Truly Different Cupcakes & a Giveaway

This is my 200th post!  I can't believe I've actually been able to write 200 of these since last October.  I'm not sure if this means that I am very dedicated, or overly chatty, but whatever the case, to celebrate I have a giveaway, the details of which are at the bottom of this post.

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I've been going through all sorts of old cookbooks and recipes lately.  It's quite a moving experience as I have recipes going back to when I was a little girl, handwritten by relatives long gone.  This is the way of life, of course, but it makes me sad that my grandmother can't be here to see just how much I enjoy making her recipes.  

One recipe I found was one my mother made quite a bit when I was in high school, and it was always a hit.  It's a simple, but tasty chocolate cupcake that is easy to make (read: no electric mixer and only one pan) and popular with everyone who tries them despite their rather humble appearance.  No frosting is involved as these have a rather crunchy exterior and dense, moist interior, and so are rich enough to hold their own without the addition of icing.  

The only downside to these is that they tend to stick to the pan, so I cannot emphasize enough the importance of greasing AND flouring the pan.  Don't even consider using those paper liners.  They'll come out of the pan all right, but you'll spend half a day picking off the bits of paper.  One time I made these for a party at work.  Everyone loved them, but were enormously frustrated with their attempts to remove the paper (and I was mortified).  One adventurous soul just popped the whole thing into his mouth and said that he'd eat the cupcake right off the paper and then spit out the paper.  I don't recommend this, just tell you this story to emphasize the need for the greasing and flouring.

They are quick and easy to mix together and are best when eaten within two days.  They freeze well, however, if the two-day thing is more than you can manage.

TRULY DIFFERENT CUPCAKES

1 cup margarine (I used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup Crisco)

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon butter extract

1 cup unsifted flour

1-3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1-1/2 cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour 2 cupcake pans (I used two jumbo pans, each with 6 wells). Melt margarine (or shortening combination), chocolate and butter extract in heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly by hand.  Fill cupcake pans 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes (for regular-size pans) or 25-30 minutes (for jumbo pans) until done.  Because these are moist and chewy on the inside, using a cake tester to test for doneness doesn't work.  If the tester comes out clean, they're overdone.

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GIVEAWAY - I have a boxed set of four RSVP fluted-edge biscuit cutters to give away to one lucky follower of this blog.  All you have to do is be a public follower and leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite recipe from your past and you'll be eligible to win. The winner will be drawn at random and announced on Sunday.  Good luck, and thanks for reading my blog!

Product Features  Stainless steel - Comfortable arched handles and thin blades to cut through thick or thin dough - Nest for easy storage - Set of four ranges from 1-1/2" to 2-3/4" diameter

This post is linked to: 
Tuesdays at the Table
Tasty Tuesdays
Made from Scratch Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits