"Kitchen Sink" Cupcakes

Doctored cake recipes have become one of my new favorite past times. This particular recipe is made even better by swapping oil with browned butter instead of plain butter. Believe me when I say that it makes a huge difference. 

I prefer the extra kick that comes with salted butter for the cupcakes, but these can also be made with unsalted butter. Just make sure that you stick with unsalted butter for the buttercream. 

The best part of making a “kitchen sink” recipe is that the idea is to add everything but the “kitchen sink”, meaning that the possibilities are endless. After a few failed experiments (RIP mini marshmallows), there were a few mix-ins that could repeatedly stay intact when baked in with the batter: chocolate chips, toffee bits, soft-caramel pieces, and malted milk balls (for the most part). The potato chips and pretzels became soggy when mixed all of the way in with the batter, but I couldn’t give up on having that yummy sweet and salty flavor profile. So this recipe has the chips and pretzels added to the top right before baking, which gives just the right amount of salty and crunchy. 

What other mix-in items are you going to add?

“Kitchen Sink” Cupcakes

Cupcakes

• 1 box Butter Golden or Yellow Cake mix

• 9 tbsp salted butter

• ¾ cup buttermilk

• 3 eggs

• 2-2 ½ cups total of any combination of the following mix-ins: chocolate chips, toffee bits, soft caramels, chocolate malt balls

• ¼ cup crushed potato chips

• ¼ cup crushed salted pretzels

Chocolate Buttercream

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter

• 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

1. In a medium saucepan, brown the salted butter on medium heat until it gives off a slightly nutty aroma and has a golden brown color. Allow to cool completely.

2. Line two muffin pans with 24 cupcake lines. Preheat the oven according to package directions.

3. Prepare the batter according to package directions swapping the oil with the brown butter. Also, swap out the water and use the buttermilk instead. 

4. Fold in your chosen mix-ins. Fill the cupcake liners with the batter so that each liner is only ⅔ of the way full.

5. Sprinkle most of the potato chips and pretzels on top before putting the cupcakes in the oven. Save some chips and pretzels for the end. Bake according to package directions.

6. For the buttercream, put the chocolate chips in a large bowl and set aside. Heat up the cream until scalding hot and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Allow it to sit for 3-5 minutes. Once the chocolate has melted, stir until smooth.

7. Add the butter to the chocolate mixture and beat until smooth and mixture is well combined. 

8. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy.

9. Once cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe buttercream onto cupcakes. Use the last bit of potato chips, pretzels, and some toffee bits to press into the side of the buttercream.

Tips

Brown butter needs to be watched carefully to avoid burning, so make sure to pay attention during this step. The brown bits at the bottom are normal, but continually stir the butter while cooking to prevent these bits from burning as well. The butter needs to  be COMPLETELY cool before using it in the recipe.

Use a combination of milk, semi-sweet, and dark chocolate to add more variety of flavor.

If you choose additional mix-ins, be aware that some items may get soggy while baking. So, pick your mix-ins accordingly or do a bit of experimenting.

Due to the caramel pieces, these cupcakes are best served at room temperature. The potato chips and pretzels can get soggy from the buttercream, so I also recommended making and eating these on the same day.

The caramel bits will get a little melty in the cupcakes, so try to find soft caramels that are really small in size to prevent too much sticking to the cupcake liner.