CHOCOLATE CHERRY CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA BEAN FROSTING

Note: This is a recipe I hand copied back in 2011 from a Prevention magazine. A couple years later I saw it online and copied it so you can read it better!

• 1 C dried cherries
• 1 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, broken
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 C light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 lg eggs
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 vanilla beans, split
• 8 oz reduced-fat cream cheese (neufchatel), at room temperature
• 1/2 C + 1 Tbsp confectioners' sugar

1. Heat oven to 350F. 
2. Line 2 muffin pans with 16 paper liners.
3. Combine cherries and 1 cup water in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Transfer to food processor. Add cocoa, chocolate, and butter and pulse until combined. Cool 1 minute. Add brown sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt and puree until almost smooth.
4. Pulse in eggs until well combined. Whisk together flour and baking soda in bowl and add to food processor. Pulse until just combined.
5. Divide batter evenly among pans. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, until top is slightly domed and firm to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pans on rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on rack.
6. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into bowl. Add cream cheese and confectioners' sugar and beat well. Pipe or spread frosting onto cupcakes.

Per cupcake: