Rocky Road Cupcakes

Happy Birthday Max! For the past few weeks, every time I bumped into my buddy Max in the hallway at school, he batted his eyelashes at me and reminded me that his birthday was coming up soon. Well, his birthday was yesterday, and I didn't forget about him. I thought that these Rocky Road cupcakes sounded like the ultimate man-pleaser, so I made them today for Max. I used my favorite chocolate cake mix for the base, and topped it with this great, fudgy frosting. I'm still licking my fingers, it's so gooey!

Rocky Road Frosting:

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup mini marshmallows
½ cup chocolate covered or plain almonds, coarsely chopped (I used chocolate covered ones)
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Put the chocolate, butter, condensed milk, and salt in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over, but not touch­ing, a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler). Cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate and butter have melted and the frosting is smooth and thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the water and stir in the vanilla.

Scrape the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until the frosting thickens further and cools to lukewarm (so it won’t melt the marshmallows), about 3 minutes. When thickened, the beaters should form lines in the frosting. Fold in marshmallows, almonds, and chocolate chips. Allow the frosting to thicken until it’s a spreadable consistency that won’t run down the sides of the cupcakes. (Just play around with it, you’ll know when it’s ready.) Let the cup­cakes sit uncovered until the frosting firms up, about 1 hour.

Source: howtoeatacupcake