Chocolate Cupcakes with Pretzel Frosting

For an adorable treat that’s the perfect combination of salty and sweet, bake up these rich and decadent Chocolate Cupcakes with Pretzel Frosting.

We had a birthday party a few weeks ago for my oldest, G, who turned seven. This is the part where I do that trite, “They grow up so fast! Where did my baby go?! I can’t handle this!” thing. But really, y’all, every word of that is true. Like, it seems that only a few weeks ago he was sneaking into the kitchen to eat from the dog food bowl and referring to himself in the third person as “shwee -shwee.” No, we don’t know how he got that from “Griffin.”

But, alas, he’s another year older, which means another year of dinosaur obsession, another year of being the best big brother ever. I didn’t ask G what kind of cupcakes he wanted because I knew that, with the dinosaur cupcake toppers I bought, he wouldn’t care about the aesthetics of the cupcakes. Plus, I know the kid loves chocolate and salty/sweet as much as his mom does. With that in mind, I couldn’t go wrong with Chocolate Cupcakes with Pretzel Frosting.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Pretzel Frosting

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
20 mini pretzel twists
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tbs vegetable oil

For the Frosting

1 cup salted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbs half and half
3 cups mini pretzel twists
pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well until few lumps remain. Scoop batter into muffin cups prepared with cupcakes liners, filling each cup about three quarters full. Bake cupcakes for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable oil by microwaving in 30 seconds intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is fully melted and thin enough for easy dipping. Dip the 20 mini pretzel twists in the chocolate and then lay them flat on a piece of wax paper to dry.

Next, prepare the frosting. Beat the butter on high for five minutes, until light and fluffy. While the butter is mixing, add the pretzels to a large zip-top bag and use a rolling pin or a heavy mug to crush the pretzels until they’re in fine pieces. Add the powdered sugar to the butter and mix for three more minutes, and then add the vanilla, half and half, crushed pretzels, and salt. Beat for five minutes more, allowing to frosting to become fluffy.

Frost the cooled cupcakes and top each with a chocolate-dipped pretzel.

Tools I Used

• Glass mixing bowl
• Rubber spatula
• Muffin pan
• KitchenAid mixer

Notes

• If you plan to pipe the frosting, make sure your pretzel pieces are small enough.
• Store-bought chocolate-covered pretzels work fine, but the homemade ones aren’t difficult to make and taste better.

Love cupcakes? Check out Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes or Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting!

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