Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

Today is my 30th birthday...again. ;) Funny how that happens! I turned thirty in the middle of a blizzard and thankfully will be enjoying much nicer weather today. We have no big plans and I am perfectly happy with that. In honor of my special day I thought I would share a delicious recipe with you, my dedicated readers who I truly appreciate.

A friend of mine celebrated her own birthday a few days ago and I wanted to bake something fun for her. She loves chocolate and also cookies, so an idea came to mind. I took the filling from the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes I had made previously and added it to my great aunt's "No Fail Chocolate Cupcake" recipe. Topped off with chocolate buttercream and a star was born! This is a decadent cupcake and not for the bashful but with the leftovers soliciting several enthusiastic emails from the coworkers I shared them with, I knew they were "blog worthy."

So happy birthday to me and happy "cupcaking" to you. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

For the cupcakes:
-2 eggs
-1 cup Cocoa
-2 sticks butter softened
-3 cups flour
-*1 cup sour milk
-2 tsp. vanilla
-2 tsp. baking soda
-2 cup sugar
-1 cup hot water
* I put vinegar (1-2 tbs.) in milk to sour it

For the filling:
-4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
-6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
-1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
-7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
-½ tsp. vanilla extract
-¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
-8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
-6 cups confectioners' sugar
-2 sticks unsalted butter
-6 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed
-2 tsp. vanilla extract
-1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350. Add ingredients in order into mixer. Beat for two minutes. Bake in muffin tins with paper wrappers for 20 min. (You do not need to fill the muffin tins more than 3/4 full as this batter rises nicely.) Yields about 24 cupcakes.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

For the frosting, put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, the 6 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more.

If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.


Sources: Cupcakes - Great Aunt Josie, Filling - Annie's Eats, Frosting - Williams Sonoma