Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

1. 1. 1/3 cup water
   2. 1/3 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped
   3. 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
   4. 1 ounce fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
   5. 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
   6. 1 egg
   7. 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
   8. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
   9. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
   10. Vegetable oil cooking spray
   11. 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar for dusting
   12. Special equipment: a mini-muffin pan with 12 (1/8-cup) muffin cups, preferably nonstick

instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Bring water and dates just to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then transfer mixture to a food processor and add cocoa powder and chocolate, pulsing once to combine. Let cool 2 minutes, then add brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and a pinch of salt, then pure until smooth. Add flour and pulse just until incorporated.
3. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. (If pan is not nonstick, line sprayed bottoms with rounds of wax paper, then spray paper.) Spoon batter into cups, dividing it evenly, and bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack (remove wax paper, if using) and cool completely, right side up. Just before serving, sprinkle tops lightly with confectioners sugar.

Yield: 4 servings

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