Ingredients:
1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water (or milk)

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/4 – 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all your dry ingredients together (except chocolate chips).  Add wet ingredients.  Beat together on low speed for about a minute.  Use a spoon to scrape down the batter off the sides.  Mix for about a minute on medium speed.  Fold in chocolate chips, if using.  If you aren’t using cupcake liners, spray your muffin tin with cooking spray.  Fill your muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full with batter.  Bake for 25 minutes.  (My recipe book says the recipe will yield 20 cupcakes, but I was only able to make 16.)

Ingredients:
1 16 oz. coolwhip (thawed)

2 8oz. packages cream cheese (softened)

4 tablespoons sugar

1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions: Place cream cheese in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds to soften. (Be sure to check it in 15 second increments and stir if needed.) Add cool whip a little bit at a time. (I added about 4 oz. then stirred, then another 4 oz. and so on.) Blend well together using a spoon or an electric mixer on low. Add sugar and mix well. (Icing should be fairly thick yet creamy, similar to cannoili cream) If you’re not using immediately, you may refrigerate, but don’t let it set in the fridge for too long, or it will thicken like a cheesecake and it will be more difficult to pipe it).

Decorating:

Make sure cupcakes are cooled before frosting. If you’d like your cupcakes to be cream filled, poke a hole in the middle, about half way through the cupcake. (I used a handle of a wooden spoon.) I wasn’t sure how much icing I’d need for decorating, so  I used extra cool whip for the filling, however, I now know that you should have enough icing to frost the cupcakes and to use for filling if you so desire. To do the filling, I just used a small spoon, and dropped the filling in and around the hole.

Next place your icing in a piping bag or a ziploc and apply to cupcakes. Or use a spoon to spread the frosting on the cupcakes. Decorate with chocolate chips. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

I’m linking up to these parties.