Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

With the passing of my 5 year blogiversary and looking forward to the next five years, I’ve decided to start occasionally highlighting recipes from the archives that deserved some updating for one reason or another. Maybe the former picture wasn’t so hot (and thanks to Pinterest, those horrible photos end up being perpetuated all over the place – blech). Maybe I’ve made the recipe enough times and along the way, I’ve found small changes in the method that make the final product even better. Maybe it’s a recipe that has been buried deep within the ever-growing archives that definitely deserves your attention. Or it could be a combination of any of these. It’s not going to be a weekly occurrence, but just whenever a recipe is in need of some updating. The ever popular chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes seemed like a perfect candidate to introduce this series, for the sake of both the photos and a few minor recipe changes (namely, scaling down the quantity of the frosting recipe because even for me, it was really too much.)

Here’s the run down on these bad boys, in case you are one of the 2% who haven’t tried them yet (say what?) They start with a moist brown sugar cupcake with chocolate chips mixed into the batter. After baking, you use the cone method to fill the cupcakes with eggless cookie dough so they are totally safe to eat. They are finished off with a generous swirl of cookie dough frosting – yes, frosting that really tastes like cookie dough! And personally I think they are not complete without a garnish of a mini chocolate chip cookie and some mini chocolate chips. These are by far the most popular cupcake choice among coworkers and friends, and for good reason. Try them yourself and see what all the fuss is about.

Note: As with most multi-component desserts, I prefer to make these over a day or two rather than all at once. I usually bake the cupcakes and mini cookies on one day, then fill, frost and assemble the next. Much easier and less stressful.

For today’s blogiversary week giveaway, you have a chance to win one of three cookbooks off of my current cookbook wish list. Head on over to the giveaway page to enter!

Yield 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

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:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish:

Tiny chocolate chip cookies
Mini chocolate chips

Directions

01
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
02
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
03
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
04
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.
05
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.
06
To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
07
Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Source

inspired by Hello, Baker!, cake adapted from Cupcake Bakeshop, frosting adapted from The Cupcake Review, filling from How to Eat a Cupcake