Red Velvet and Cream Cheese Cupcakes!

So this recipe is a recipe that I did a while back, and it is definitely one of my very favorites! This was one of my baking days that I just really wanted something delicious but was on a budget and time constraints. The cupcakes were just a red velvet box mix, and the icing was just store bought cream cheese icing. (I am really working on my own mixes and recipes for batter, but when I'm on a time crunch which is usually the case, I just like to alter box mixes. I figure why not just buy a box with everything already measured out?) Anyway, even though I used a box mix which is my go to for near instant gratification, I also made a simple cream cheese mixture to amp up the flavor and dynamics of the cupcakes. I also ended up chopping up leftover white chocolate chips to roll the iced cupcakes around in for some extra flavor and texture, plus it just looked that much more delicious!

Ingredients:

• store bought red velvet cake mix
• store bought cream cheese icing
• standard bag of white chocolate chips
• sugar
• 2 8 oz packages of cream cheese (there will be leftover, but hey that just means you have a delicious cream cheese and chocolate chip mixture to enjoy on gram crackers...or just a spoon!)
  
• vegetable oil  and eggs (or whatever your box mix calls for to mix with it!

Directions:
 First, Mix the red velvet cake mix as directed and preheat the oven as directed on the box. Second, in a separate bowl soften cream cheese with a hand mixer and add sugar to the cream cheese...unfortunately I don't know the exact amount, I do it so many times just by taste. I would suggest adding one table spoon at a time, and after adding 3 tablespoons taste to see where it is at. The mixture should just be a sweeter version of cream cheese, it really just depends on how much cheese or how much sweet you prefer for the filling. After you have mixed the cream cheese and sugar, fold in 2 cups of the chocolate chips.
After everything is mixed fill the baking cups with the batter as directed. Then dollop a table spoon of cream cheese mixture into each batter filled cup. Bake in the oven as directed on the box.

Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled, ice them with the cream cheese icing, and then chop up excess chocolate chips and roll the edges of the iced cupcake around in the icing! And that is it! So delicious :) Enjoy friends!

 - Love, Maddy.