Let’s not bury the lead. These cupcakes are the bomb.com as the Williams family can attest after eating them…click the MOV link to see and hear 5 seconds of sheer adorable!  MOV_1057.MOV

I spied these on the Facebook page of my friend Loretta, (who might have one of the most gorgeous babies of all time) and still finds the time to bake.  Kudos, girl, cuz these little munchkins are keepers.

Cupcake Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (or any unsweetened cocoa powder)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup coffee, lukewarm (you can use decaf coffee if desired!)

Nutella frosting

coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

1 (13-ounce) jar Nutella, to fill the cupcakes (you may or may not use the whole jar)

Nutella Frosting Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup Nutella

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

pinch of kosher salt

2-3 Tbsp. milk (or heavy cream)

To Make The Cupcakes:

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt until combined. Then in an additional separate bowl, stir together buttermilk and coffee. Add dry ingredients to creamed butter mixture alternately with buttermilk and coffee, beating well after each addition.

Line baking pans with about 24 paper baking cups, and fill each two-thirds full with batter. (Here is my tutorial for filling cupcake liners.) Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have reached room temperature, use a melon baller (or a small spoon) to scoop out a small portion from the middle of the cupcake (about 1 teaspoon). Fill the empty space with a teaspoon or so of Nutella. Then top the cupcakes with the Nutella frosting (recipe instructions below.)

To Make The Nutella Frosting:

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and Nutella together on medium-speed until smooth. Add in vanilla and beat until smooth. Reduce speed to low and gradually add powdered sugar until incorporated. Add milk until you reach the desired consistency, then increase speed to medium-high and beat for 1 more minute. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes.