Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

How many of you are a fan of Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)? I absolutely love her and she visits me everyday at 5pm. I just love her motto..."back to basics." I love her on the food network and I love all of her cookbooks! Today I made her Chocolate Ganache cupcakes (for Goosie GIrl's school faculty meeting). I do believe they were the easiest, most delicious things I've ever had. This was the second time I had made them and I've decided that these are my "go to" when I need sweets that are yummy & fast.

Here is the recipe. You definitely should give it a try...

1 stick of butter at room temp

1 cup sugar

4 extra large eggs at room temp

11 ounces of Hershey's chocolate syrup (one can)

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (I used these the first time but did not today)

For the Ganache:

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips (Today I used Dove chocolate)

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules (Again, I did not use this today)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Line a muffin pan with liners

Cream the butter & sugar until light & fluffy

Add the eggs, one at a time

Mix in the chocolate syrup & vanilla

Add the flour & coffee granules & mix until just combined

Do NOT overmix or cupcakes will be tough

I poured mixture into a ziplock bag, cut a tiny end off and squeezed it into muffin liners

You can fill them to the top as they don't rise

Bake for 30 minutes or until just set

Don't overbake!

Let them cool

For Ganache:

Cook heavy cream, chocolate chips & instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth & warm, stirring occassionally.

Dip tops of cupcakes into ganache or pour ganache in ziplock bag, cut tip off and squeeze onto top of cupcake.

Voila'...

I added cupcake toppers to the finished product & I had instant cuteness & delishness