Brownie Cupcakes

I made these delicious little treats for Valentine's Day.  I guess it would have been more fun to share the idea if I mentioned it before the day had already passed.  But you could do so many different color and flavor combinations with this recipe (St. Patrick's Day is coming up!), so get creative and give it a try because they were super yummy!

• 1 package brownie mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 package white cake mix* 
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 3 egg whites
• frosting
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*or any flavor of cake mix . . . I saw the idea on pinterest to use strawberry . . . you could also just use food coloring if you're going for a certain color scheme.

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin cups with paper liners.  I ended up having enough batter to make 24.
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• Whisk together the brownie mix, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup canola oil, and 1/4 cup water in a bowl. Stir just until fully incorporated, about 50 strokes; set aside.
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• Mix the cake mix, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 1/3 cup water, and 3 egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Even if you read the amount wrong like I did and end up adding two cups of water, it will still turn out!
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• Spoon the brownie batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup 1/3 full. Spoon the cake batter over the brownie batter, until muffin cups are each 2/3 full.
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• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes.  Let cool then top with frosting.