Getting creative as my pantry empties more and more...

Still haven't hit the store, but when company comes over, I want to be able to offer a little something sweet. Even if it's just my brother coming over to bum around with Kyle playing Modern Warfare 2. Really, I'll use any excuse to bake.

So I consult with my pantry, take stock of my supplies. And guess what, it's cupcake time! I used up the rest of my sugar and cocoa powder on this recipe, so now I really have no choice but to get my grocery shopping on.

Isn't it so sweeeet?

My friends and I will intoxicate you!

Chocolate Amaretto Cupcakes

• 1 1/3 C cake flour
• 1/3 C cocoa powder
  
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 C vegetable oil (or canola)
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 C amaretto liqueur
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (to punch up the almond flavor)

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a big ol' bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, liqueur, cinnamon, eggs and extract until well blended. Slowly incorporate flour mixture into oil mixture, but do not over-mix.

Set paper liners in muffin tin, or grease and flour the tin if you'd prefer the hassle. Using an ice cream scoop, dish out batter evenly into the tin, 1 scoop per cupcake. At this point I stuck a hershey kiss in the middle of each one, but that's completely optional.

Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. This recipe yield's 8 cupcakes.

Now, I know pastries with alcohol in them aren't supposed to get you drunk, but these babies had some delicious fumes. I'm sure you'd have to have the entire batch to feel anything at all, but if you want a boozeless cupcake, replace the liqueur with 1/3 C of water (or coffee, mmm!) and bump up the almond extract to 1 tsp.

At this point I'd recommend a delightful coffee butter-cream frosting for these bad boys, but I have none of those ingredients, so I settled for a pretty squirt of whipped cream.