, adorable, cupcake liners.

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Sift together your flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Place the butter in your mixer and mix on medium speed until fluffy.

Stop and add the sugar, then continue mixing until well incorporated.

Turn the speed down and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

Measure the vanilla and add it to your milk in the measuring cup.

Continuing to mix on low speed, add 1/3 of your flour mixture to the mixer.

Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture to the mixer followed by 1/3 of the milk.

Add the remaining flour and the remaining milk and mix slowly until well combined.

Add your cocoa, still on low speed, mixing only until just incorporated.

Grab your standard size ice cream scoop and fill your cupcake liners 2/3 full.

Slide your pan into the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. You can check them around 15 minutes to ensure you aren’t over baking!

Look at those beauties!

Leave them in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Once they are 100% cool (no cheating!) grab an apple corer or a paring knife and cut out small cylinders from the center of the cupcakes. Don’t go all the way down to the paper, just deep enough to fit a gummy worm!

Place a worm in the hole you made by twisting them as they go in. See? They fit so perfectly!

Now take the cake that you pulled out from the cylinder and place it over the worm, pushing down enough to make the surface smooth and even.

Now we make the ganache!

Place 1-2 inches of water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.

Place a heat proof bowl over the saucepan (you just made a double boiler!) and dump in your chocolate chips.

Add the cream, and stir!

Continue stirring on a regular basis giving the mixture only a few short breaks.

Be patient, this part can take a little while. You will know it is done when all ingredients have melted and the mixture is shiny and smooth.

Remove the ganache from the stove and give it a few minutes to cool down.

Grab one cupcake at a time and dip the tops into the ganache, swiveling your wrist as necessary to completely cover the entire surface.

Turn the cupcake right side up quickly to prevent dripping. Let them rest for 5 minutes before moving to the next step.

During this cooling period, grab your oreos and throw them in a food processor (easiest) or blender (pain in the a**).

Blend them up to tiny little dirt chunks. Dump them into a bowl deep enough to dip your cupcakes in.

Following the same method as you did with the ganache, turn the cupcakes over and rotate your wrist to cover the entire surface with oreos.

If you’d like to, you can use a toothpick to bore a little hole anywhere along the top of the cupcake and stick an additional worm in. Then it looks like it’s crawling out- kiddos love this stuff.

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!!