Week 3. "I need energy for rehearsal!" Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream Icing

This week, I knew I had to make something that would be fairly quick...rehearsal all day, every day makes a Saturday off a haven of cupcake love. I wanted to make something that my fellow actors would enjoy, and also be energized by.

Now, oatmeal and chocolate together is genius if you ask me...it's probably my very favorite combination ever. You can feel healthy, but still have the delicious chocolate that is essential for all those lovely endorphins!

"I need energy for rehearsal!" Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream Icing

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients
7/8 cup boiling water
1/2 cup quick oatmeal
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup chocolate chips (mini would work best)

Frosting:
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin with cupcake papers.
Pour boiling water over oatmeal. Let stand for 10 minutes until absorbed. Add margarine and stir until melted. Add brown sugar, white sugar, and eggs. Mix well.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Add to sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in most of chocolate chips, saving approximately 1/4 cup.
Distribute 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle a few remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 2 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on rack.
For frosting, in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, whisk together egg whites, sugar, and salt. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Transfer to the clean bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy and cooled, about 15 minutes. Raise speed to high; beat until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium-low; add butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, until fully incorporated. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.



**Hannah's Hints**

* This recipe calls for the use of an electric mixer. To my great dismay, I do not currently own one (though I have my eye on a gorgeous seafoam green machine for my future kitchen!) So, I had to use my regular hand mixer. I wasn't about to stand there for 15 minutes, so I pretty much went by sight and when it got fairly "icing" looking, I added the butter and stuck it in the fridge for a bit. It worked like a dream! But I can imagine it would be much better with the use of the electric mixer.

* As with my other recipes, I don't necessarily condone eating batter that has raw eggs in it...but ooooooooooooooooooh my goodness. This is one batter that you will want to accidentally spill on your hand...delightful!

* As my sous-chef Carly discovered, brown sugar doesn't "sprinkle"...I asked her to garnish with it to make the buttercream taste less buttery, and she says it doesn't so much sprinkle as clump. That's ok...it's still yummy!

If you are one of my fellow actors in Carousel, you will see these (plus some cookies) at rehearsal on Sunday!