Raspberry Cream Cheese Mini Brownie Cupcakes

{Cupcake Week- Day 5, the final day}
Okay, yes. Technically these aren't cupcakes. 
But they are definitely the pièce de résistance. I hate to admit that I ate about half the batch. They were just so darn good, I couldn't not eat them. I used a basic brownie recipe, light cream cheese, and fresh raspberry puree for these baby cakes, but there is definitely some wiggle room for alterations. Example, I'm sure a brownie mix from a box would suffice; you can use any variation of cream cheese, and the fruit puree could be switched to anything that goes well with chocolate, like strawberries. These baked up pretty quick and made the perfect amount, not too many or too little. These little treats would be great for any occasion!

Ingredients:
1 batch brownie batter (here is a good recipe)
4 oz cream cheese, softened (half a regular brick)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 oz fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed and pureed with a pinch of sugar for sweetness


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F, spray mini cupcake pans generously with cooking spray. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Spoon a heaping teaspoon full of brownie batter into each mini cupcake slot. Next, spoon a smaller amount of cream cheese on top of the brownie batter. Then add a little (about a 1/4 teaspoon if you want to get technical) raspberry puree to the top of the cream cheese. Once you've added the cream cheese and the raspberry puree to each brownie cupcake, take a tooth pick and swirl the tops slightly.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until tooth pick comes out mostly clean when inserted in the center of cupcake. Let cool for about 10 minutes before popping them out. Depending on how many cupcake pans you have, you may have a second batch, like me! Should yield in the ballpark of 48 mini brownie cupcakes.

There ya have it! Happy weekend!