Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: June 8, 2023

These cupcakes mark a very personal anniversary for me. It’s the sort of milestone that’s especially significant once you know the context. One year ago (tomorrow, to be exact), Chris and I moved to New York.

If you’ve ever spent a significant amount of time traveling, you know how exhausting a nomadic lifestyle can be. For seven months, Chris and I were without homes. We’d packed in our lives in San Francisco, quit our jobs, and begun what we later called a “sabbatical”—a high-falutin’ but handy term to explain to our family and friends why we were taking an extended time off. We wanted to travel, work on personal projects, and reconnect with ourselves.

For about four of those months, we played vagabonds in South America. It was enriching and extraordinary. I’m still reeling from some of the places we visited, sights we saw. It was also bewildering, dangerous at times, and grinding in a way that can only be explained by showing, not telling: many-hour-long bus rides (our longest was 35), trudging along roadsides with our enormous backpacks hoping to catch rides from strangers, never quite acclimating to the continent-wide practice of everything shutting down for afternoon siestas and Sundays, meeting new people everyday and explaining our life stories over and over and over. I ate more Oreos and french fries than at any other time in my life, slept in hostels where bunk beds would be stacked on top of each other four beds high, celebrated Thanksgiving with 33-cent street burgers and arroz con leche, and at one point ran from a pack of muggers in Buenos Aires (Chris ended up punching one in the face).

You see? In a sense, I was happy to settle down, throw down some roots and re-establish continuity. I think this blog was borne out of that desire, to be honest. And yet the last year has been anything but predictable. Some dreams were extinguished and hardships faced. I mean, we’re talking about New York City here, the land of big ambitions, lofty goals. But other opportunities came along, bringing with them new beginnings, new adventures, and new people. It’s been difficult and frustrating and strange, truly, but I’m grateful to have experienced it all.

I apologize if I’m sounding incredibly vague and boilerplate. I realize how often people come across passages like these and just want the facts! They’re really not that juicy, just the usual twentysomething pangs.

But hey, the mood’s celebratory, remember? I finally filed my taxes, spring is seeping into the city one flower-laden tree at a time, and this recipe—which I used to make a 4-layer cake for Chris’s birthday a few weeks ago—is TOPS.

It’s worth noting that as far as wedding cake flavors go, I think I can pretty much stop here. This recipe results in a sturdy cake, definitely able to carry some weight, but not dense at all. And it’s so chocolate-y—Chris’s plebeian taste buds loved it. ; )

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CUPCAKES

Adapted from Bon Appétit
Makes 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup Guinness (or other stout)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
1-3/4 cups sugar
1/2 Tbsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with tins.

Bring the stout and butter to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add the stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber or wooden spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Fill each tin about 3/4 full. Bake until tester inserted into center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Turn out the cupcakes once the pan has cooled and let them cool completely before frosting, recipe below.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Adapted from the Food Network

I think this ratio of ingredients is perfect, but it makes for a slightly runny frosting. Make sure to refrigerate it to firm it up before frosting your cupcakes. Also, I was able to frost all 18 cupcakes using this amount, but I tend to like less-frosted cupcakes. For those of you who like normal amounts of frosting, use 1.5 to 2x the amounts listed below.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Slowly add the sugar, making sure it’s combined before adding more. Add the vanilla and whisk until smooth. If it’s too runny, refrigerate it for about an hour.

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Candy Grapes Recipe

Dessert

Christiana George

Updated Date:
December 27, 2021

Candy Grapes Recipe is a great way to enjoy a candy treat while still maintaining good health. Candy Grapes Recipe is easy to make and can be made in large batches. Make enough for everyone and share the love!

Ingredients:

1 pound of dried grapes (seedless)
1 cup of sugar (granulated)

Directions:

Mix the grapes and the sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Leave it for about 24 hours to let the grape juice be absorbed by the sugar.
After 24 hours, take a large cooking pot and add the mixture from above, stirring constantly over low heat until it is thickened and all of the sugar is dissolved. This will take about 15 minutes or so, depending on your cooking pot size, heat source etc.
Once thickened, remove from heat and pour into a glass jar or other suitable container for storage at room temperature until ready to serve your guests. Store any remaining candy in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one week’s time or longer if you wish!
Serve as you would with any other type of candy treat! Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Serves: 4 – 8
Calories: 158.4
Fat: 0.1
Cholesterol: 0.0
Carbohydrates: 40.6
Protein: 2.6
Fiber: 2.5
Sodium: 2 .0
Sugar: 37.4

Note: The above does not include salt

3 More Candy Recipes

Everyone loves candy. Candy is delicious, easy to prepare, and perfect for any occasion. But what if you want to be healthy? You can still enjoy your favorite candies with these healthy recipes!
Whether you’re looking for something to satisfy your sweet tooth or you want to make healthy alternatives for your kids treats, this collection of candy recipes has got you covered. This includes recipes for gummies, granola bars, and more!

Gummi Candy Grapes Recipe

A great way to enjoy a candy treat while still maintaining good health is by making this Gummi Candy Grapes Recipe! Gummi Candy Grapes are easy to make and can be made in large batches. Make enough for everyone and share the love!

Ingredients:

1 pound of dried grapes (seedless)
1 cup of sugar (granulated)

Directions:

Mix the grapes and the sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Leave it for about 24 hours to let the grape juice be absorbed by the sugar.
After 24 hours, take a large cooking pot and add the mixture from above, stirring constantly over low heat until it is thickened and all of the sugar is dissolved. This will take about 15 minutes or so, depending on your cooking pot size, heat source etc.
Once thickened, remove from heat and pour into a glass jar or other suitable container for storage at room temperature until ready to serve your guests. Store any remaining candy in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one week’s time or longer if you wish!
Serve as you would with any other type of candy treat! Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 400
Total Fat: 0 grams
Saturated Fat: 0 grams
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 grams
Monounsaturated Fat: 0 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Sodium: 10 milligrams
Potassium: 50 milligrams
Total Carbohydrates: 100 grams
Dietary Fiber: 2 grams
Sugars : 95 grams

Gummi Candy Peanuts Recipe:

Gummi Candy Peanuts Recipe is one of my favorite recipes. I remember when I was a child and we used to go to the movies, we would buy some gummi candy peanuts. They were so good! They were in a small box that was about 2 inches wide, 4 inches long and 1 inch deep.

The box had 8 rows of 8 little plastic bags of candy. Each bag was filled with a different flavored gummi peanut. We would open up the plastic bag and put them in our mouths like regular peanuts or other nuts but they were not real nuts at all!

They were made out of gelatin which is made by boiling animal bones, skins, tendons, etc. It’s not kosher to eat this stuff because it’s made from non-kosher animals!

Gummi Candy Peanuts Recipe Ingredients:

1 package of Gummi Candy Peanuts (or any flavor you like)
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 cup corn syrup (or any kind you have on hand)
1 teaspoon salt (optional) – I don’t use salt because I don’t like salty foods but if you want them salty, then add it in! You can always cut the salt out later.

Directions:

In a medium sized pot, mix the corn syrup, sugar and water together. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until it turns into a thick syrup. (This takes about 10 minutes)
Add in the gummi candy peanuts and stir. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure that all of the gummi candy peanuts are coated with the syrup mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before pouring into a greased pan or container of your choice! (I use a 9 by 13 inch pan.) This recipe makes enough for one batch of gummi candy peanuts! It makes a lot!
Allow to cool for about 3 hours before you can handle them! Store in an airtight container!
If you’re going to eat them right away, then it doesn’t matter if they are still warm. I try to wait until they cool down before I eat any of them so that they don’t melt in my mouth! (They are so good!)

Nutrition Facts:

Serving size: 1/4 cup (60g)
Calories: 160
Fat: 0g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 80mg
Carbohydrates: 37g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 37g
Protein: 2g

Gummi Candy Jelly Beans Recipe

Gummi candy jelly beans are made from gelatin, which is derived from animal bones and skin. Jelly beans are also made with food coloring. Please note that the food coloring used in gummi candy jelly beans may contain gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grains. It gives elasticity to dough (as in bread) and helps give it its spongy texture.

Gummi Candy Jelly Beans Recipe Ingredients

1 (14 ounce) package of red jello (flavor of your choice)
1½ cups water, divided use
2 packets of unflavored gelatin (about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup sugar, divided use
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
Food coloring (optional)

Gummi Candy Jelly Beans Recipe Directions

For the jelly beans:

Prepare jello according to package directions, using 1 cup water and adding ½ cup sugar and salt.
Dissolve gelatin in the remaining ½ cup water. Stir into prepared jello mixture along with apple juice concentrate. Add food coloring (if desired). Pour into a 9 by 13-inch pan and chill until set, about 2 hours. Cut into small blocks or use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets to dry overnight (if possible) or in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Store in an airtight container when not being used.

For the coating:

Mix sugar with ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl and set aside until ready to use.. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.. Melt chocolate according to package directions, stirring occasionally until smooth.. Dip each jelly bean halfway into melted chocolate, then place on prepared baking sheet to harden.. Sprinkle lightly with salt-sugar mixture just before serving.