Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

When I was in college, I commuted to school for two years. Every morning, I'd have a cup of coffee with my mom and then we'd head off in different directions to start our days.

One of our favorite places to stop was a coffee shop that served the most amazing chocolate cheesecake muffins. Or at least that was what I told myself - that it was a muffin, and not that I was eating a cupcake every morning - ha!

Now that I've gotten over that denial, I'd like to share the recipe here, in honor of National Cupcake Day! As you may have noticed, most of the desserts we feature have a common thread - chocolate - and I am unapologetic for my chocoholic nature.

So without further ado, here's the recipe for cupcakes that will disappear the moment you set them down on the table.

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ingredients

for cream cheese filling

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/3 cup sugar

1 pinch salt

1 6-oz package chocolate chips

for chocolate batter

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt. Add chocolate chips and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients well.

3. Line muffin tin with paper liner cups and fill 1/3 to 1/2 full with chocolate batter.

4. Drop a large spoonful of cream cheese mixture on top.

5. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.

6. Optional: let cool complete and frost with buttercream frosting, if desired.

I like this recipe because these cupcakes don't come out overly sweet. Icing them is totally optional, in my house they usually don't last long enough for that!