Frito cupcakes?!?
Be sure to check out my updated version of the Frito Cupcake!
Another month, another cupcake hero theme. This month’s theme is cocoa powder with brownie points for anyone who uses Askinosie. I did recently upgrade from Hershey’s cocoa powder to Ghirardelli. I can definitely taste a difference between those two cocoa powders, so I’m sure if I upgrade even further, things will just keep getting better.
Anyways, back to the cupcakes. I present to you Frito Cupcakes. I’m sure you’re thinking “Frito what?!?” You heard me right, Frito Cupcakes. These little guys were inspired by Frito candy which has made me famous in our beer pong league. It’s the perfect combination of salty and sweet, chewy and crunchy. And, there’s just something about Frito’s. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who didn’t love Frito’s. They have such a distinct flavor and crunch that makes them perfect for scooping up your favorite dip or salsa.
I’m still very new to making up my own recipes for baked goods. For cooking, I do it all the time. I just throw things in, taste and go from there. Baking is more scientific, so I usually bake a tiny batch of something, make adjustments and try again. Luckily with these guys, I loved how the first tiny batch came out. The other thing I struggle with is the measurements. I’m constantly just adding a little of this or that so it’s hard to write out recipes. I don’t know how people do it…
Frito Cupcakes – by ME! (Cupcake recipe from Laurie, Frosting recipe from I Like Cake) – this should make about 24 mini cupcakes
1 cup pretzels
1/2 cup Fritos
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cups unbleached white flour
1/6 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (=8 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cold water
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoons vinegar
Preheat oven to 375.
Crush pretzels and Fritos. You can use a food processor to chop, or just throw them in a ziploc bag and crush with your hands or a meat tenderizer. Put about a teaspoon of the crushed mixture into the bottom of the mini cupcake pan (I didn’t use liners).
Place butter in a non-stick saucepan and melt over medium heat. When butter is melted, stir in brown sugar. Bring mixture to a full boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring once or twice. Pour over Frito mixture and bake for ~4 minutes.
Now, mix up the cupcake batter:
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
In a 2-cup measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, water, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the baking pan and mix the batter with a fork or a small whisk.
When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls in the batter where the baking soda and the vinegar are reacting. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Working quickly, distribute the batter into the cupcake pan.
Bake for 10-14 minutes. Set the cupcakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool in pan, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
For the PB Frito frosting
1 stick butter, room temperature (1/2 cup)
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
Crushed Fritos
Beat the softened butter until creamy, then start adding the sugar and milk, alternately.
Mix in peanut butter. Mix in more or less Peanut Butter to fit your tastes.
Mix crushed Fritos into PB frosting until your desired chunkiness and flavor is reached. I did about a 1:1 frosting to Fritos ratio.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I love it! Where did you get the jars? Now I totally wanna do this for xmas gifts!
/Clara
I looked everywhere and just couldn’t find them. I ended up ordering them from Amazon. They weren’t very cheap so that was a bummer…
Ah bummer. What size are the jars? I wonder if Ikea would have them? Whats the amazon link?
/Clara
I ordered them from here. You want the wide mouth jars so the cupcakes fit and the 1/2 pint size is perfect.
The yellow cupcakes didn’t rise much so I added more frosting to fill the jar and the chocolate ones rose quite a bit so they had less frosting. My sister said that the chocolate one had the perfect amount of frosting or could use a smidge more, so you want a cupcake that has at least a small dome.
haha, i’ve never seen that before 🙂 love it!
OH FUN! I’ve seriously always thought about doing this and never did. I’m starring this post to remind myself at Christmas. Too cute!!
I have been dying to try this ever since I saw it last year on someone else’s blog. They actually baked the cake in the jar and then iced it like a cupcake. I am going to have to order some of those iddy jars! Too cute!
Hmmm…might have to do this for Christmas instead of those “ingredients in a jar” thing we were thinking of.
I really want to try this, but I keep reading online that you shouldn’t put frosting in the jar because it will get moldy by the time it reaches its destination. I’m sure you would have heard if it was moldy when it got to your friend right? I would just be so embarrassed if that happened. Any help?
Renee – I’ve done this twice and both times haven’t heard of any mold. I froze the cupcakes/frosting in the jars prior to shipping them. I also shipped in the winter. My one sister even didn’t go get her package from the office until a week after it arrived and it was still good. I would guess she ate her cupcakes about 10 days after I sent them. I’m not sure if shipping in warm weather will have an impact on potential mold…
Alright I’ll definitely give it a try then. It will make for a very good Easter present for my faraway friends =)
Oh that’s a good idea!! I might have to order some more jars and do the same myself…
What a clever idea! I would love to get a cupcake in the mail! 🙂 Maybe I’ll send out Valentine’s Day Cupcakesnext year!
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Love these!! We have featured you on our blog. http://cutecupcakesallthetime.blogspot.com
Did you freeze them before shipping? The jars looked frosted…
beantownbaker — February 24th, 2013 @ 10:21 am
I did freeze them. They defrosted as they were shipped. I’ve done it with and without the freezing depending on the weather and whatnot.
What shipping method did you use? Overnight or Express???