Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Back already! Thanks everyone for the positive feedback, I can't wait to share some more of my kitchen adventures. I noticed I got a little chatty in my last post so I will try to keep the babble to a minimum in this one.

Special shout-out to my Dad though, who complained after reading my first post that he use to not even be able to get me to make him a sandwich. Living on your own makes you grow up a little bit when you don't like eating Ramen! Thanks for the comment though, I Love You Daddy :)

So, as promised, I am going to share one of the cupcake recipes I found on Pinterest and tried out  for the boyfriend's birthday (which is today, Happy Birthday Old Man!). Check out the original recipe at Annie's Eats... Her pictures are a lot better than mine though so don't judge.

 Both recipes were a hit with all of our friends, I still can't decide which is my favorite. I'll share this one first though because the most recent person to put in his vote for favorite picked it.

Now, the original recipe gets all fancy and uses an electric mixer... something I am definitely lacking--so I am going to get a little colonial here and tell you how to whip these little suckers up WITHOUT a fancy pants mixer. Be warned, prepare for an arm workout. I used a whisk and almost broke it, so I might recommend a combination of wooden spoon/whisk/rubber spatula. Whatever gets the job done really. If you are like my little sister and have an electric mixer (Seriously. What kind of kid asks for an electric mixer for Christmas?), you can check out the original recipe at the link above... and maybe send some money to a starving college student in your free time? haha just kidding.....

... but really.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached (helps to use a sharp knife unless you are a champion oreo-twister)
• 2 � cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• � tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick)
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 20 Oreo Cookies, coarsely chopped--quartered works (I only used 19.. don't tell.

For the Icing:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted (oh.. just noticed I skipped that "sifted" step)
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• Oreo Cookie crumbs and cookie halves (for garnish)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350� F. Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 liners (I only have one cupcake pan.. so I did twelve at a time). Place an Oreo half in the bottom of each liner, cream side up.   Like so:  -----------------> 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat together until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add the milk, beat just until combined, and then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated--be careful not to over-mix.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. They will be FULL--try to distribute the Oreo chunks evenly, and don't be afraid to fill them to the rim. The cookie chunks won't rise like normal cupcake batter obviously so they shouldn't overflow. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center ones comes out clean (if you are using two pans at once, rotate them halfway through baking). Allow to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (I may or may not have skipped this last step and things still turned out fine, so whatever floats your boat!)

For the Frosting:

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat until smooth (about a minute... try to get as many chunks out as possible, it will make things easier later on). Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated and smooth (I added one cup at a time to make things a little easier on my mixing arm, but it isn't required by any means). Add the heavy cream and beat just until incorporated. Get your arm ready, increase speed, and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. I used the Betty Crocker cake decorating kit my Mom got me for my birthday (nerdy but adorable so I don't care what you say) and swirled some frosting on and then sprinkled some crushed Oreo crumbs on top. The original recommends using Oreo halves as well, but to wait until the last minute to garnish with that so that it doesn't get soggy. 

I wouldn't recommend going too heavy on the frosting, it is pretty creamy (and cream cheesy), but I thought it went really well with the flavor and texture of the cupcakes. :)

I think that is the extent of hints I have for you on this recipe.... I have to go keep an eye on the Alfredo Sauce I am making for the BF's birthday dinner when he gets out of lax practice. I'll be back with the other cupcake recipe and maybe the secret to this sauce he loves! 

Good Luck on your Kitchen Adventures!