Brownie Banana Cupcakes

Leave it to a teenager to be last minute with everything.

My daughter came home from school and said she needed to make something for church that evening and bring the recipe to share with all the girls.

I was planning on making banana bread but decided why not a brownie banana cupcake with brown sugar frosting. Sounds more fun than just banana bread, right? And maybe just a tad sweeter.

Thankfully, I had all the ingredients and the time to assist her in making this delicious cupcake.

I couldn't find the website I originally found the recipe on. I think it was one of those nights when I was browsing the Internet and just copying and pasting recipes to a word document to try out later. I like to give credit where credit is due. Sorry original recipe owner.



The brown sugar cream cheese frosting is sweet so if you don't want really sweet, try just a cream cheese frosting or a butter cream frosting.

My daughter said we need to put something on top of the frosting because it looks so plain.

Does this look plain to you? I didn't think so either. And it tastes just as good as it looks.

Recipe below. Enjoy!

Brownie Layer:

1/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa powder

pinch of salt

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, lightly tossed in flour

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix until combined, scraping down the bowl a few times. With the mixer on medium speed, add in flour, salt and cocoa powder, mix until just combined. Line a cupcake tin with liners. Spoon about 1/2 - 3/4 tablespoon of brownie batter in each cup. Press down with the back of a spoon coated in non-stick spray.

Cupcake Layer:

1 1/3 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1 egg

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large rip bananas, mashed

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter, melted

Instructions:

Combine dry flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside. In a bowl, whisk egg and add brown sugar, mix until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Add sour cream and melted butter and mix. Stir in dry ingredients, then add mashed bananas and mix until batter comes together. The batter will be thicker than normal cupcakes. Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure, scoop batter in liners over top of brownie batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes, then let cool before frosting.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting:

3/4 cups of butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer until completely combined and creamy, scraping down the sides. Add in brown sugar and powdered sugar, beating on low speed and gradually increasing to medium speed. Add in vanilla extract. Beat frosting for 4-5 minutes on medium-high speed until creamy and combined. This frosting is not very thick or sturdy, so make sure to either frost immediately before eating, or keep in the refrigerator for up until 30 minutes before serving. If you want thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar to your liking. I usually add another cup of powdered sugar.