You are here: Home / Archives for Cupcakes

Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

2012
63 Comments

A few things:

I’m addicted to Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory on MTV.  The show has no real redeeming qualities, unless you count riding a rhinoceros, forcing Justin Bieber to drive a go kart up a ramp into a pit of foam blocks, or beaming people in the head with dodge balls.  But somehow, it just speaks to me.

I’ve started fast forwarding the parts on Idol where Steven Tyler talks.  I mean, I love the man, but I spend a good hour trying to decipher his sayings.

Jon David and I have a date to pie each other in the face.  It’s sort of a life long dream of mine.

Another lifelong dream of mine?  Eating at Cheesecake Factory.  The closest one is in Tulsa, which is roughly 2 1/2 hours away, which seems like an awfully long drive just to go eat, according to my husband.  Apparently he missed the Lifelong Dream part.  Besides, I told him if it bothered him THAT bad, we could go to the mall and stuff too while we were there.  I’m already trying to plan what I’m going to eat.  This is a big deal. Suggestions?

Please don’t suggest anything remotely healthy.  I’d really hate to ruin my Lifelong Dream Moment.

Another thing?  I made Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes.

My original Cookies and Cream Cupcake recipe is my most popular, so I decided that a chocolate version needed to happen.  I make a few changes to the original filling so it’s thicker this time.

Another change I made is the frosting.  Besides making it CHOCOLATE with crushed cookies, I also…

…gave it a dip in a thin chocolate shell.

Let’s review.

Cookie bottom. Chocolate Cupcake.  Cream filling.  Chocolate and crushed cookie frosting.  Dipped in chocolate shell.

This is not a cupcake that cuts corners.

Serve them to people you want to impress.  Or people you are angry at.  Remember Being Mean By Being Nice?  It’s a thing.

Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

 
Print This Recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 box Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, plus eggs, oil, and water needed to prepare
  •   24 Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (like Oreos)
  • Filling:
  • 13 oz jar Marshmallow Creme (or Fluff)
  • 1/2 stick (4 TBS) butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • Frosting:
  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 Tablespoon hot water
  • Chocolate Shell:
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup vegetable shortening
  • Mini cookies or chocolate sprinkles, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners.  Add a cookie to the bottom of each liner.

2.  Prepare batter according to box directions.  Fill cups 2/3 full with batter and bake for about 12-15 minutes, until tops spring back when lightly touched.  Place on a wire rack until cool.

3.  While cupcakes cool, make filling:  In the bowl of a mixer, combine marshmallow creme, butter, and vanilla until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and beat on medium high until light and fluffy.  Fill cooled cupcakes by either cutting a hole in the top with a small knife and spooning it in, OR piping it in with a disposable piping bag and Bismark Tip.

4.  Once cupcakes are cooled and filled, prepare frosting:  In the bowl of your mixer, combine butter and vanilla until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder, beating on low until just combined.  Add hot water and beat on high for about a minute. Fold in cookie crumbs.  Pipe frosting on cupcakes, or frost with butter knife or spatula.  Place cupcakes in the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill.

5.  Chocolate Shell:  Place chocolate chips and shortening in a medium-large microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.  Dip frosting part of cupcakes in the melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off.  Immediately top with mini cookies and sprinkles.  Wait until chocolate is set before serving.

Notes:

If you’re going to pipe the frosting on high, you’ll want to double the frosting recipe.

Alternatively, you could use your favorite homemade chocolate cake recipe.

You can purchase a Bismark Tip for filling cupcakes HERE

Don’t be daunted by the long list of instructions. They’re all very simple steps and make for a very impressive cupcake.

Enjoy and have a happy Thursday!!

Filed Under: Cake, Chocolate, Cupcakes Tagged With: , ,

Hidden Gold Rainbow Cupcakes

2012
43 Comments

Let’s talk about St. Patrick’s Day.

Do people actually throw parties for St. Patrick’s Day?  Or is it just a conspiracy to get food bloggers bending over backwards to make green food?

Sigh.  I just don’t know anymore.

On the off chance that you ARE throwing a St. Patrick’s Day Party (will you invite me??), I came up with some fun cupcakes.  They’re easy enough that you can throw them together even if you’re just having a simple,  fun, Irish-ey evening at home with the kids.

Also.  Pub Crawls?

Just don’t do it.

St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t suddenly make hangovers a good look, mmmkay?  And no one wants to look at your busted up nauseous self while they’re trying to get their church on on Sunday morning.  So stay in, make cupcakes, and watch Leprechaun.

Perfectly appropriate.

These are just plain vanilla cupcakes (I used a boxed mix), with buttercream frosting.  Making a fun rainbow swirl is easy–just paint stripes on the inside of your piping bag with gel food color.  There’s a great tutorial on THIS blog if you need a visual step-by-step.

But to make these cupcakes extra special…I added a special ingredient.

These shimmery Gold Sixlets that I spotted in the candy store at my mall.

Want to see what I did with them?

Surprise!!

I’m sure that if you can’t find shimmery Sixlets, yellow M&Ms or Skittles would work instead.

1.  Start by cutting a hole in your cupcake, going about halfway down.  I use a large piping tip, but you could also use a knife.  Set aside the portion of cake that you remove.

2.  Fill hole with candy, leaving just a bit of room to cover back up with cake.

3.  Cut part of the cake off of the bottom of the portion that you cut out, making a “lid” for the hole.  Place cake “lid” back over the candy and push lightly until it is flush with the rest of the cake.

4.  Pipe frosting on.

The cupcake toppers I used are ones I had leftover from last year, I believe I bought them at Bake It Pretty.  But I’m sure you could find toppers at your local Super Walmart or Target.

Enjoy and have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

P.S.  Just kidding about watching Leprechaun.  That movie will mess you up for real.

P.P.S.  NOT kidding about the Pub Crawl.  Don’t do it.  Don’t.  I have never EVER made a good decision while at a Pub Crawl. EVEEEERRR!!!

Filed Under: Cupcakes Tagged With: , ,