Crazy for Chocolate: Renee's Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Since next week Valentine's Day will be upon us, I thought it would be fun to share some fun chocolate recipes to get us all in the mood. I'm pretty much in the mood for chocolate once every month, but everyone's in the mood for chocolate on February 14th!

I know some excellent people, I'm here to say, and most of them will share the gluten free recipes they've come up with for the good of mankind. They know I'm going to write about them after I test them, so they only give me the good stuff. Much like my friend, Renee, who is just good stuff inside. For example, her son-in-law has celiac disease and she cooks all kinds of special things just for him when he comes to visit with her daughter. That is above and beyond if you ask me. One of the things she came up with was a simple and delicious variation of chocolate cupcakes. It makes the most divinely moist and delicious cupcakes that are the perfect foil to an easy cream cheese frosting. Here's the recipe:

Renee's Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

1 box Betty Crocker gluten free chocolate cake mix

1 small box Great Value brand (Walmart brand) instant chocolate pudding mix (all pudding mixes are not gluten free – we have checked these out so if you are using another brand, please check first!)

2/3 cup half and half

½ cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 eggs

Mix all ingredients together in a stand mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are combined. Mix on medium speed for 2 more minutes. Fill cupcake holders with approximately 3 Tablespoons of batter (little more than half full) and bake per box instructions (around 22 minutes). Do not over bake or they will be dry. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Easy Cream Cheese Frosting

1 6 ounce package of softened cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until incorporated. Scrape bowl and mix until smooth. Add vanilla and mix well.

Happy eating!