what?! (cheesecake factory and light chocolate cupcakes)

okay, is this one of those weeks from hell? you  know, where everything seems to pile up all at once, you don't seem to have enough hours in the day to get anything done, NOR do you want to be awake for those extra hours because you are so tired from moving constantly?

no?

maybe it's just me then.

before i decide to kill everyone, burn everything to the ground, and run off into the sunset, i am going to sit here, eat my blueberry scone (courtesy of kris and starbucks....oh wait, its gone already), eat a tiny chocolate cupcake (pics below), hope the kids calm down (aka: stfu), ignore everything around me since i need to clean, and paint hardcore.....for like an hour or until i pass out. actually, before the passing out part, decorate a second tiny cheesecake, and THEN pass out.

TIME FOR HAPPY.

 yesterday was happy. mostly. we won't fret the minor details. there is no such thing as unhappiness at the cheesecake factory. in fact, it was legen-wait for it.....
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(are you still waiting?)
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....DARY!!! yes, legendary. we were there for two hours. yes, it was busy. who cares? when you get to consume a ball of lightly fried, delightfully crispy, creamy, cheesy macaroni and cheese with that spectacular marinara sauce it's sitting in that is as big as your fist....nothing else in the world matters. i could eat them as a meal alone. i didn't though, had to have something moderately healthy, so i had orange chicken, rice, and veggies (well, carrots and the tops of some asparagus, but who's checking?). of course, how is a trip to the cheesecake factory complete without cheesecake? it was a close call, but i finished it all....the cheesecake. split some mac and cheese balls, had half my chicken for lunch today, but the cheesecake was the second-first most important thing. (see what i did there? they're tied, the mac and cheese...and....cheesecake.....*cricket chirps*).

so after consuming my weight in food at cheesecake factory (go big or go home), we wandered around the mall for a few hours, er, most of the day. bowled a couple rounds, hurt myself (hand was previously crippled), came home, and started baking. know how i just said that thing about the too many things to do not enough hours? yep. part one. stayed up until like 1:30 baking tiny cheesecakes and cupcakes. i actually need the cheesecakes for a friend, the cupcakes...well, i guess i needed them too. i did promise them for switching shifts at work today. after work i was at a new job orientation, and came home to whatever it is that i am ignoring. happy thoughts! chocolate!! ♥

about these cupcakes....would you believe me if i told you they aren't as bad for you as they look? i mean, chocolate isn't terrible (dark chocolate has antioxidants!), and they're mini. they're also a light recipe from a hershey's book i have. i made them lighter even further by subbing out the oil for greek yogurt, which was a first try. the frosting i can't say too much for, but hey, if there's nothing in the cupcake, what's it matter if you eat a tablespoon of butter, sugar and cocoa? ☼♪♫♪

Quick Chocolate Cupcakes
(from Hersheys Chocolate Lovers book)
yield: 12 normal or 24 mini cupcakes
(without frosting, and before greek yogurt sub) 95 cal, 1g protien, 16g carbs, 3g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 105mg sodium

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or 3 tbsp greek yogurt)
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla


heat oven to 375°f. line muffin pan with paper liners.
combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together. add all wet ingredients and whisk until just blended.
fill cupcake liners 2/3 to 3/4 full (mine were somewhere in between). bake 16-18 min for larger, 14-16 min for minis.

easy peasy lemon squeezy. the frosting is a chocolate oreo buttercream i found on pinterest via the cupcake daily, via creme de la crumb. half of the recipe was plenty with extra for all of my minis, i think that site says a full recipe will cover 24 normal sized cupcakes.

oh. my. goodness.

i would do the legendary thing again, but once is enough, and cheesecake factory rightly deserves theirs. i have been letting one of these warm to room temp (had them stored in the fridge for the chocolate hearts, and strongly dislike cold cupcakes), and just ate it....these are pretty damn tasty. a different consistency than usual, i think, from the yogurt, they're almost fudgy like a brownie, but not hardcore sweet or rich. the frosting gave it just the right balance of sweetness to make up for it. hint of oreo, so it wasn't like eating a box of them or anything. i just impressed myself, AND ate something good for me. kind of.

i need to go do some work for real now. i'll post the tiny cheesecakes soon. thanks for viewing! ☺♥