Choco-Bears!

Chocolate Bears are delicious!  They are great for someone's sweet tooth.  They are made with chocolate cupcakes and candy.  Homemade frosting makes them awesome!

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups cake flour
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into small pieces
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Then put cupcake liners into pans.  This recipe makes approximately 2 dozen cupcakes. 

Break your chocolate into small pieces and put it in a sauce pan.  Melt over very low heat stirring occasionally.  Don't let it burn!!!

Put your salt, baking soda, baking powder and cake flour in a small bowl.  Stir and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with and electric mixer for 4 or 5 minutes, or until fluffy.

Separate your eggs and put the whites into another bowl.  Add the yolks one at a time to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well.

Add your vanilla and your chocolate and stir until completely mixed.

Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour and milk.  Make sure that you alternate between putting in the flour and milk.

Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites.  Stop when there are fluffy peaks.  

Fold your egg whites in so everything looks mixed and chocolate - y. Fold with a spatula.

Put cupcake batter in pans and bake for about 20 minutes.

Cool the cupcakes for 5 minutes.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

Cream the butter with an electric mixer.  Add sugar a little at a time alternating with the cream.  Mix in the vanilla and chocolate.  

large marshmallows
candy buttons
Junior mints
chocolate sprinkles

Cut a marshmallow in half.  Use a little frosting to attach the halves to the top of the cupcake (for ears).  Attach another marshmallow to the center of the cupcake to form a nose.

Frost the cupcake and cover the marshmallows with a small spatula.  Leave a little white inside the ears.

Make a glaze by mixing a little powdered sugar and cream until you have a thick white mixture.  Put the glaze in a sandwich baggie and cut a tiny hole in the tip.

Sprinkle on chocolate sprinkles.  Add candy buttons as the eyes, a junior mint for a nose and pipe the glaze for a mouth.

Enjoy your Choco-Bears!  Yummmmm!!!!