Brownie Cupcakes from Scratch

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These decadent and moist brownie cupcakes are easy to make and have the best chewy texture. They are similar to real brownies but baked in a cupcake tin without liners. And they are deliciously dense and fudgy. Make these yummy treats from scratch for the perfect chocolatey dessert.

A fork lifting a piece of brownie cupcake showing the fudgy centre.

While fantastic on their own, these brownie cupcakes are even more divine when paired with the sauce - a reduction of red wine and cherry brandy that I made just for them. This sauce is completely optional! But if you want to take this dessert to the next level for a special Valentine's Day dessert or another occasion, I recommend giving it a try.

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Ingredients
Instructions
What is the best frosting for brownie cupcakes?
Equipment
Storage
Top Tip
FAQ
📖 Recipe

A brownie cupcake with cherry-wine reduction on a serving plate.

Ingredients

Brownie Cupcakes:

Semi-sweet chocolate
Unsalted butter
Pure vanilla extract
All purpose flour
Dutch-processed cocoa
Salt
Granulated sugar
Eggs

Cherry-wine reduction (completely optional):

Red wine - A full-bodied pinot noir works well for this.
Kirsch (kirshwasser) - A brandy made from distilled cherries. It isn't sweet at all, but has an incredible cherry fragrance and flavour. It is the traditional liquor used in black forest cakes.
Granulated sugar
Pure vanilla extract

See the recipe card below for quantities.

What is Dutch-processed cocoa powder?

Dutch-processed cocoa powder differs from the natural variety in that it has been treated with potassium carbonate, an alkaline solution. This has the effect of neutralizing the cocoa's natural acidity. The neutralized cocoa powder will react differently in baking than natural cocoa powder. It will not react to baking soda, and is often paired with baking powder.

Instructions

A greased muffin tin coated in cocoa powder.

Preheat your oven to 325°F / 165°C with the rack in the middle. Grease a muffin pan with butter (for flavour) and then coat each hole with cocoa powder.

Next, chop up the semi-sweet chocolate and slice the unsalted butter into several large pieces.

Melted butter and chocolate being stirred in a saucepan.

Melt them together in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as it has melted remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.

Sift the flour, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and salt into a small bowl and set them aside.

A whisk mixing eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until it has become pale.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and add in the sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk them together very well until they become thick and pale in colour.

Melted chocolate and butter being stirred into the batter.

Stir in the melted chocolate and butter mixture.

A spatula gently mixing dry ingredients into the batter.

Then mix in the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan.

Bake them for about 15-17 minutes (oven times can slightly vary). Mine were ready in 16. Pull them from the oven before an inserted toothpick comes out clean. You absolutely do not want to over-bake them. Doing so will cause them to lose their chewy texture and become more cake-like.

Baked brownie cupcake cooling in the muffin pan.

Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. They will sink down even more as they set, forming dense and chewy brownie cupcakes.

Brownie cupcakes cooling on a cooling rack.

Carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way.

Cherry-Wine Reduction:

If you decide to make the reduction, simply stir the wine (pinot noir), kirsch, sugar, and vanilla together in a saucepan. Bring it to a lively simmer and continue simmering it on low, stirring frequently, until it has reduced to about a cup of liquid. Remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool to room temperature.

To serve, spoon some reduction onto a plate and set the cupcake on top. I garnished mine with a piece of edible gold for an ultra luxe look.

Overhead of a brownie cupcake with a piece cut out.

What is the best frosting for brownie cupcakes?

You may choose to add a frosting to these brownie cupcakes. Some frostings that would pair wonderfully with them are: chocolate frosting, peanut butter frosting, fresh cherry frosting, caramel frosting.

Make sure that they have completely cooled to room temperature before adding a frosting.

Equipment

To make this recipe you will need a muffin pan, mixing bowls, a whisk, a rubber spatula, a sifter, a cooling rack, and measuring cups or a kitchen scale for weighing ingredients.

muffin pan

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glass mixing bowls

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Storage

Store the brownie cupcakes in an airtight containers at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can serve them chilled or at room temperature.

They can be frozen in an airtight, freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months. However, they will lose some quality of their texture over time.

Top Tip

The key to having these brownie cupcakes turn out with their beautiful fudgy texture is do not over-mix the dry ingredients into the wet, and do not over-bake or they will become more cake-like.

FAQ

What makes brownies more fudgy?

Chewy, fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than the ones that turn out cake-like. This fat comes from butter but also from chocolate. Pulling them from the oven before a toothpick comes out clean will help them keep this fudgy texture.

📖 Recipe