What do you mean you don't like cupcakes?!

  

 

    Another birthday, another simple request. Same family, same great children.  This time the birthday boy, who surprisingly is not a fan of cupcakes (what?!) asked me to bake him some birthday cookies. Nothing fancy, just chocolate chip; his favourite. So of course I obliged and baked up a batch of my go to, no fail, chocolate chip cookies (stay tuned, I'll post that recipe too!).  However, the baker in me wanted to rise to the challenge of creating a cupcake that this birthday boy would love.  To do so, I resorted to a secret weapon... his favourite cookie in the entire world ~ Chewy Chips Ahoy. I knew that in order to win him over I had to somehow incorporate this cookie into my recipe.

 

     Thanks to an invite for all my kids to join in the birthday festivities, I had the afternoon to myself  so I tied on my apron, got out my mixing bowls and put on my creative thinking cap.  I'll be honest, I enjoyed perusing various cookbooks and recipe related web sites  for inspiration.  It's amazing how much time can be wasted on the Internet, not to mention how many cups of coffee I drank while doing so!  In the end, I combined a cup of this, a spoonful of that, and came up with the recipe that's posted below.  The frosting was tested until it was perfect.  I must publicly thank my neighbour for being my taste tester. She didn't even laugh at me when I came running outside in my apron, piping bag in hand saying "taste this!"  After a few tweaks it came out truly tasting just like chocolate chip cookie dough; heavenly!

 

      Judging by the reactions of the tasters, birthday boy included, this recipe is a keeper and quite possibly a new favourite. The surprise inside elicited the desired response, a joyful grin from ear to ear.  Happy birthday Michael, always remember to try new things and keep searching for that special something inside.

 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

With Cookie Dough Frosting

 

You will need:

24 Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies, Frozen
* (I like to freeze ingredients like cookies that are already baked before I bake with them. This allows them to be incorporated in my recipe without becoming soggy)

1 box white cake mix

2 egg whites

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

3/4 cup buttermilk
*(Place 1 tbsp vinegar in a glass measuring cup then fill with milk to the 1 cup line. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes.) 

3/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup Chocolate Chip Cookies, chopped (I used President's Choice Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookies. To chop simply place a few cookies into a resealable bag, close and use the back of a spoon to crush. A very satisfying way to take out any frustration you may have!)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners
• Sift your cake mix into a small bowl and set aside
• In a large bowl, gently whisk egg whites, eggs, oil, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla extract together
• Add cake mix and mix until combined
• Fold in  3/4 cup of chopped cookies
• Fill cupcake liners 1/4 full, place frozen cookie on top, and then fill the liner 3/4 full
• Bake for 16-20 minutes or until and inserted toothpick comes out clean

Cookie Dough Frosting:
 

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

3½ cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ tsp salt

3 tbsp milk

2½ tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup finely crushed chocolate chip cookies (I crush my cookies and then put them through a sifter, and only use what goes through. This way you don't get chunks that won't go through your piping tip in your frosting.)  

• Beat butter and brown sugar on high speed until creamy and fluffy
• Mix in the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until smooth
• Beat in the flour and salt
• Mix in the milk and vanilla extract and beat until smooth and combined
• Fold in the finely crushed cookie crumbs
• Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and decorate with mini chocolate chips and a mini cookie