Chocolate Chip Cupcakes In a Tree

My niece/Goddaughter had a birthday recently. Every year I get the privilege of making her cake (or cakes). This year, she requested chocolate chip cupcakes with a Magic Tree House theme. I was up for the challenge!

I took a vanilla cake recipe that I like, and tweaked it a bit to resemble a chocolate chip cookie in cupcake form. They turned out great, so I wanted to share the recipe!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

     3/4 cup unsalted butter                   2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

     3/4 cup white sugar                        1 teaspoon baking powder

     3/4 cup dark brown sugar               1 teaspoon baking soda

     3 eggs, lightly beaten                      3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup yogurt: regular, low-fat or non-fat, plain or vanilla

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 10 ounce bag mini chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli)

Bring butter, eggs and yogurt to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners of your choice into muffin tin.

Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until light. Gradually add the sugars and continue to beat for 5 minutes.

Beat in the eggs, beating all the while and beat until light colored.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

Mix the vanilla and yogurt together.

Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, alternately with the yogurt and vanilla mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Stop beating before mixture is blended. Add the mini chocolate chips, and mix just until blended.

Bake @ 350° for 20-25 minutes (ovens vary, so check them at the earliest suggested time, and see if they might need longer).

Yield: 3 to 3 1/2 dozen

I used my favorite butter cream frosting to decorate them. You can use your favorite, or if you don't have one, use the recipe on the back of any confectioner's sugar package.

First, I gave the cupcakes a base coat of frosting, to give them rounder tops.

After the base coat, I used green frosting with a leaf tip to make leafy patterns all over the top. On some of the cupcakes, I did a toad stool look instead in red and white.

Thanks to my hubby for building the cutest display ever! He made it out of wood we had in the yard. Men and their chain saws, they go so well together.

These cupcakes were a big hit with the kids!

I hope you enjoy them too!