can I add cocoa powder or something else to make the cupcakes chocolate? Thanks!

omg these are super yummy!! my whole family luved them and i make them sooo often. I didn't have vanilla beans so i just used extra vanilla extract. I also used cadbury milk chocolate, and made mini cupcakes! :D

The recipe actually makes 18 cupcakes that are 3/4's full. Add room temperature milk or the butter will harden into chunks. Fill the muffin pan half way w/batter, then add the chocolate, then fill the rest of way. These are great cupcakes for people that do not like super sweet desserts. I substituted semi-sweet chocolate for bitter sweet and it did not melt. It just sunk to the bottom of the cupcake and remained hard.

Hmm... What to say about these cupcakes. While they were delicious, they also weren't the type of cupcakes that knocked my socks off. To me this cupcake is a version of pound cake with melted chocolate on it. I used chocolate chips in the recipe instead of chunks and if you plan on using the chips I would add a decent amount more. I also didn't have vanilla beans so I added an extra ounce of vanilla extract. Easy to make. I am sure kids would love them, but they are not for me.

Easy to make. I used a home-made nutella that I happen to have a lot of instead of chocolate ,and they were good.

I have made these more than once - they are a favorite!!!

Is it okay to make these without the vanilla beans? Maybe add a little extra vanilla extract? I live in a place where the beans aren't readily available, plus they're SO expensive. Any tips on growing them?

I made these last week. It's look nice but after i cut it into half, i realised the chocolate wasn't melted. I've no idea at all.

You can fill these w/ hershey's kisses as well. I made these for valentines day and they were a hit in her class.

it looks fabulous!