Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
I know that I tell you that every dessert I make is my new favorite but really...
These Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes might just be it for life.
I mean it.
I made these cupcakes for Andrew's birthday. They went to our giant family birthday party blowout over the weekend.
There were none left.
But that's okay because I have the recipe, which means I can make more. AND lick the beaters.
In our family, birthdays are mostly all the same: You get to have whatever you want to eat for dinner (which is a big deal when 12-15 people have to acquiesce to your wishes). You get to pick your cake flavor (or tell me some things you like & I'll figure it out). My kids usually like to try to stump me on this. One year Andrew asked me for a Titanic cake. I worked it out. Evan once asked me to build a cake mountain and make grass and trees and drive cars through it. He doesn't understand that this is not Cake Boss and I'm way more concerned with eating the cake than building things with it. Everyone has their talents and building with cake is NOT mine.
I can make it taste good though.
Other birthday traditions include birthday math (which is basically just recycling the same candles for the last 10 years so we have to come up with crazy number combos to equal the right age; for example a regular candle + the number 3 candle = 13!), singing really REALLY REALLY loudly, re-using the same birthday gift bags over and over and over (Because those things can get expensive! Plus let's save the earth.), and making the birthday girl or boy pose awkwardly with all their gifts.
I love birthdays. And birthday cupcakes.
These are rich dark chocolate cupcakes- as sticky and moist as you'd ever want a chocolate cake to be. The center is scooped out and in it's place is no-bake chocolate chip cookie dough. They are topped with a brown sugar buttercream that needs to find its way into my life again VERY SOON. I mean, all buttercream frosting is delicious, but BROWN SUGAR buttercream? When I got it just right I was floored. The frosting is topped with more chocolate chips... because in my humble opinion, you can never have enough of those.
Let's make cupcakes! I have a zillion cupcake ideas... what's your favorite?
- Dark Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¾ cup boiling water
- Cookie Dough Filling:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Brown Sugar Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- Pre-heat the oven to 350. Line a standard sized muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl whisk together the dry cupcake ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla and beat on medium for about 2 minutes.
- Set the mixer aside and slowly pour and stir in the boiling water until it's completely combined and smooth.
- Fill the prepared muffin tin cups to about ¾ full (I use a ¼ cup dry measuring cup to dip the batter) and bake for about 22 minutes.
- A pick inserted into the center will come out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
- Using a small paring knife cut little circles about the size of a quarter out of the top of each cupcake.
- In a small saucepan, melt the !/4 cup butter. Whisk in the ½ cup brown sugar. Bring it just to a low boil so the sugar dissolves and remove it from the heat. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let it cool a little.
- When the mixture has cooled to the touch, add the vanilla and salt. Mix.
- Using an electric mixer, add the flour ½ cup at a time. Then add the milk a tablespoon at a time until you've reached the desired consistency (thick like cookie dough!). Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough for about 10 minutes, just so you can roll it into cookie dough balls.
- Pinch out enough dough to make about 1" balls, roll them, and then drop them into each cut-out cupcake.
- To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla and salt. Sift in the powdered sugar a cup at a time, beating in between each addition. Add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time until you've reached your desired consistency. Add more powdered sugar to thicken if necessary.
- Frost the cupcakes and top with more chocolate chips.
The cake recipe is just slightly adapted from Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake. Because those Hershey's people know their chocolate.
The cookie dough filling is from Carrie at Bakeaholic Mama. She used the same egg-less cookie dough for her Chocolate Cookie Dough Macarons; they are so gorgeous and I want to eat them ALL. She is also responsible for things like Sriracha Crab Rangoon Dip-- I mean... I just don't think a dip like that even needs an adjective. Except maybe, "face-plant".
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Oh. my. DAYS! I want these so bad!
Yup. So sad they're gone.
Oh my heck. I can see why they all disappeared. They look wonderful!
Thanks, Erin!
I need to learn to save myself a stash. At the time it always just seems like a better plan to get them out of my face so I can still button my jeans.
"There were none left."---WHAT? I can't believe you didn't save me one.
I can't believe I didn't save ME one!
I love planning a special menu and cupcakes around birthdays! it's so much fun. Especially because then you get to eat the cupcakes. WIN. LOVE this flavor combo!
Thanks, Joanne!
Birthdays are the best.
But I think I might have to make my own cake?
Duuuuude. Can I move in? I'll like, clean up Lucy's and Norma's poop if it means I'm fed these cupcakes on the daily. LOVE that fatty plop of cookie dough inside.. absolutely stunning. Also, birthdays. Never paid attention to the candles, haha. I usually put like, one in everyone's cake from now on. And thank god no one expects my cakes to look pretty because baking + frosting cakes is like, my enemy. It always looks like a blind 5 year old did it, but probably worse than a blind 5 year old could frost a cake.
Once we move out of the shoebox you totally can. Maybe you could find a cow or two while you're here?
The best part of these cupcakes was that I just got to blob the frosting on top. No piping, no pastry bags. Just a big bowl of brown sugar buttercream and a knife!
These cupcakes are made for me! I love, love, love this combo! Yum!
Thanks, Holly!
They were soooooo good.
Wish I'd gotten more than one...
When I made this cake which is my fave one-bowl, no mixer EASY choc cake, I remember pulling elements of it from the Hershey recipe http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/08/chocolate-cake-with-chocolate-ganache.html except I use coffee in place of the water...add some greek yog or sour cream, and doctored it up a bit. But good to know that this base is a keeper, without doctoring. Ok my wheels are turning now 🙂 Thanks for your post!
Girl I have been stalking chocolate cupcake recipes the past few weeks like it's my job and every time I think, well, I think this one looks good, no one really RAVES about it. Like no one says this cupcake will change your life. I am sensing that you love love love this base. I hate a dry cupcake! And this seals it for me "These are rich dark chocolate cupcakes- as sticky and moist as you’d ever want a chocolate cake to be." Dark, rich, moist. YES! Pinned & ziplisted 🙂
I will RAVE ALL DAY about this base-- I seriously love it. I've used it for several cakes that have gone out of here to paying customers and they totally loved it. I've never ever had it come out dry or weird. It is suuuper reliable, rich and moist every time (and still sturdy enough to hold up cookie dough and buttercream)!! I seriously CANNOT WAIT to see what you do with it!
This looks fabulous! I am getting the urge to make cupcakes.... just saying... YUM!
I have so many cupcake ideas in my head lately it's ridiculous. Make cupcakes! (And share) 🙂
These looks so decadent!! Yumm!!
Thanks!
I believe you, this cupcake looks crazy moist and delicious! Love how your boys want to challenge your baking skills with an architectural slant!
They are a mess.
Thanks, Sandra!
OK, I'm on a juice cleanse right now and this is TORTURE! But I'm bookmarking this for later 😉
Ohhh juice cleanse. That's rough! Cupcake reward yourself when it's over. Okay?
seriously, so delicious.
Thanks, mom!
I have to admit you kind of lost me on the avacado cupcake, but this one, WOW. Looks awesome. You asked what our favorite flavors are. I just want a cupcake that tastes like a wedding cake. And I have this urge to make a chocolate cupcake with carmel filling, buttercream icing & carmel drizzel. I am getting hungry. But, I will definately print this out to try. Thanks for the great recipes.---Rachel
Okay so I asked a handful of avocado haters and they all LOVED that avocado frosting-- I promise it was delicious. And much healthier fats!
What flavor wedding cake? The Perfect White Cake that was paired with the dreaded avocado frosting was seriously PERFECT. I would highly recommend that cake.
Your chocolate cupcake with caramel sounds delicious!!! I hope you'll try this recipe-- I updated the printer version a few minutes ago so make sure it printed in full (all 3 parts of the recipe) and definitely let me know how you like it!