Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

As we all know, Halloween is this Sunday and as a result, many schools are having parties and my daughter's preschool was no exception.  I had tons of ideas of what I wanted to make, but in the end, me being me, I decided on cupcakes.  I went back and forth, from red velvet, to cream filled, until I finally decided to go with some of my all time favorites and make the pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes from Love and Olive Oil.  I made these last year in October and brought them to my best friend's house and she fell in love with them, so much so that I made a cake version of them for her party.

I had one problem though this time, the frosting listed with the recipe just never turned to frosting.  I have made it before and it is delicious and has turned out well both times, but this time I just couldn't get it to work.  I don't know if it was because I tried to double the recipe, if I over-heated the egg whites or if I didn't have the mixer speed up enough or what but mine turned out looking like cold semi-solidified egg whites with tiny bits of butter floating in it...not pretty to say the least.  (Don't worry, I won't grace you with the picture of that one...)  Since I discovered this at 11 at night, I was forced to resort to canned frosting, sigh...but we will save that particular rant for another time.  

One of the main downfalls of canned frosting is that is it not a great consistency for decorating with a piping bag, particularly at room temperature.  I did my best and I tried, I really did...but after making 6 cupcakes that looked like my 4 year old had piped the runny frosting on, I gave up and just put the stupid acorns I made from hershey kisses and mini nilla wafers on top and called it a night.  Of course, come 8 am I was determined to fix them somehow and redeem myself by making gorgeous cupcakes in between the time I had to drop of Alyssa and bring the cupcakes for the party (about 30 minutes...)  Why, oh why was I torturing myself about cupcakes that 3-5 year olds were going to squish and slime in a matter of 30 seconds you ask?  I have no idea honestly, it is just who I am I guess...my food must be perfect or at least midly pretty even for mere preschoolers!  Anyway, I tried a different idea and since the frosting had been in the fridge all night and was a better consistency, they turned out much better, and I was only 10 minutes late to the party!  lol

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

adapted from Love and Olive Oil

makes about 12 cupcakes

cupcakes:

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

3/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice or 1/8 tsp. each ground cloves, nutmeg and ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

frosting:

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cups room temperature butter (or margarine), cut into tablespoons

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin pans.

In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Gently mix until just combined, don't over mix the batter as it may become too gummy. Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill liners with 1/4 cup batter and bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, whisk together egg whites, sugar, and salt. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Transfer to the clean bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy and cooled, about 15 minutes. Raise speed to high; beat until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium-low; add butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, until fully incorporated. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.