Rocky Road Cupcakes.

Guess what? When howtoeatacupcake brought these to my house, they were so yummy! Needless to say, i had to make these for the family.

Ingredients

After mixing and baking.

Ta Daa!

I got my recipe from howtoeatacupcake =)
When it called for almonds, I used pecans.

Makes 24 cupcakes

2 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup buttermilk

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper or foil liners.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the water and buttermilk, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Beat on medium-high speed just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not overbeat.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 16-18 minutes.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Rocky Road Frosting (adapted from Sticky Fudge Frosting in Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans)
Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup mini marshmallows
½ cup chocolate covered or plain almonds, coarsely chopped
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Put the chocolate, butter, condensed milk, and salt in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over, but not touch­ing, a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler).
Cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate and butter have melted and the frosting is smooth and thick, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the water and stir in the vanilla.
Scrape the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until the frosting thickens further and cools to lukewarm (so it won’t melt the marshmallows), about 3 minutes.
When thickened, the beaters should form lines in the frosting.
Fold in marshmallows, almonds, and chocolate chips. Allow the frosting to thicken until it’s a spreadable consistency that won’t run down the sides of the cupcakes. (Just play around with it, you’ll know when it’s ready.)
Let the cup­cakes sit uncovered until the frosting firms up, about 1 hour.
These cupcakes are best stored in a covered container to protect the frosting; store for up to 3 days at room temperature.