Well, we got 24 inches of snow in our neck of the woods this weekend – since my husband and I had no place to go, we stayed in and “let it snow!” While everyone else in the city stocked up on bread, milk and eggs (presumably to make french toast?) I opted for butter, flour, sugar and other baking implements – I figured we can always live off of cookies for a few days! I made four different varieties yesterday, and one more today!! Here are the first couple – the rest will follow soon!

Batch #1 – Gingerbread Cookies

I just love these little ginger-colored treats with frosting-piped faces. Although in my typical fashion I wanted a “healthier” cookie recipe if possible, these came out very moist and delicious – my husband didn’t even realize they were from Cooking Light. They were surprisingly easy to cut and the dough didn’t crumble on me like the last few batches of gingerbread cookies I made.

Cookies:

Icing:

Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & nutmeg with a whisk. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, & molasses and beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat well to combine. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients – I used a heavy duty stand mixer as the dough became quite thick and sticky. Divide the dough in half, flattening each half into a disc and wrapping tightly in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 90 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough to 1/8 – 1/4 inch thickness and cut with the desired cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.

For decorating: Mix powdered sugar and water – if too thick, add drops of water – I ended up using closer to 1.5 tablespoons in the end. Spoon the icing into a plastic bag with a tiny hole cut in the corner and decorate away!

Batch #2 – Chocolate Peanut Butter Pinwheels

My husband loves anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter – so in my baking extravaganza I wanted to make sure I included some cookies he would really enjoy! This recipe I found was great, although I made a couple minor substitutions – I didn’t have baking chocolate on hand, and as there was a blizzard outside I opted to substitute in some cocoa powder. They came out great – although the dough softened very fast when out of the fridge. Cut them speedily!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1 stick of butter (softened)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Beat sugar, butter, egg and vanilla together in a large bowl – scrape the bowl often to make sure everything is well mixed! Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix together well. Divide dough into two even portions. To the first portion, add the cocoa powder and the vegetable oil and mix well. To the second portion, add the peanut butter and mix well. Shape the two doughs into rectangles and wrap tightly in saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr. Roll each dough out between 2 pieces of floured wax paper – Make sure the doughs are approximately the same size! Then peel away one sheet of wax paper from each dough. Press the two doughs together, and roll (jelly-roll style) into a log. Wrap the log in saran wrap and place the dough into the freezer for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove dough and quickly slice into 1/4 inch thick discs. Place 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie pan and bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

I am a relatively new member of the chocolate peanut butter fan club, and these cupcakes had something to do with it. My husband and a number of my friends have always been passionate lovers of all things chocolate and peanut butter, while my feelings were ambivalent.

When I first spotted these cupcakes on Proceed with Caution, I knew I had to make something like them for the chocolate peanut butter aficionados in my life. I used my go-to chocolate cake recipe (Hershey?s Perfectly Chocolate Cake), incorporated peanut butter into my grandmother?s frosting and made the peanut butter balls as written.

The resulting cupcake is heavenly! As I bit into my first one I thought ?Now I know what all the fuss is about!? If the creamy peanut butter frosting doesn?t provide a peanut-y enough kick for you, there?s a sweet peanut butter ball nestled inside the cupcake. Topped with half of a miniature Reese?s Peanut Butter Cup, these cupcakes should satisfy the most demanding chocolate peanut butter lover in your life.

Sadly, I don?t have many photos of these delectable cupcakes because the batch was quickly demolished by my peanut butter and chocolate loving friends!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Yields 30

For the Filling:
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp vanilla

For the cupcakes:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1. Using a mixer on medium speed, beat together confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, 2 butter, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla until blended. Shape mixture into 24 balls using heaping measuring teaspoons. The balls will be sticky and don’t need to be perfectly shaped. Place shaped balls on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet and set aside.
2. Heat oven to 350?F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
3. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
4. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir until well blended.
5. Add flour mixture to large bowl and beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
6. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
7. Spoon 1 heaping measuring tablespoon batter into each muffin-pan cup. Drop 1 peanut butter ball in center of each cup and top off muffin cup with batter (should be 3/4 full)
8. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely

For the frosting:
2 1-lb packages of confectioner?s sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Beat shortening and peanut butter together until creamy and then beat in water.
2. Gradually beat in confectioner?s sugar and beat until creamy.
3. Add vanilla and beat in well.
4. If needed, add more water, 1 tbsp at a time, to attain desired consistency.
5. If frosting will not be used right away, store in an airtight container.

I made these cupcakes for my husband’s birthday at the beginning of the month – mostly because he loves cake, frosting, Guinness, whiskey, and all other things Irish. After a bit of searching, I found this recipe that uses not one but three kinds of Irish alcohol! What better way to celebrate. They came out incredible! The frosting was particularly amazing, but the beer and whiskey really adds a great depth to the chocolate flavor.

Chocolate Whiskey Cupcakes

Cake:

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Filling:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

Frosting:

3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350. Bring stout and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cool slightly. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, whisking to combine. Beat eggs and sour cream together in another bowl. Add stout/butter mixture to the egg mixture slowly (so you don’t scramble the eggs accidentally!) Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix briefly on slow speed. Portion batter into lined cupcake tins; it should fill 24 cups approximately 2/3 of the way. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the ganache:

Melt the chocolate. Heat the cream until it is simmering and then pour over the chocolate. Let sit for about a minute and then stir until smooth. Add butter and whiskey stirring to combine. Let cool until it starts to thicken. You can use an apple corer to cut out a hole in the cupcakes, but I chose instead to use a piping bag, poked a hole in the cupcake and filled them. The cupcake will swell a little, but I did not have any crumble on me.

For the frosting:

Whip the butter until fluffy. Slowly add the confectioners sugar, several tablespoons at a time. When the frosting begins to look thickened, add the Bailey’s – if it becomes too thin, add some more sugar. This was more than enough to frost my 24 cupcakes.

During our recent voyage to Ireland, we had the good fortune of visiting West Kerry, particularly enjoying Dingle town and peninsula. It was one of the highlights of our journey – not only was the scenery amazing, but we managed to have a drink at a combination hardware store & bar, eat at a brand new gourmet restaurant that had only opened 4 days earlier, and have the world’s most amazing ice cream. We were passing our evening wandering the streets of Dingle and enjoying the sites before retiring to our B&B when we came upon Murphy’s Ice Cream – having spent all day in the warmth and sunlight, we decided to stop in for a scoop. Quite possibly, this was the best decision on our entire trip! My husband & I both chose the Chocolate Whiskey ice cream, which was creamy and chocolatey and rich and amazing.

When we got back, I went on a bit of an Irish cooking kick…scones, stew, meat-laden breakfasts…and one day, I decided I would try to make the Chocolate Whiskey ice cream. After a quick Google search, I came upon this site, published by the same folks that happen to own Murphy’s! While I am quite sure nothing will ever match that scoop of ice cream I enjoyed while meandering through the streets of Dingle, this came as close as I think I can get without an international flight. I made small adjustments – mostly to accomodate using US measures – and it came out pretty accurate! A candy thermometer was very helpful for this dish, as I wanted to make sure the eggs were pasteurized. It is a bit labor-intensive, however completely worth it unless you can jet across the Atlantic at will to get Chocolate Whiskey Ice Cream fashioned by pro’s.

Chocolate Whiskey Ice Cream

1/2 cup sugar

4 egg yolks

1 cup milk

1 scant cup heavy cream (7oz or so)

5 squares (or ounces) dark baking chocolate

3 tablespoons Irish whiskey (I used Tullamore Dew because it was what we had on hand)

Instructions:

Melt the chocolate – I put the chocolate in the microwave for 15 second intervals, stirring in between. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until well blended. Bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and then add very slowly to the egg mixture (so you don’t accidentally cook the eggs too fast!) mixing constantly. Put the egg-sugar-milk mixture back into the saucepan and heat to 165 degrees farenheit, keeping it at that temperature for 5 minutes until the custard is thick. Immediately remove from the heat, and add this to bowl with the melted chocolate, stirring to combine. Let this cool (covered in plastic wrap) in the fridge. Stir in the whiskey. In a separate bowl, whip the cream on high until you have soft peaks and then fold this gently into the chocolate whiskey custard. Chill completely, and then freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream maker. Enjoy!

There are some things that just say “summer” to me: cookouts in my parents’ backyard, competitive games of bocce, cold glasses of iced tea with fresh lemons, large slices of watermelon, strawberry shortcake and s’mores.

These cupcakes are the perfect addition to a summer cookout. Martha Stewart’s cupcakes inspired my assembly method, but I used my go-to chocolate cake recipe, Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake and created my own marshmallow frosting recipe. The frosting is soft and sticky, much like a melted marshmallow. The buttery graham cracker base, coupled with bittersweet chocolate, a rich chocolate cake and the marshmallow frosting imparts that quintessential summer flavor of s’mores in a portable cupcake… no campfire required!

S’mores Cupcakes
Yields 30 cupcakes

For the graham crust:
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 – 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

For the cupcakes:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

For the topping:
Marshmallow Frosting (recipe below)
Finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
Chocolate sprinkles (jimmies, for those of us from New England!)

1. Heat oven to 350?F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper liners.
2. Combine 1/4 cup sugar,graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl.
3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of graham crakcer mix into the bottom of each muffin cup. Press crumbs firmly, using the bottom of a small glass. Save the remaining mixture for topping.
4. Top graham cracker mix with several bittersweet chocolate chips.
5. Bake graham mixture for about five minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
6. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
7. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir until well blended.
8. Add flour mixture to large bowl and beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
9. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
10. Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with batter (about 1/4 cup).
11. Sprinkle batter with small amount of remaining graham cracker mixture.
12. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely

Marshmallow Frosting
Yields enough frosting for 30 cupcakes

2 1/4 cups marshmallow creme (about 8 oz.)
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Cream together shortening and marshmallow creme.
2. Beat in about 1/2 of the water, followed by half of the powdered sugar.
3. Add the remaining powdered sugar and enough water to bring the frosting to a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Assembling the cupcakes:

1. Spoon a small amount of frosting onto the center of the cupcake and spread towards the edges with a knife. This frosting is very soft and will run down the edges of the cupcake if too much is applied.
2. Sprinkle frosted cupcakes with crushed graham cracker crumbs and chocolate sprinkles.

Selecting an ice cream that the whole family likes has always been a bit of a challenge when planning birthday celebrations. Some family members are fans of mix-in laden ice cream, while others are purists, preferring a rich vanilla or delicate mocha. Years ago, I went grocery shopping with my mother to pick up what we needed for my father?s birthday dinner. As I pulled a pint of Brigham?s Cookies and Cream ice cream from the freezer case, my mother stated ?Your brother doesn?t like cookies and cream.? I was not aware of this fact, but she insisted. So, I relented and we selected something different. Years later, upon observing me eating a bowl of cookies and cream ice cream, my brother remarked that he thought I disliked that particular flavor. Apparently, my mother told my brother that I didn?t like cookies and cream. It was totally inadvertent (she was convinced that somebody didn’t like it), but we now joke that it must have been that Mom just didn?t want cookies and cream.

In recent years, Edy?s Fudge Tracks (their version of the more well-known Moose Tracks) has become a family favorite. It has a rich vanilla base to satisfy the purists, and fun mix-ins to please those with slightly more adventurous tastes. To top it all off, the combination of vanilla, chocolate and peanut butter complements most cakes without overpowering them. Since I?ve been on a ice-cream making kick lately, I decided to concoct my own Moose Tracks for my father?s birthday celebration.

I selected a vanilla ice cream base from Proceed with Caution, and used a Fudge Ripple recipe found in David Lebovitz?s The Perfect Scoop. Chopped Reeses Peanut butter cups and chopped semi-sweet Ghiradelli chocolate rounded out the mix. A quick internet search revealed that Trader Joe?s carries miniature peanut butter cups that are roughly the size of a standard chocolate chip. I hope to procure these and try them in future ice cream recipes.

The ice cream was a hit at both my father?s birthday celebration and at a little sundae party later in the week. I love having the ability to get creative and whip up any flavor combination that I desire. I never thought that my Kitchen Aid ice cream maker would get as much use as it already has! If you’re looking for more delicious ice cream recipes, check out Joelen’s Culinary Adventures Tasty Tools blog round-up post for June.

Moose Tracks Ice Cream

1/4 cup Egg Beaters
7 oz. fat free sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)
3 tbsp white sugar
3 tbsp brown sugar, not packed
4 oz heavy whipping cream
12 oz fat free half and half
8 oz skim milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (about 20)
4 oz. chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1-2 cups fudge ripple (see recipe below)

1. Pour half and half into small saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until steam rises. Remove from heat.
2. In a separate bowl, use a whisk or electric mixer to beat Egg Beaters, sweetened condensed milk and sugar together. Beat in 1/2 cup of hot half and half and then stir this mixture into the saucepan with the remaining half and half.
3. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue until the mixture reached 170-180 degrees or is slightly thickened. Do not bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Pour the mixture into a separate bowl and stir in the cream, milk, vanilla extract and salt.
5. Chill the mixture for several hours (overnight is even better). You can speed up the process by placing the bowl containing the mixture in a large bowl filled with ice and water.
6. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer?s directions.
7. Once the ice cream is done, gently fold in the Reeses Peanut Butter cup and chocolate chunks using a rubber spatula.
8. Transfer the ice cream to a storage container, alternating layers of ice cream with general drizzles of fudge ripple. Do not mix the ice cream and the ripple, as it will become muddied.
9. Allow ice cream to cure in freezer and attain desired hardness.

Fudge Ripple
from The Perfect Scoop
Yields about 2 cups

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and cocoa powder in a medium sauce pan and whisk until well-combined.
2. Heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until it comes to a low boil.
3. Continue to cook for one minute, whisking constantly.
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
5. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator before using.

Fudge ripple, if covered and refrigerated, can be stored for up to 2 weeks.

I love having an ice cream maker. Each time I try a new recipe, I am amazed at how easy it is to combine basic ingredients to create an out-of-this-world frozen confection. When I starting planning my husband’s birthday celebration, I knew I wanted to make my own ice cream. What kind of ice cream should be served with a cookies and cream cake? Why cookies and cream ice cream, of course!

For this recipe, I turned to Stefany at Proceed with Caution. Her adapted vanilla base is creamy and smooth, which belies the fact that it contains less fat than most homemade ice creams. The recipe is perfect as-is, but I added more rough-chopped Oreos because I like a lot of mix-ins in my ice cream. I also mixed the base in a slightly different manner, opting to heat it thoroughly before chilling. I’ve included my revised instructions below, but you can see the original here.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Recipe from Proceed With Caution, originally adapted from Doc Wilson

8 oz skim milk
8 oz heavy cream
8 oz fat free half and half
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
6 tbsp sugar
7 oz fat free sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup finely ground Oreos
3/4 cup roughly chopped Oreos

1. Pour half and half into small saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until steam rises. Remove from heat.
2. In a separate bowl, use a whisk or electric mixer to beat Egg Beaters, sweetened condensed milk and sugar together. Beat in 1/2 cup of hot half and half and then stir this mixture into the saucepan with the remaining half and half.
3. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue until the mixture reached 170-180 degrees or is slightly thickened. Do not bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Pour the mixture into a separate bowl and stir in the cream, milk, vanilla extract and finely ground Oreos.
5. Chill the mixture for several hours (overnight is even better). You can speed up the process by placing the bowl containing the mixture in a large bowl filled with ice and water.
6. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer?s directions Add the roughly chopped Oreos during the last five minutes.

I love having a well-stocked freezer. A double batch of vegetarian black bean chili and multiple portions of Mexican rice have saved the day on multiple occasions. I freeze leftover sauce, broth, black beans and shredded chicken to prevent leftovers from spoiling and to save for future use. However, the most enjoyable part of my freezer stash has to be cookie dough.

Freezing cookie dough serves multiple purposes: 1) It prevents my husband and I from eating too many cookies in a short period of time. Sometimes you just want a few cookies, and it’s not always easy to figure out what to do with the remaining four dozen! 2) It allows me to whip up freshly-baked cookies with no mess in a very short amount of time!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies were my bite-sized dessert of choice for most of the fall, but the classic Toll House cookie became my go-to dessert during the latter part of the winter and into the spring. There are countless variations of the classic chocolate chip cookie, but this is my favorite. They come out chewy on the inside with a hint of crunch on the outside.

I made a few minor changes to the original recipe, based upon recommendations from a friend. I use half butter and have shortening, and I adjusted the amounts of brown sugar and granulated sugar.

If you want to freeze your cookie dough and bake at a later date, drop the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper (for easy clean up) and place the sheet in the freezer for about a half hour. Remove the firm balls of dough from the sheet and place in a freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. When you want to bake the frozen dough, there’s no need to defrost! Preheat the oven to 375 and place the frozen balls of dough on a cookie sheet. You’ll probably need to bake the cookies 2-3 minutes longer than usual, but keep and eye on them so that they don’t burn.

Toll House Cookies

Yields 60 cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Beat in vanilla extract.
4. Beat in flour mixture gradually.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Cool on cookie sheets for at least two minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

BAKE at 375 for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Gold cake with chocolate frosting is mother’s favorite cake combination. I’ve had my eye on Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting for awhile now, and Mother’s Day seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it out.

I had really hoped that it would be delicious, because I really wanted her to enjoy her Mother’s Day dessert. This recipe did not disappoint! The frosting is rich and chocolate-y with a fudge-like flavor. It’s a snap to make and spreads quite easily on the cake.

The recipe makes enoug frosting to frost and decorate a 9-inch round layer cake with some to spare. The extra frosting is fantastic by the spoonful.

Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting

Yields about 2 cups of frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Melt butter.
2. Beat in cocoa.
3. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed.
4. Beat in vanilla.

I have a major weakness for Oreos. I can easily demolish an entire bag in a few sittings, so I try to avoid buying them. I saw these Oreo cupcakes on the blog Proceed With Caution, and have been waiting for the right opportunity to make them.

The right opportunity presented itself in the form of dinner and 24 with our friends Carolyn and Rob. I had originally planned to make something simple and easy to eat neatly, since we would be eating dessert in front of the television. That plan didn’t last very long.

I used a Hershey’s recipe for ‘”Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake and was amazed at the number of cupcakes it produced. The recipe called for filling muffin cups 2/3 with batter, resulting in 30 cupcakes. I figured I could whittle that number down to 24 if I was generous in my batter allotment. Nope! I ended up with 31 Oreo cupcakes. I frosted half of them and will be freezing the rest for another occasion. It’s worth noting that the large number of cupcakes did cause a bit of a baking problem. I only have two muffin tins, so I had to bake 24 cupcakes first and then bake the remaining ones separately. The last 7 cupcakes did not rise as well as the first batch and ended up with a slightly concave appearance. However, they taste just fine!

I used a double batch of my grandmother’s frosting recipe and augmented it with crushed Oreos for the cookies and cream icing. The Oreos must be finely ground so that the frosting will spread easily.

Be careful when splitting the cookies to top these delicious Oreo cupcakes, as the Oreos tend to crumble quite easily. I followed suggestions found on Proceed With Caution and split the Oreos by placing the blade of my knife evenly across the cookie and pressing straight down. With a few exceptions, this method worked quite well. I certainly didn’t mind eating the Oreos that didn’t look pretty enough!

I am thrilled with the way that these came out. The Perfectly Chocolate cupcake is rich, but not too sweet. They complement the sweet cookies and cream icing quite nicely. Not only are these oreo cupcakes delicious, but I think they’re really cute! The frosting and Oreo garnish are fun and festive. This was the first time that I piped my cupcakes using a decorator bag, and I was happy to see that it’s not too hard. I’m looking forward to sharing my latest creation with friends and family!

Oreo Cupcakes

Yields 30 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
30 Oreos, 1 side twisted off and reserved for frosting *
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350?F. Line muffin pans with paper liners and place 1 Oreo (cream side up) in each liner.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir until well blended.
4. Add flour mixture to large bowl and beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
5. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
6. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter (about 1/4 cup).
7. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely

For the frosting:
2 1-lb packages of confectioner’s sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup Oreo crumbs, made from reserved sides (used above) and additional cookies

1. Beat shortening and water together.
2. Gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar and beat until creamy.
3. Add vanilla and beat in well.
4. If needed, add more water, 1 tbsp at a time, to attain desired consistency.
5. Beat in Oreo crumbs.
6. If frosting will not be used right away, store in an airtight container.

Optional Garnish:
15 Oreos, split in half and placed atop the frosted cupcakes

* You’ll probably need more than 1 bag for the cupcakes, frosting and garnish