Chocolate and pretzels — in a cupcake

What I really wanted to make tonight was Ferrero Rocher cupcakes. But hazelnut extract is as impossible to find in D.C. as in St. Louis, apparently. So that will have to wait until after I order some extract online.

Instead, I went with the chocolate pretzel cupcake, also from the Cupcake Project. They weren't overly time intensive for homemade, fancy cupcakes. And you could skip the pretzel toppers to save a little more time and decrease the ingredients. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow after I assemble them with toppers at work.

The cupcake batter was quite delicious, though I did add a little extra flour at the end because it seemed extra-soupy. They turned out fine.

The key to making them pretty is to fill the cupcake wrappers almost to the top so that they puff up when baked. That made dipping them in the ganache topping much easier and prettier. My first half of the batch was a little under-filled and was more difficult to dip. (I ended up spooning on ganache for a few of them.)

I also had enough pretzel mix left over to make another dozen cupcakes. But I didn't have more batter, so I used my leftover Hershey's Hugs and M&Ms to make some pretzel and chocolate concoctions. I didn't taste those, so I'll have to add an update on whether my co-workers like them.

Now I'm on a baking hiatus, of sorts. I'm baking for a barbecue on Sunday and for work birthdays next week, but both will be simple from-the-box baking. I need to have a couple nights where I do more than just bake. (Due to my late work schedule, when I make these intense cupcake recipes after work, I never finish before midnight.)

Side note: My cupcake recipe called for buttermilk. I searched all over my grocery store for buttermilk yesterday and couldn't find any. So I used a substitute (vinegar and milk). My dad told me buttermilk is delicious, and I should buy the real thing and then taste it, too, because I would like it. Well, I didn't have the real thing. But I did taste it (even though after knowing what was in it, I was a little scared to try it). And it actually wasn't bad. I'm not convinced I'd drink a whole glass, but it was definitely passable.