The Christmas season is a great opportunity to spend time with family. With Christmas just around the corner, and now that the little ones have free time due to school holidays, one of the best ways to keep them entertained is to... turn them into chefs for a day! We bring you a sweet recipe that you will love and with which you can spend a fun afternoon with your family: reindeer chocolate cupcakes.
These chocolate muffins are very easy to make, they are delicious and, above all, children will enjoy the process very much. Here are the steps to follow:
Ingredients (12 units):
For the muffins:
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125 ml warm milk
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1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
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190 g flour
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30 g pure cocoa powder
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5 g Royal baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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2 eggs at room temperature
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150 g sugar
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1.5 teaspoon vanilla essence
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125 ml sunflower oil
For the frosting:
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160 g butter or margarine at room temperature
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135 g icing sugar
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1.5 teaspoons vanilla essence
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90 g dark chocolate for melting
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70 g Nutella or Nocilla
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2 teaspoons milk
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1 pinch of salt
For decorating:
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Some small cookies.
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Mini marshmallows
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Mini brown M&M's
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Red and brown "Conguitos" (chocolate-covered peanuts)
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Mini pretzel cookies
Steps to follow:
Step 1. Make the cupcake batter
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Preheat the oven to 155ºC (310ºF)
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Mix the milk with the lemon and let it rest for 5 minutes before using.
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Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking powder into a bowl and add the salt.
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In another bowl, beat the eggs, add the sugar and continue beating at medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and oil, and beat.
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Slowly add half of the flour mixture. Add half of the milk mixture, then the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk. Beat just until homogeneous. The mixture will be quite fluid.
Step 2. Bake the cupcakes
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Fill 2/3 of the cupcake liners with the mixture.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes.
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Let cool on a wire rack.
Step 3. Prepare the chocolate frosting
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Melt the chocolate in the microwave at medium power, in 1-minute intervals, stirring until there are no lumps. Let it rest for about 10 minutes so it's not hot when you add it to the mixture.
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Mix the butter with the icing sugar until completely combined.
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Add the vanilla and beat until well combined.
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Add the melted chocolate (lukewarm) and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes).
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Add the Nutella, milk and a pinch of salt and gradually beat, incorporating the ingredients one by one.
Step 4. Decorate the cupcakes!
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Spread the chocolate cream on the surface of the muffin.
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Place a cookie on top and stick an M&M to it with a little chocolate cream to simulate the reindeer's nose.
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For the eyes, cut a mini-marshmallow in half and embed a mini-M&M into the cut side of each half (which will be a bit sticky). Place them on the chocolate frosting.
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Place two pretzel cookies as ears.
Now all that's left is to enjoy!
