Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

My good friend is getting ready to move. We are having a girls night to say goodbye to her. So I found out from her hubby that she really likes chocolate chip cookies. I also happen to know that she loves all things cupcakes (because really, who doesn't?). So, I found this recipe to make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. And I must say, each bite tastes like cookie dough. This was also my first time making cupcakes from scratch..I know...I am awful. The box mix is so good, and so easy. But these were pretty simple, for as many steps that there were.

The first step, making egg-less cookie dough (the recipe is down below). This is for the middle of the cupcake. You should really do this the day before because they need to freeze overnight. You don't include egg (because it's bad to eat raw egg) or baking powder or soda. I was going to just use my own cookie recipe, but I didn't. I used this, and I am glad I did. The dough doesn't bake.

The next step, making mini chocolate chip cookies for garnish. I ALWAYS use the Toll House recipe. It's classic. It's good. I like it. I am sure there are better recipes out there, but this is my go-to, and the husband LOVES my choc. chip cookies. So I just baked 24 mini cookies. I used my smallest scoop to make 2 cookies. Some of them were still a bit big. Just store these until you are ready to garnish them.

Then I made the cupcakes themselves. Again, the recipe is below. These were much simpler than I thought.

After they were done, I frosted them with a Brown Sugar Buttercream frosting. Soooo good!!

So here is the original recipe(s) for you! I found this at Beantown Baker

Egg-less Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - from Picky Palate
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 mins.

Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth.

Beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scoop, shape the dough into balls. Freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet overnight.



Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes - from The Cupcake Blog - makes 24
1 batch egg-less cookie dough, scooped and frozen
3 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
2 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare two muffin pans.

Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Measure out milk and vanilla together.

Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined. Repeat, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.

Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full. Drop one frozen scoop of cookie dough into each cupcake. Do not press the dough down at all.

Bake for 20-22 minutes until edges start to turn golden.



Brown Sugar Frosting - adapted from How to Eat a Cupcake
Printable Recipe
3 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.

Beat in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.




So, grab a glass of milk, and enjoy!!!

Pharmacy Graduation Cake and Cupcakes

Our really good friend, Jeff, just graduated (well in May) with his PharmD. A doctorate in Pharmacy. I told his wife I would make the cupcakes and cake (which was a surprise for them) for his party! I was so happy with how they turned out.

It was also my first time using fondant as more than a purse handle. I made 1 inch by 1inch squares and drew on them with edible markers to look like prescriptions. For the cake I made a pill bottle. I tinted the fondant orange and again used my edible markers to write the prescription. It all turned out great.

Here are some pictures:

Happy 2nd Birthday Hadlie!

Last year I helped my Sister in Law with my nieces first birthday cake, a lady bug on a bed of grass. It was pretty darn cute! But Hadlie, my niece, wanted nothing to do with her first birthday cake. In fact, she cried. I knew I couldn't take it personally, after all, I did make her first chocolate chip cookie, and she LOVED it!

So, I was asked to make the cake for this years birthday. A purse cake. It had to be pink, inside and out. So I made a strawberry cake, and white chocolate butter cream icing from Wilton. I was so happy with the flavor, unlike my Valentines Day cupcakes. But the recipe says to melt the chocolate with the milk, I did that. It smelled awful. So I tried again, and just mixed it in with the melted white chocolate...much better! Anyways, I made a 2 buckle with pink candy melts, and the handle out of white fondant. Yup, I used fondant. Ok, just a tiny bit of the pre-made stuff, but I was so happy with how easy it was to use!

The purse was more challenging than I thought..but that is because I didn't crumb coat it...what was I thinking?

Well, Hadlie didn't even want to TRY the purse cake. No bright pink frosting. No pink cake. Nothing. Just shook her head at it.

BUT! I had made some cupcakes with the extra cake batter. And well...Hadlie liked that! Especially the frosting.

I am happy that my first Purse cake turned out so well...despite a few setbacks!



I think she was a little unsure...


"CHEESE"

Gluten Free Cupcakes

A little over a year ago my Mom was diagnosed with Celiacs. She is allergic to wheat, barley, and gluten. This was only two months before her 50th birthday. Two months before her big surprise party, with chocolate cake, her favorite.

My mind began to race. My mom HAD to have chocolate cake on her birthday. So I made her chocolate cupcakes, Gluten Free of course. I used the Bob's Red Mill Chocolate Cake mix, and added applesauce to help moisten it. I don't remember the exact recipe I used...but they turned out alright. I must say, I wasn't a fan of the applesauce, or the aroma it left in my mixer (weird huh?).

Anyways, I wanted to share these with you, even though they are from a year ago! :)

S'mores Cupcakes!

I have been craving a S'mores Cupcake for a long time now. I had one on Friday night that well, just wasn't what I was wanting.

So I made my own. I improvised, and so far...they seem to be a hit.

I lined the bottom of the muffin cups with crushed graham crackers that were combined with melted butter. Topped that with Chocolate cake mix. I stuffed some marshmallows in the mix, which all came to the top during baking, weird. Then I made Marshmallow Frosting and toasted it under the broiler.

Now, I had hoped to have a pretty swirl of marshmallow goodness on top, with a piece of graham cracker and chocolate drizzle. That didn't happen.

The recipe I had for the Marshmallow Frosting, well, didn't work. Or I messed up. But it said after 7 minutes of mixing in a double broiler (or a pan and glass bowl) that stiff peaks would form, well 20 minutes later, no peaks. And one sore hand and wrist. So I said, oh well. I globed the non-stiff frosting on top of the cupcakes and toasted away. I must say, now they look like messy S'mores not the perfect cupcake I had in my head.

But who says that the look effects the taste? Because here at work, they are flying off the plate. I love making people happy.