Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

I apologize for being absent from my blog for a few days. Our oldest daughter and granddaughter were visiting from MA. Our granddaughter celebrated her 22nd birthday while here, and she asked grandma to make her some Cookies and Cream Cupcakes for the occasion. I had never made them before, so I had to find a recipe online that I thought would be successful. I chose this recipe for Oreo cupcakes as it had everything I was looking for:  a chocolate cupcake with big chunks of Oreo cookies in it; made from scratch, yet easy to make; a buttercream frosting, that’s not too rich or sweet; and a 5-star rating. These cupcakes did not disappoint. The only hassle I had was decorating them, but that’s an easy fix. The frosting has finely crushed Oreo cookies in it, so you need to choose a larger size decorating tip than I did, so the occasional uncrushed piece doesn't jam up the tip. If you love chocolate and you love Oreo cookies, these cupcakes are fit for a princess….I know, because our princess was thrilled with them!

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Coarsely chop Oreo cookies. I put them in a large resealable plastic bag and pounded with a rolling pin to get coarse chunks.

In medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and vinegar. Set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
 

Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and almond extract. Beat until foamy. 

Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain.

Add the chopped cookies to the batter. Stir to combine. 

Spoon the batter into the liner cups, filling them about 2/3 full.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (It took about 22 minutes for mine.)

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare Frosting: 

Finely crush the Oreo cookies (to a dust-like consistency). I put mine in the food processor.

Beat shortening (I used Crisco shortening) and butter on medium-high speed of hand mixer for about 5 minutes, until fluffy.

Reduce speed to low. Gradually add powdered sugar until incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add the vanilla extract and milk. Beat on same speed for 5 to 7 minutes, until fluffy. Add the crushed cookie crumbs. Mix well. If needed, add another splash of milk. (I added one splash more.)

Frost the cupcakes. Despite grinding the Oreo cookies to a dust-like consistency, a few larger pieces would show up in the frosting and jam the decorating tip. So, I would suggest using the largest decorating tip you have, to allow for this. Decorate cupcake by inserting a mini Oreo in the frosting.

Note: the recipe below yields 12 cupcakes and more frosting than you will need for 12 cupcakes. I wanted 24 cupcakes, so I doubled the cupcake portion of the recipe and made 1-1/2 times the frosting portion.

COOKIES AND CREAM CUPCAKES
Source: Food.com
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcakes:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or substitute almond, chocolate or vanilla)
• 10 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup solid shortening (such as Crisco)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3-1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 5 Oreo cookies, ground to a dust-like consistency
• 12 mini Oreo cookies, for decorating (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
2.  In medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set
     aside.
3.  In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and vinegar. Set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
4.  Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and almond extract. Beat until foamy. Gradually add the dry
     ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain.
5.  Add the chopped cookies to the batter. Stir to combine. Spoon the batter into the liner cups, filling
     them about 2/3 full.
6.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a
     wire rack to cool completely.
7.  Prepare frosting: Beat shortening (I used Crisco shortening) and butter on medium-high speed of
     and mixer for about 5 minutes, until fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add sugar until
     incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract
     and milk. Beat on same speed for 5 to 7 minutes, until fluffy. Add the crushed cookie crumbs. Mix
     well.
8.  Frost cupcakes. Note: Despite grinding the Oreo cookies to a dust-like consistency, a few larger pieces would
     show up in the frosting and jam the decorating tip. So, I would suggest using the largest decorating
     tip you have, to allow for this.
9.  If desired, decorate cupcake by inserting a mini Oreo in the frosting.



Yields: 12 cupcakes