Brownie Heart Cupcakes

Transform chocolate brownies into decadent cupcakes for a Valentine's Day (or any day) sweet certain to induce a smile.

Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 15 ounces (3 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 12 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Basic Buttercream
Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Coat an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray, line bottom with parchment, then spray parchment.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• Place butter and chocolate in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring until chocolate melts.
• Attach bowl to mixer, add sugar, and whisk on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture.
• Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Spread remaining batter in square pan.
• Bake until set but still soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins and pan on wire racks.
• Frost cupcakes with buttercream.
• Cut out 24 hearts from brownie in pan using a 1 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter.
• Top each cupcake with a heart.

Makes 24