A handmade Mother's Day gift treat

For your Mother's Day gift to Mom how about a yummy batch of cupcakes with a chocolate surprise inside? Cupcakes have gotten to be really glamourous - and one of the greatest things about them is that each one in a batch can be different - and each one can have a surprise hidden inside. Actually I don't recommend surprises like rings or jewelry or money in your cupcakes - you just never know when someone might swallow them - but there are wonderful food surprises you can put in your cupcakes. One of the easiest ways to jazz up your cupcakes and make each one a surprise is with bite-size chocolates.

If you're a food purist please check out my earlier post on making cupcakes - there is a great "from scratch" recipe and a video showing how to make beautiful decorations with buttercream frosting. Go here

This post is about making beautiful and delicious cupcakes when you're short on time. This is a personalized Mother's Day gift idea. I suggest a cake mix - and honestly, it was many years before I would use a cake mix - but Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker have good ones. Especially when you're going to add other ingredients - so get a favorite flavor cake mix - and mix up the batter.

And while you're shopping head over to the candy aisle and pick up some bags of your favorite bite-size chocolate candy - snickers, reese cups, milky way, herseys, - go wild!

Also those metallic cupcake papers will help make these look perfect.

I will say, however that I do have a difficult time finding a ready made frosting that I like - I can always taste something artificial so my choice here is to take a little extra time and make a really wonderful icing. So here is favorite, easy to make and good.

INGREDIENTS
5 1/3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons boiling water
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add in cocoa, salt and boiling water, stirring until smooth.
Add powdered sugar and beat until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. If frosting seems too thick, add water. If it seems too thin, add powdered sugar.

After the cake batter is mixed - pour a little batter into each cupcake paper - about 1/4 way full. Now for the fun - put bite-size candy into each cupcake (leave room for more batter) and then fill with batter leaving about a 1/2 inch from the top of the paper. Each one will be a chocolate surprise.

After the frosting you could add another bite-size chocolate to the top for decoration. Now you have a batch of chocolate surprise cupcakes for your Mother's Day gift. I just hope Mom shares them with you!

Want another option for Chocolate for Mother's Day? Check out Hotel Chocolate.

Mom will love it that you took the time and love to give her a handmade Mother's Day gift.