Chocolate Covered Mint Meltaway Cupcakes

Cupcakes!

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes

6 Oz. unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
2 C. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tsp. baking powder
1 Tsp. baking soda
1/2 Tsp. salt
1 C. (2 sticks) unsalted butter - at room temp
2 1/2 C. sugar
4 large eggs
1 C. sour cream
1 C. water

For Chocolate Fudge Filling

1 1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick) - cut into pieces
18 Oz. (3 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 Tsp. vanilla extract

For Chocolate Fudge Glaze

2 1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
5 tbsp unsalted butter - cut into pieces
7 1/2 tbsp light corn syrup
4 C. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 Tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp cinnamon schnapps - *see note

Make the Fudge Filling

In large saucepan, heat the cream & butter over low heat. Cream should be hot &
butter melted, but it should not boil. Tiny bubbles should form (sorta foamy
looking, but not boiling - sorry didn't have a chance to snap the pic).
Remove pan from heat & add in the chocolate chips. I tried to distribute them so
that they were all actually in the cream. Set aside for about 30 seconds.
Add in vanilla & whisk until it is smooth & all of the chocolate is melted.
Transfer to a large bowl & stir in any flavor if desired (Jimmy likes chocolate on
chocolate with chocolate, so no flavoring for us, however the book recommends
1/2 Tsp. of peppermint extract, but I think coffee or cinnamon would be great
too). Cover & refrigerate until firm but is still soft to the touch (at least 1 1/2-2
hours).

Make the Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin tins with paper cupcake liners - spray with
nonstick cooking spray - set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda &
salt in to medium bowl - set aside. Melt the chocolate until it is fully melted &
smooth. I did it by placing it into a heatproof bowl on top of a pan of barely
simmering water. You can use a double boiler if you have it, or the microwave.
Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl (or mixer - that's what I used) beat the butter & sugar until
creamy. I did it for about 3 minutes on medium speed. You'll want to stop &
scrape the sides of the bowl as you go along. On low speed, add the melted
chocolate in until incorporated. Next turn up the speed to medium & add the eggs
one at a time - making sure each one blends in fully first. Add vanilla & continue
to mix until the color has lightened slightly - about 1 minute. Mix in the sour
cream, make sure no white streaks remain. On low speed, add 1/2 of the flour
mixture, mix until incorporated. Mix in water. Mix in remaining flour mixture
until it is fully mixed & the batter looks smooth. Fill each paper liner 2/3 full - try
to fill them all with the same amount to ensure even doneness (although, if you
notice I've got one fatty in the corner). Smooth out the tops with a spatula or
spoon. Bake until tops fill firm & toothpick comes out clean - about 20 minutes -
use this time to make the glaze. If you are baking two trays at a time, they can
both go on the same rack. If there's not room, rotate pans 1/2 way through.
Remove from oven & let sit in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Next carefully
put a wire rack on top of the cupcakes (in pan) & invert to release them onto wire
rack. Turn the cupcakes (top side up) to cool completely. Make Glaze: In large
saucepan, heat the cream, corn syrup & butter over low heat. Cream should be
hot & butter melted, but it should not boil. Tiny bubbles should form. Remove
pan from heat & add in the chocolate chips. I tried to distribute them so that they
were all actually in the cream. Set aside for about 30 seconds. Add in vanilla &
whisk until it is smooth & all of the chocolate is melted. Add in cinnamon
schnapps if desired Set aside at room temperature until it is thick enough to
spread.

Cupcake Assembly

Once cupcakes are completely cooled, remove paper liners & turn cupcakes
upside down on wire rack. Cut cupcakes in half horizontally (so that you have a
top & a bottom layer). Set tops aside for now. Remove filling from fridge and,
using a whisk, beat the cold filling until the color lightens from a dark chocolate
to a light chocolate. About 30 seconds until it has thickened a bit. Immediately
spread about 2 tbsp of filling on top of each cupcake. Replace tops - the filling will
quickly firm up again. Do this until all cupcakes have been assembled.
Now it's time to glaze the cupcakes. I wasn't patient enough (it was already
laaaaate) to wait until it got to the right consistency, so when I tried to spread it
on, it was still too runny. So I set a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet covered with
foil (easy clean-up) & poured spoonfuls of the glaze on top & spread it around on
each cupcake. Once you have them all coated set aside for about 15 minutes or
until the glaze has firmed. Spread a second layer of smooth glaze on to the
cupcakes. Before the glaze sets sprinkle shaved chocolate on top (shave a
chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler to obtain shavings). Let sit for about 30
minutes to completely firm up. Serve immediately or cover & refrigerate & serve
cold.