The Most AMAZING Cupcakes I Have Ever Had!

OK...I'm not kidding...these cupcakes are truly out-of-this-world good. BUT,

1. you have to like cookie dough,


2. you have to think they will be worth all of the effort, and


3. you have to have a killer sweet tooth to truly enjoy......

COOKIE DOUGH CUPCAKES!

That's right, you read correctly: Cookie dough and a cupcake combined to create the pinnacle of goodness. After reading in a friend's Facebook status that she was going to make cupcakes with cookie dough, I had to see what she was talking about. I then hunted around on the handy dandy internet and found some great recipes posted. After much reading (and drooling...), I finally decided to go with the recipe posted on Hello Baker! due to the presentation just being so darn CUTE!

photo courtesy of Hello Baker!

Don't they look amazing? Now you know why I couldn't wait, and made them that same weekend. Luckily, I had a dinner to which I could volunteer to bring some.

The first of several steps in this divine cupcake making process, I decided, was to make the cookie dough I would be putting in the middle of my cupcakes. I also used this dough to make the teeny tiny little cookies to add as a garnish to the finished product. I have my favorite cookie recipe that I make all the time now, but I figured I'd try Alton Brown's "Chewy" recipe out. I made the dough the night before as it has to chill and the balls of dough for the cupcake centers has to be completely frozen.

(Recipe from Alton Brown)

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2-1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

**The dough placed in the cupcakes MUST be frozen in order to produce that nice gooey cookie dough center. You DO NOT want the dough to actually bake into a cookie. Also remember to save some of the dough for your mini chocolate chip cookies to be used as decoration at the end!**

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
   
2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
   
3. Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

For the dough center: Place dough in the freezer until it is firm enough to be rolled up into nice little balls. Take dough out, roll them into whatever size you desire (mine were probably as large as How To Eat A Cupcake’s) and then place back into freezer until completely frozen.

For the mini cookies: I rolled up tiny balls of cookie dough and watched them closely while baking. It took about 8-10 minutes until they were golden brown. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Here are a couple of pics to get an idea of how small I made my mini cookies:

Next time I make these cupcakes...and trust me, there will be a next time!....I will either use my go-to recipe or just use store bought cookie dough as other recipes called for. I figured that the first time with the recipe, I would go all out. The dough for the cupcake centers was deeelicious, don't get me wrong...but I like the way my cookie recipe tastes a little bit more, so I'd like to try it and see how it does. The reason for going with store bought cookie dough is simply that it is a time saver and easier. There are several steps to this cupcake process, and it might be nice to one less recipe to make.

Ok...on to the next step. After your cookie dough centers are completely frozen, you are ready to make the cupcake batter. Again, I stuck with Hello Baker!'s suggestion and used the Brown Sugar Cupcake recipe. MMMmmmm!

Brown Sugar Cupcakes

(Recipe from Cupcake Bakeshop. Makes about 12 cupcakes)

• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
3. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.
5. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
6. Measure out milk and vanilla together.
7. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
8. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.
9. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.
10. Fill each liner about half way full and then place the previously frozen balls of cookie dough into the center of each one. This should bring each one to about three quarters of the way full.
    

11. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden and the cake springs back when lightly touched. (Testing by using a toothpick would be insufficient because of the gooey cookie dough in the center). I kept a close eye on them in the final minutes to be sure they cooked until just the right done-ness.

And this is what they looked like after baking:

Several recipe commenters on the different sites I visited mentioned that their cookie dough centers actually cooked a bit (or all the way.) Mine did not, but the commenters also mentioned that if they did cook a bit, it did not affect the tastiness of the finished product. Good to know, right?

Next, it is time for the cookie dough frosting! Now, you are not supposed to eat raw cookie dough because of the raw eggs in the dough. This hasn't stopped many of us from sampling batter as we bake, but eating a bunch could be a bad idea. To be sure you don't get sick from the cookie dough frosting, you can use the eggless cookie dough recipe below to mix into your frosting.

Cookie Dough Frosting

(Recipe from The Cupcake Review. Makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes....supposedly, but I ran out! BOO! Maybe I sampled it a little too much, or maybe I should have used it a bit more sparingly.)

• 1-3/4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Eggless cookie dough (recipe below)

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, salt, and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
2. Add milk and continue mixing until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary. With the mixer running, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, mix until well combined.
3. At this point you can mix in the eggless cookie dough. Mix in enough cookie dough to suit your taste. Any cookie dough leftover you can gladly eat! There are no eggs in it so it is safe. Yum!

Eggless Cookie Dough

(Recipe from How To Eat A Cupcake)

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

1. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add water and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Stir in mini chocolate chips (optional).
   
2. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
   

After all of these steps, you are finally ready to completely assemble your tasty little treats. I actually tried piping my frosting for the first time ever...didn't turn out as pretty as a picture, but I was happy with them just the same. What they lacked in professional frosting and appearance, they definitely made up for in taste.

STEPS TO COMPLETE THE CUPCAKES:

1. Make the cookie dough and freeze some in balls for the cupcake centers. Use some of the leftovers for mini cookies (optional).
   
2. Make the cupcakes and place a frozen ball of cookie dough in the center of each one.
3. Make the eggless cookie dough and buttercream frosting.
4. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely and pipe on the frosting.
5. Decorate with mini chips and a mini cookie (optional).

And VOILA!

I had been sampling and nibbling all day long in the process of making these cupcakes. Honestly, my sweet taste buds were on total overload. I had to go to my official taste tester (a.k.a. hubby) to get some feedback. He took one bite and didn't say anything. I was sure hoping he was speechless in a good way, but had to know...were they as good as I had hoped and wished they'd be? And when he could finally speak, this is what he said: "They're stupid!" Stupid good is a good thing. After quickly devouring his half (Eli was tasting the other half), he spun around with wide eyes looking for another one to devour savor, but sadly I had only frosted the one. Being the kind wife that I am, I frosted another for us to share. Though the recipe only made 12, they lasted a few days and were shared with a couple friends. Everyone that tasted them gave the recipe 2 thumbs up, but did comment about how rich and sweet they were. And despite those comments about being super rich and super sweet....everyone finished one.

They are truly a cookie dough lover's delight....and worth all the effort, in my opinion. Try them; you won't be sorry!