Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Thanks to you all for the positive response I got when I posted the picture of my chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes on Thursday. They are without doubt the best (cutest and most professional looking) cupcakes I’ve ever made – they even won me a prize!

They were also delicious – here’s how you make them! I originally saw the recipe for these cupcakes over at Annie’s Eats. My version below makes 12-16 cupcakes rather than the original 24, and also adds a couple of pretty vital instructions the original recipe leaves out.

The recipe is a slightly odd mixture of g and cups as I converted it from american, but it really is still very easy – just use the same size mug to measure out all the cup measures (or use a cup measure!) and you’ll be fine.

Here’s what you’ll need! Normally I would get put off my recipes with 3 different sets of ingredients – but don’t, they’re actually very easy to make.

For the cupcakes:

• 170g  unsalted butter, at room temperature
• just under 1 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1.3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• half a cup milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• half cup chocolate chips

For the filling:

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperatur
• 3 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
• .5 cup plus 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 100g sweetened condensed milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• .5 cup cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:

• 170g  unsalted butter, at room temperature
• .3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1.6 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 1.5 tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

First, preheat the oven to around 160 degrees and then whiz up your very soft butter with your light brown sugar. A promising start!

I made the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes with Emma as she made red velvet whoopie pies for her Cake Eaters Anonymous entry.

Next, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one with the mixer. At this stage, also add the vanilla extract and chocolate chips. When you add the chocolate chips, be sure to coat them in a couple of tablespoons of flour first (this ensures that they don’t sink to the bottom of the cupcake. Then, add the rest of the flour, baking powder and bicarb and milk. Beat well. I suspected that the batter was extremely delicious and I tested it to make sure – it was extremely delicious!

Slide the batter into your cupcake cases – filling no more than just over half high. I found that my version intended to make 12 cupcakes made more like 16 so you may have a few spare! Pop them into the oven, remembering to turn them at least once so they brown evenly, and start to test for doneness after around 15 minutes.

Next up, make the delicious cookie dough batter to go INSIDE your cupcakes! I know, what fun.

WARNING – this stuff is addictive and once you know how to make it, there’s no going back. First, combine the soft butter and sugar and then add the chocolate chips and condensed milk and vanilla.

Apply some of the mixture to face and then put into the fridge for a while to harden slightly.

At this point my cupcakes had finished cooking and were cooling on their racks. Once they are completely cool, its time to cut out their centres!

I must apologise about my terrible pictures from here on in – we lost the light 🙁

Using a sharp knife, cut a cone shaped slice of cake out of the cupcake ready to receive the cookie dough. Eat the spare cake.

Then using a teaspoon, dollop as much cookie dough as will humanly fit into the cavity. Lovely. Smooth down with the teaspoon.

One last thing to do – make the frosting. This is a pretty standard frosting recipe but the addition of the brown sugar and chocolate chips sprinkled on top gives it a lovely cookie flavour. It also has flour in it which was a first for me, but you couldn’t tell from the taste of the finished frosting at all.

First, beat the butter and brown sugar before adding the icing sugar.

It goes everywhere. Oh well.

Next, add in the flour and a pinch of salt and then the milk and vanilla extract. At this point it will come together into a creamy loveliness.

Fill your piping bag with frosting and have at the cupcakes! I used the wilton 1m tip and was very pleased with how they looked.

Lovely! Once I’d finished piping them, we sprinkled chocolate chips and then a mini chocolate cookie (a mini maryland cookie to be exact which they sell in multipacks at the supermarket) to each one.

I learned a valuable lesson here – don’t add a mini cookie until the *second* you’re going to serve the cupcake as otherwise the cookie will go soggy.

Yum yum yum. Make these soon!!