Gluten-Free Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 350º F.

2. In a bowl, combine cake mix, sour cream, eggs, oil, water and pureed strawberries. Mix with a hand mixer until combined. Don’t over mix.

3. Stir the chocolate chips into the batter.

4. Place cupcake liners into a 12-count standard size muffin tin and scoop in cake batter until all of the liners are three quarters of the way full. I use an ice cream scoop to do this which ends up being just about the perfect measurement for each cupcake.

5. Bake in a 350º F oven for 18-19 minutes. To test doneness, press the top of a cupcake. If it bounces back and doesn’t feel mushy, then it’s done. Once the cupcakes are finished, place them on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely, which will take about 1 hour.

6. For the drizzle: In a small mixing bowl beat the Neufchatel cheese for 3 minutes until light and softened. Mix in the remainder of the strawberry drizzle ingredients and then beat on high for 5 minutes.

7. Now you’re ready for the best part—decorating your cupcakes! I set my son and some of his little friends up with Indian Tree Sprinkles (dye free), chocolate chips and strawberries.