Description

You don't have to be a beer and pretzel type of person to enjoy these cupcakes. The sweet and salty flavors are combined to make a tasty treat. If you don't want to use beer, use hot coffee instead. If a less dramatic look is what is wanted, chop the pre

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 cu. (4.5 ounces) all purpose flour
• 1 cu. plus 2 tbl. (7.3 ounces) sugar
• 1/3 cu. plus 2 tbl.(1.5 ounces) Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp.salt
• 1/2 cu. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and warm
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cu. Guinness Stout
• Ganache Frosting:
• 3/4 cu. heavy cream
• 4 tbl. butter
• 1/4 tsp. vegetable oil
• 14 oz. chocolate, chopped
• Pretzel Topping:
• 12 pretzel sticks
• 2 oz. chocolate, melted
• 2 oz. caramel, warmed

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. Put flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, mix thoroughly to combine. Add in butter, eggs, and vanilla, beat on medium speed for one minute. Add 1/4 cu. of beer into the mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add in remaining beer. Beat for 20-30 seconds until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin enough to pour.
3. Divide evenly among the lined cups. Bake 18-22 minutes just until a toothpick inserted into a few of the cupcakes comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Frost the cupcakes when they are completely cool.