Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Oh mama mia, you are going to love these cookie dough cupcakes! When we were in Chicago for Kevin’s birthday, we ran into this little bakery that had cookie dough cupcakes. Yes, cookie dough in the cupcake! Hallelujah! I couldn’t figure out how the cookie dough was still, well, dough, inside a baked cupcake, until a sweet Facebook friend Denise informed me that you freeze the dough in advance so it doesn’t bake inside the cupcake. Brilliant! Thank you Denise!

I immediately and profusely professed my undying love for Denise, but I haven’t heard back yet.

I’ll keep you updated on that.

So, you totally have to try these! Take your favorite vanilla cupcake recipe and fill your muffin tins 2/3 full. I used a 3 tablespoon scoop and it turned out to be just right.

Scoop!

The cake part itself is not actually the dominant flavor of these cupcakes, so if you wanted to use a box mix for these cupcakes, no one would ever know! :) Or you can try doctoring up a cake mix like this. How good would a vanilla cake mix with white chocolate jello pudding be?? :)

Here’s my frozen cookie dough. Make these the night before so they are good and frozen. I used my favorite cookie dough recipe for this. I never want to bake it, so I figured it’d be perfect for these cupcakes. :)

For this application, I substituted the eggs with milk (1 egg = 2 tablespoons milk.) and used mini chocolate chips.

Now here’s the totally cool part. You just plop the frozen dough right on top of the cupcake batter. For real!

And you will not believe how these come out of the oven…

Just. like. this. Seriously, right? You can’t tell at all! Love it!

There is some very yummy cookie dough hiding in here.

Hello, love. Can you see the little heavenly bites of goodness peeking through?

Now when I read about this Cookie Dough Buttercream Frosting, I was so all over that.

I totally had to try it. It’s everything you love about buttercream… heavenly, light, whipped, buttery…

And it tastes JUST. like. cookie dough.

Cookie dough. Frosting!

I am in love.

I am in love.

I am in love.

I am in love.

I am in love!

Now I know you want to see how it looks on the inside! :)

33K+

Smoosh! Cookie dough, baby!

Next time (oh there will so be a next time) I am going to try shaping the cookie dough in tubes. I’m betting it’ll turn out more like these.

Oh, and see these cute little cupcake holders? :) I made these using the Silhouette. So fun!

I printed out cute cupcake paper from my digital scrapbooking stash, but I also just saw some really cute cupcake paper at Hobby Lobby. Then I found this free cupcake wrapper pattern and converted it for use on the Silhouette. Or there are tons of really cute cupcake wrappers in the Silhouette store, too!

There’s still time to enter the giveaway (ends Wednesday night) so head on over there and check it out! :)

Enjoy these cupcakes! :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
with Cookie Dough Buttercream Frosting

For the cookie dough:
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
3 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the cookie dough, combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 mins. Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using a 1.5 tablespoon scoop, shape the dough into balls or tubes. Freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet overnight.

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.

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.

Using a 3 tablespoon scoop, fill the prepared cupcake liners 2/3 full with the cupcake batter. Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake.

Bake at 350 for 16-18 mins.

To make the frosting, combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.  Beat in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips!

Makes 24 cupcakes.