So I know the saying is, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” but in my kitchen, it’s more like desperation is the mother of invention. This week, I had two potential disasters. Instead of the Greek yogurt that Mister Man has for breakfast every day, I fed him “regular” yogurt. And he didn’t like it at all. He said the texture was too runny and it didn’t taste right, and there was a big container of good yogurt about to go bad. Great.
And last Thursday was Mister Man’s half birthday. In our house, we sort of make a minor celebration of half birthdays. The child always has dinner of choice and cupcakes, also chosen by the half birthday child. It’s tradition and fun, and the wee ones love it. So it’s possible that I remembered Thursday was not just April 11 but his half birthday when my mom called me asking if I remembered that it was his half birthday because she had just remembered it was his half birthday. Possible, but I’m admitting nothing.
So I’m scrambling trying to figure out what to make for dinner that would be “his choice” for dinner since I can’t talk to him until after he’s home from school, which is too late to make 90% of the things he’s likely to choose. And cupcakes. Gah! Cupcakes are not an after school for that night kind of thing. After running around in circles for a half hour tearing my hair out wanting to do something new and fun which rules out peach, blueberry, cherry, mixed berry, chocolate, and a ton of other cupcakes, I thought about doing a pineapple cupcake. And that sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Maybe with a little coconut to make it a pina colada cupcake? That’s what I thought.
Except that I didn’t feel like making pineapple cupcakes.
And then lightning struck – fortunately, not literally. I could make cupcakes using the yogurt that Mister Man doesn’t want to eat. And since it’s plain yogurt and sorta tangy, a chocolatey cupcake would be good. But a Nutella cupcake would be better. And the angels sang, or at least I’m pretty sure they did.
So I started grabbing ingredients and getting creative and oh my…
Nutella Yogurt Cupcakes
Ingredients:
3 T butter
1/2 c Nutella plus 2 T, split
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
2 1/2 c flour
1 c plain yogurt
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, combine room temperature butter with the sugar and cream. When it’s mostly creamed, add 1/2 cup of the Nutella and mix well. Add vanilla and the eggs one at a time, beating between additions. Be sure to scrape down the sides throughout the process of making this batter, as it will be thick because of the Nutella.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix well. Add 1 cup of flour and stir slowly. Add 1/2 the yogurt and mix until combined. Alternate a total of 3 flour additions and 2 yogurt additions, stirring slowly and mixing until just combined each time.
Using a small scoop, scoop out one dollop of batter into prepared muffin tins (yep, preparing them in my world means tossing a cupcake liner in them). This recipe makes 20 cupcakes, so plan accordingly. Once the batter is in, spread it just a touch with your spatula so that it mostly covers the bottom.
Using your 1/4 teaspoon measure, add a quarter teaspoon of Nutella to the middle of each dollop in the muffin tins. Yes, you’ll need to scrape it off with your finger, but this is why we wash our hands before cooking and baking, right?
Once they’re filled with their special surprise, add a second, smaller dollop atop each cupcake to cover.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes, depending on your oven. When a cake tester comes out clean, they’re done. Remove and let cool for five minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. Frost as you like, and enjoy!
So what are you cooking this week? Link your post here, and share the love. I’m also posting at Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, as well as with Rachel from A Southern Fairytale’s Mouthwatering Monday linkup. Enjoy!
Yogurt Nutella Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Nutella plus 2 tablespoons split
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup plain yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a bowl, combine room temperature butter with the sugar and cream. When it's mostly creamed, add 1/2 cup of the Nutella and mix well. Add vanilla and the eggs one at a time, beating between additions. Scrape sides of the bowl regularly.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/2 cup Nutella plus 2 tablespoons, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix well. Add 1 cup of flour and stir slowly. Add 1/2 the yogurt and mix until combined. Alternate a total of 3 flour additions and 2 yogurt additions, stirring slowly and mixing until just combined each time.1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup plain yogurt
- Using a small scoop, scoop out one dollop of batter into prepared muffin tins. Spread it just a touch with your spatula so that it mostly covers the bottom.
- Using your 1/4 teaspoon measure, add a quarter teaspoon of Nutella to the middle of each dollop in the muffin tins.
- Once they're filled with their special surprise, add a second, smaller dollop atop each cupcake to cover.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes, depending on your oven. When a cake tester comes out clean, they're done. Remove and let cool for five minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way.
Notes
- The Nutella balances the tangy flavor of plain yogurt.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
How much is one ‘T’ and one ‘t’?
A big T is a tablespoon and a small t is a teaspoon (because 3 teaspoons makes one tablespoon) – it’s cooking shorthand 🙂 Good luck – these are SO good!
Mmmm, definitely pinning these. They sound so good right now.:) Thanks so much for linking up to Inspire Me Wednesday! I’m wanting to use more recipes to hide healthy ingredients too, especially veggies.
Thanks, Mel! They were absolutely delicious – and gone! Always happy to link up. I love the inspiration so many people provide.
These sound amazing and I have EVERYTHING for them. Who want to come over to watch the kids so I can make them?
Do you think I should make any changes if I’m going to use plain Green yogurt?
They are SO good, Lisa. I would maybe add a touch less flour but otherwise wouldn’t alter them. I use plain “regular” yogurt, so it doesn’t need any extra sweetener or anything along those lines. Let me know what you think!