My friend Michael Cyril Creighton and I go way back - back to the days when we dressed up as holiday characters together for our special editions of Best Night Ever at Vh1.  Ah, the good ol’ days.  But now we each have our own web series, and we thought it was about time for another collabo.  

Michael plays Jack in his creation, Jack in a Box, a hilarious show about the trials and tribulations of actor with a ‘tude, working in a box office selling tickets - and his soul. And Jack has vices.  Lots of them. Including cupcakes.  

So I decided to make the perfect cupcake full of vices in honor of my favorite comedic character.  Watch as I teach Michael how to make the perfect naughty treat:  Caffeine Cupcakes with cocoa, coffee and cola.  Watch the video and follow along with the recipe below! 

CAFFEINE CUPCAKES RECIPE:

Makes 18

• 2 Sticks + 2 TBSP Butter
• 3/4 C Cola (suggested: boylans) 
• 2 TBSP Instant Espresso
• 1 3/4 C. Flour
• 1/3 C. Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
• 1 TBSP Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 1/2 C. organic cane sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten 
• 1/4 C. milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING 

• 2 sticks butter
• 1 lb confectioners sugar
• 1/2 C dutch process cocoa powder
• 3 TBSP cola 
• Sprinkles for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with baking cups.  Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, cola and instant espresso over low heat. Once the butter is melted, allow it to cool. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl.  Add the sugar and whisk. 

In another bowl, combine the milk, eggs and vanilla.  

Add all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, being careful not to over-stir.  Fill each of the baking cups 2/3 of the way with batter and bake for 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  

Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool. 

For the icing, beat all the ingredients together until light and fluffy.  Frost the cupcakes, and top with sprinkles.  

Enjoy!

Locally made, high quality, great tasting. Those are just some ways to describe confections from The Madelaine Chocolate Company. Located in Far Rockaway, Queens, they’ve been family-owned and operated since the thirties, and certainly take pride in both their roots and their chocolate.  We here at Hungry in Brooklyn were lucky enough come across a staggering amount of Madelaine’s goodies.  As we ate our way through more than half a box of chocolate hearts, we realized we could do so much more with these scrumptious sweets.  Since chocolate chip cookies are about as old fashioned as apple pie, we figured there was no better way to utilize these classic foiled candies. 

We believe in three Chocolate Chip Cookie Truths:  

• They must be DELICIOUS
• Soft/chewy in the middle yet crisp on the outside
• Contain really good, high quality chocolate.

Break out of that Tollhouse mindset and get to chopping your own chocolate. Combine dark and milk, semi sweet and bittersweet, or even white.  The possibilities are endless when you’re using chocolate that tastes amazing on it’s own. 

Through trial and much error, we have finally created what we believe to be the best Chocolate Chunk Cookie ever!  Check out the recipe below and give them a try yourself.  You won’t be disappointed! 

Classic Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• 2 cups plus 3 TBSP organic flour (preferably locally milled)
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 2 sticks unsalted butter – softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups chopped chocolate  (about 12 ounces chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Chop your chocolate into small pieces, and toss them with a little flour (to prevent them from sinking during baking)

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with your hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and smooth, about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs and the vanilla, beating until incorporated.  

Slowly add the flour mixture while mixing on low, until just incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, give it one last stir and then add your chocolate chunks. 

Drop the cookies in rounded tablespoonfuls onto your baking sheet, three inches apart from one another (they will spread) and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Try these with some vanilla ice cream for a classically decadent ice cream sandwich!