Here are a few things you should know about me:

  1. I like food. A lot.
  2. I love Mexican food.
  3. I especially love tacos.
  4. And I am not domestic, whatsoever. 

3.16.TW

(Side note: Really though, I will 100 percent, absolutely need to take a “how-to-be-domestic” class before I am married, so if anyone can point me in that direction, that would be fabulous. I cannot cook, I cannot clean, I can barely take care of myself, let alone feed a future family who could potentially be starving, so I’d say I am pretty unmarketable as wife-material at the moment.) 

 

Anyhoo, with this background knowledge, please try to put yourself in my shoes when I became aware of something that has changed my life forever: taco cupcakes. Yes, TACO freakin’ CUPCAKES - that take only 30 minutes to prep AND bake! What an easy recipe! 

Here’s the story of how I was introduced to my latest obsession: Friday, Feb. 21, my office, an ad agency in Chicago, hosted a Pinterest seminar. Two big-wig Pinterest people flew all the way from San Fran to Chicago to tell us how we, as an agency, can use Pinterest to brand our product, and they had quite the presentation to complement their message. But about halfway into the hour and 15-minute presentation, something happened. I think it was right around the time when the Big Wigs were presenting research on the top re-pinned images in 2013 — but to be honest, I don’t remember; I don’t care. The only thing I remember is I saw a beautiful, colorful, cheesy, meaty, chippy, guacamole-y image magnified to the size of a small child in front of my face. 

It was the taco cupcake. 

I choked. Drool started dripping down my face like molasses. I stopped breathing, I think. I kid you not, unbeknownst to my brain and its (apparent) lack of communication with my body, my hand shot up in the air, waving wildly.

“Um, yes…?” The intimidatingly fashionable female Big Wig said, staring at me in confusion and what I presume to be disgust as to why I would interrupt such groundbreaking, never-been-heard-before research.

“Wh-what is THAT?” I blurted, pointing to the screen.

“What is what?” Big Wig female replied.

I hadn’t realized that the taco cupcake was part of an array of photos. Stupid brain. “The taco mountain in the middle!” I replied. DUH.

“Oh,” she smiled. “That is recipe for the taco cupcake. It’s been very popular on Pinterest.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, immediately sliding into my seat, trying now to be invisible amongst the powerhouses of my ad agency.

A bajillion things were racing through my head. First and foremost, I NEEDED a taco cupcake. I needed one in my mouth right that very second. Okay, I knew that was impossible, but I knew I needed to obtain the recipe ASAP and I needed to buy the ingredients and I needed to start using Pinterest just so that I could find variations of the taco cupcake. And make them all.

So I left work and that’s how I spent my Friday night — not like normal, 22-year-olds, energetic and new in a big city, do — instead, I researched “taco cupcakes,” picked the best recipe, went and bought the ingredients and made myself a grand ol’ feast. 

To make a long and irrelevant story short, the taco cupcake IS, indeed, incredible. Gooey, delicious, crunchy, salty, yummy. AND it’s a super easy recipe. It changed my life. And I hope it will change yours.

Here’s the recipe for you, too, to enjoy.

Cook time: 30 Minutes Total
  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Bake time: 20 minutes
 
What you’ll need:
  • A cupcake tin
  • Cooking spray
  • Wonton wrappers, enough to fit your cupcake tin (found in the produce section at the grocery store)
  • 1 ½ tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1/2 pound of ground beef
  • 1 packet of taco seasoning (I recommend Old El Paso original)
  • 1 jar of queso dip
  • 1 can of refried beans (or black beans, if you prefer that)
  • 1 bag of tortilla chips
  • 1 cup of cheddar cheese
  • 1 jar of pico de gallo (or salsa)
  • 1 cup of guacamole and/or sour cream
 
*Feel free to improvise with the amount of ingredients in this recipe — cater your taco cupcake to however you like it!

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and use cooking spray to cover the insides of a your cupcake tin.
  2. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan or large skillet over medium-high heat; add the ground beef and taco seasoning. (Read the packet for instructions on how to blend the seasoning and the meat.) Stir occasionally until fully cooked. Add black beans if you’d like.
  3. Layer each cupcake tin with a wonton wrapper. The wonton wrappers act as a giant Scoop tortilla chip; they bake quickly and have the perfect crunchy and chewy texture.
  4. Add a layer of queso dip on the bottom of each cup.
  5. Add a layer of refried or black beans.
  6. Add cooked taco meat.
  7. Add a layer of pico de gallo or salsa.
  8. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
  9. If you’re feeling super aggressive, or if your cupcake is meager in size, repeat the process. Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients.  
  10. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
  11. Let cool; remove from tin.
  12. Garnish with guacamole or sour cream.
  13. EAT YOUR HEART OUT!

And okay, I know this isn’t the healthiest of recipes. BUT, ladies, it’s only cupcake-sized.

Remember: One will never hurt you.

 

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