But like, why complicate this? I did a few tests where I filled the cupcake with cookie dough, but then I thought it was superfluous to have the cookie dough frosting sitting right on top of it. And I KNEW I wanted a frosting that tasted just like cookie dough. Don’t give me any of this buttercream-with-chips-swirled-in. I want the GOODS. Give me that brown sugar grit cookie dough texture please.
Another time in college, my BFF roommate Sarah and I made cookie dough with the intent to make cookies. We took the bowl with us as we floated around to a couple different neighboring apartments, and within an hour the dough was completely gone. That’s the only time I’ve ever made a batch that never saw the inside of an oven at all.
My daughter Charlotte’s 12th birthday was a few weeks ago and we decided it was time to take cookie dough to a whole new level of officialness: eating it on top of a cupcake. On purpose. Not as a side piece on the way to cookies.
Cupcakes are not my jam you guys. I’ve had this blog for 11 years now and you will find exactly 7 cupcakes on my site. Now cake I can get behind; I can make moist and fluffy cakes all day long. But cupcakes are small, almost always over baked, and just generally dry.
But I’ve found one I like in spite of all the shade I’m throwing.
I found so many recipes that make Cookie Dough Cupcakes immensely complicated. Many of them stuff the cupcake with a ball of cookie dough. Or swirl cookie dough into regular buttercream frosting.
This recipe delivers. And we’re getting it done with just the normal two step process: make the cupcakes. Make the frosting. Put it together and BOOM cookie dough heaven that you get to eat with your hands. I’m pretty sure grandma is smiling down.
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
Beat together butter with the brown and white sugar until it looks homogenous like this. Then keep beating for a bit to get lots of air incorporated! This is called ‘creaming’ and it makes our cupcakes nice and light.
Next add in some vegetable oil. Oil is the secret ingredient in any cake worth its salt! If you use only butter, your cake will be flavorful but dry dry dry. (Oil is 100% fat; butter is about 80% fat. Fat = moist cupcakes.)
Next up, add your eggs and vanilla. Beat it nicely. Throw in some sour cream for good measure. Sour cream adds a bit of tang and tons of moisture!
Use a strainer to sift in your flour. This sifting step makes your cupcakes nice and light! Cake is fussy, guys. Treat her right.
Mix in your chocolate chips. You need about 1 cup for the batter and 1 cup for the frosting, and if the scoundrels over at the chocolate chip factory would sell you a 12 ounce bag like they used to, then it would be perfect. Instead, you will have to buy two 10-ounce packages and have some leftover.
(I suppose we shouldn’t complain too much, because a handful of mini chocolate chips after the kids have gone to bed is one of my greatest joys in life. They are even better than regular chocolate chips. Just like mini M&Ms are better. Right? I think it’s the primal satisfaction of being able to fit so many in your mouth at once. 😂)
Scoop your batter into the cupcake liners. I like to use a cookie scoop but a regular spoon will do fine. You want to aim for about 4 tablespoons per liner. I probably under-filled mine, honestly. I’ve been burned so many times by overflowing cupcakes that I’m overcautious now. I told you, cupcakes and I normally do not get along!!
Here she is all baked. I sprinkled the top of mine with chocolate chips for fun, then I realized it would be covered in frosting anyway 🤦♀️ don’t be like me. Let them cool all the way!
Add some butter and sugar to a mixing bowl, just like any self respecting cookie dough starts out.
Add in the powdered sugar (that’s what makes it frosting-y)
Now add in some milk to smooth it all out and get it to a spreadable consistency. You can add a little more or less than then recipe calls for to get it how you want.
Add in those mini chips and repeat your affirmations from above after you’ve tried one, or two, or three bites.
Chase away any errant children who did not participate in the affirmation ceremony from before. (It was her birthday, so I cut her some slack.)
Now it’s time to pipe! This is one of my favorite hacks for adding frosting to a pastry bag. Putting it in a glass gives it some structure, making it easier to scoop in.
Use a large piping tip, like the Wilton tip 1A is perfect. You need something big enough that mini chips will pipe through no problem. You can also just use an offset spatula and frost them by hand, no big deal. Top with mini or semi sweet chocolate chips.
And voila! That’s it! Eat these cupcakes with milk if you know what’s good for you!
