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These Brownie Cupcakes are completely from scratch with a delicious chocolate frosting. You can use any flavor frosting on these but the fact they’re homemade brownies in cupcake form – genius!

brownie cupcake with brown frosting.


Best Brownie Cupcakes From Scratch

Making these Brownie Cupcakes will give you a rich, chocolatey, and fudgy brownie in cupcake form, which makes them even more fun. This recipe is very similar to my regular brownie recipe, but a bit easier. 

The greatest thing is that brownies go with so many flavors, therefore when it comes to topping the cupcakes–your favorite frosting is sure to go great with the brownie taste! At the end, you’ll be left with 11 cupcakes…seems like just enough to try out multiple new frostings!

ingredients in brownie cupcakes on marble counter with words on photo

Ingredients Needed

  • Vegetable Oil – I go back and forth between using melted butter and oil in brownies. For the cupcakes, I find oil is best.
  • Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Gives that chocolate flavor – you can use regular cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa.
  • Baking Powder: I find that adding a bit of baking powder makes these more like cupcakes – that way they’ll rise a bit.
  • All-Purpose Flour – be sure to measure your flour correctly.
cocoa, sugar, eggs in large bowl
brownie batter with flour in large bowl
cupcakes in pan

How to make Brownie Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with liners.
  • Stir together oil, sugar, and cocoa. Stir in eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Carefully stir in flour.
  • Fill liners about ⅔ full (about 3 tablespoons of batter each).
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from right along the edge of the liner. Cool completely before frosting.
  • Store in refrigerator loosely covered, serve at room temperature.

Frosting Variations

You can use whatever frosting you would like in this recipe, but here are some of my favorites!

brownie cupcake with brown frosting.

Expert Tips

  • Be careful not to over bake the cupcakes – a toothpick right on the edge of the liner will come out with a few crumbs.
  • If you don’t want brownie cupcakes, you can make traditional brownies in a 9×9 pan and then frost them.
  • If you decide to make Mint Chip Frosting, be sure that you are using peppermint extract and not mint extract. Mint Extract gives a different taste that isn’t right for this frosting.

FAQs

How long does it take to bake brownie cupcakes at 350?

Baking brownies at 350° will take around 20-30 minutes. In that window, do the toothpick trick, where you’ll know it’s done when a toothpick comes out clean from right along the edge of the liner.

Can you freeze brownie cupcakes?

You can! In an airtight container for up to two months.

brownie cupcake with brown frosting.

Brownie Cupcakes from Scratch Recipe

5 from 1 vote
This is the best homemade brownie cupcake recipe – use any kind of frosting to make these cupcakes!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Yield 11 cupcakes
Serving Size 1 cupcake without frosting
Rate RecipePrint Recipe

Ingredients
 

Cupcakes:

  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (109g) all-purpose flour

Frosting:

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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with liners.
  • Stir together oil, sugar, and cocoa. Stir in eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Carefully stir in flour.
  • Fill liners about ⅔ full (about 3 tablespoons of batter each).
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from right along the edge of the liner. Cool completely before frosting.
  • Store in refrigerator loosely covered, serve at room temperature.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Mint Chip Frosting: beat 1/2 cup unsalted butter and pinch of salt until smooth. Slowly mix in 4 cups (452g) powdered sugar until crumbly. Add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Beat until smooth, adding more cream as needed to get the consistency desired. Add a few drops of green food coloring and mix in, if desired. Stir in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. 
  • You can frost these with any frosting you like.
  • Be careful not to over bake the cupcakes – a toothpick right on the edge of the liner will come out with a few crumbs.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze cupcakes for up to 2 months.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake without frosting | Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 49IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Last Updated on August 23, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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44 Comments

  1. Just wait until high school physics class when they have to make a rube goldberg machine! The leprechaun trap will seem like a fond dream;( These cupcakes look amazing and I think that they will be perfect for my birthday this week. Happy Birthday to me!!

    Reply

    1. OMG. She’s gonna need someone besides me for that. 🙂 LOL. Thank you! And Happy Birthday!

      Reply

  2. These cupcakes are beautiful Dorothy! Brownie cupcakes? I am in heaven and especially drooling over that perfect scoop of mint frosting on top! Sorry about the leprechaun trap – I wonder if you can use these as bait? How can anyone resist one of these – I know I sure wouldn’t be able to. Pinning 🙂

    Reply

  3. Yes. I love everything about this. A brownie disguised as a cupcake so it can be extra heavily frosted is so genius, and the fact that the frosting highly resembles mint chip ice cream…ugh, NEED! Pinned 🙂

    Reply

  5. I don’t know about Leprachan traps but these mint browine cupcakes are amazing!! Couldn’t you just put these cupcakes in a box and call it a day?? I mean, what leprachan in his right mind wouldn’t come running for these??? 😉

    Reply

  6. I feel like maybe I jinxed you, hehe!!! At least your husband is willing to take this project on. Maybe you can make some more of these brownie cupcakes to enjoy while they create traps, hehe!!

    Reply

  7. Brownies with mint chocolate chip frosting that looks like a scoop of ice cream! Just stop it! Stop it right now. I’ll take five. And who exactly is worried about these being too rich? Is that possible? I’ll answer that one – No, no it is not.

    I’m sorry but expecting parents to make any sort of trap is just ridiculous. Kids should be expected to do their own homework otherwise they aren’t learning anything except that they need mom’s help to do anything right. NOT helpful. And a leprechaun trap? Don’t get me started. You poor thing.

    Reply

  9. I am so in love with these Dorothy! They look absolutely perfect! That scoop of icing on top is calling to me! Sorry about the leprechaun trap. I can’t believe that can even be called homework. #crazy

    Reply

  10. Crazy for brownies sounds good to me! Wow, I love how that frosting looks like ice cream – I want to lick my screen really badly right now – is that bad? 😉 Good tips on the extract – I’ve only used peppermint, glad to know I got the right one!

    Reply