Since I made my Vanilla Bean Ice Cream a few weeks ago, I had one lonely vanilla bean lying around in my kitchen, just waiting for a worthy recipe to come along – when I saw this cupcake recipe on Annie’s Eats that sounded fantastic and decided to give it a whirl!  Happily, I had a big end-of-year picnic coming up for work which was about the perfect occasion to make a bunch of cupcakes without my husband and I having to eat them all.  There are not words for how fantastic this recipe came out – the batter was thick and creamy and the cake is light and moist.  I frosted them with a plain vanilla buttercream frosting – usually I shy away from buttercreams, as I find them a bit too rich for most of my recipes – but it accented the vanilla cake really well.  This was also my first adventure with gel food coloring in my frosting – a bit of advice, a little goes a LONG way!  I used about 1/4 tsp to color this entire batch of frosting!  (I used Teal, btw.)  Also, a plug for my favorite decorating device – The Pampered Chef makes an amazing decorating gun – looks a little like you should be using it to caulk a window frame or something, but it is incredibly easy to use and makes my baked goods like professional in no time flat.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes – from Annie’s Eats

3 cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Prepare cupcake pans with paper liners.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Take your vanilla bean halves and scrape the pods to remove the beans – save the pod to make vanilla sugar later – but that’s for a different post.)  Add the butter and the vanilla beans to the bowl of your trusty stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment – or, if you have one a bowl-scraping paddle attachment which is the best kitchen investment I’ve made this year), and beat on meadium speed until the mixture starts to appear light and fluffy; about 2-3 minutes.  If you don’t have a paddle attachment that scrapes for you, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for about another minute to ensure adequate mixing.  Add the sugar gradually, 1/4 cup at a time, beating for about a minute after each addition.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until the egg is incorporated.  (Scrape down the bowl between additions here too!)  In a large measuring cup, mix the buttermilk and vanilla together.  As your mixer continues to run on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients to the butter mixture - alternating between each, and beginning and ending on the dry.  Scrape down the sides again to make sure everything is well incorporated and mix for about 15 seconds longer – be careful not to overmix!  Place the batter into the prepared cupcake pans, filling each liner about 2/3 of the way – this batter is quite thick, so try to get all the bubbles out of the bottom of the cups when you fill them!  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely and frost as desired – enjoy!!

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting – also, from Annie’s Eats

20 tbsp. (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. milk

Add the softened butter to your stand mixer bowl and beat on medium high for about 30 seconds or until smooth.  Add the sugar and salt and mix to incorporate – start slow or else your entire kitchen will be covered in powdered sugar!  When the sugar has been completely incorporated (you will probably have to scrape down the sides to get this accomplished), add the vanilla and milk – mix on low for 10-15 seconds.  If you’re planning to use food coloring, this is when to add it!  Increase the speed to high and beat for 4-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy appearing.  Frost away!

I should probably rename them “Death By Cookie Dough” cupcakes.  Seriously.  A chocolate chip cookie inspired cupcake filled with eggless cookie dough and topped with brown sugar cookie dough buttercream, these are a cookie dough lovers dream!  Faces lit up at the description of the cupcakes and they were quickly devoured.  A friend who always insists that I bring leftover baked goods home specifically asked to keep the remaining cupcakes.  They are just that amazing!

If you’re a fan of cookie dough, get out your brown sugar, chocolate chips and butter (lots of butter) and get going on this unique, decadent cupcake!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
from Annie’s Eats
Yields 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
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
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cupcakes
1.  Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. Combine butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix each addition just until incorporated.
6. Blend in the vanilla and fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.
10. Top with Cookie Dough Buttercream and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

Cookie Dough Filling
1. Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

Frosting
1. Beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy.
2. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

I have my husband to thank for this delicious confection.   While I was searching high and low for a fun, new dessert recipe that was guaranteed easy and tasty, he suggested I enhance my favorite cake and frosting recipe with some mint extract.   The chocolate mint cupcakes with mint frosting were born!

As I’ve said before, Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake is my go-to recipe for chocolate cakes and cupcakes.   It’s so easy to make and work with; in fact, a fellow blogger suggested pouring the batter into a large Pyrex measuring cup and using that to fill muffin tins… genius!

The end-result is a perfectly rich and minty cupcake that reminded me of Keebler’s Grasshopper Cookies.   I’ve always had a weakness for this particular flavor combination, making it quite hard to eat just one cupcake at time!

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Yields 30 cupcakes

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 tsp mint extract
1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.   Grease muffin cups or line with paper liners.
2. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, milk, oil, vanilla and mint extract. 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 tsp mint extract

1.  Beat shortening and water together.
2.  Gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar and beat until creamy.
3.  Add vanilla and mint extracts 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.

Chocolate Mint Cupcake recipe can be found here.

Use Wilton tip 233 to make grass.

When I make something new, I don’t want just a recipe, I want the perfect recipe! My desire for a tried and true favorite helps explain why I often prefer to get my recipes from blogs and community-oriented cooking websites as opposed to magazine and cookbooks.

A pumpkin cupcake comparison from The Way the Cookie Crumbles popped up in my Google Reader a few weeks ago. In this post, Bridget details her experiences with three different pumpkin cupcake recipes. This recipe found on Smitten Kitchen was her favorite, and I have now fallen in love with it as well! This clearly is the perfect pumpkin cupcake recipe.

While I couldn’t justify making these for just me and my husband, a dinner at a friend’s house presented the perfect opportunity to whip up this fun fall treat. Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, maple syrup… you can’t get much more fall-ish than this! The cupcakes have a light, airy texture and a flavor reminiscent of spice cake with a pop of pumpkin. Instead of using the original maple cream cheese frosting, I opted to use a maple butter cream frosting recipe from Annie’s Eats. It’s the perfect companion to the pumpkin cupcakes: smooth and sweet and fall-inspired.

Pumpkin Cupcakes
(From David Leite via Smitten Kitchen)
Yields 18 cupcakes

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar (I used light brown)
? cup granulated sugar
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
? tsp ground nutmeg
? tsp ground cloves
? tsp salt
? tsp freshly ground black pepper (I omitted)
2 large eggs
? cup buttermilk mixed with 1 tsp vanilla
1? cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1. Preheat the oven to 350? and line cupcake pans with 18 liners.
2. Using a stand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl.
4. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the mixer, blending well and scraping down the sides after each addition. 5. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour.
5. Add the pumpkin and beat pumpkin until smooth.
6. Divide the batter equally between the cups. (They?ll be about ? full.) Rap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles.
7. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.

Maple Buttercream Frosting
(Annie’s Eats)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1-2 tbsp. milk

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed until smooth.
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed until well combined, then increase speed and beat until smooth.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and add the maple syrup. Mix until incorporated.
4. If the frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk and beat until smooth and desired consistency is achieved.

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.

In keeping with our apparent theme of alcohol in unexpected places, I present to you: Margarita Cupcakes! I stumbled upon this recipe on Confections of a Foodie Bride a few years ago. They’re a fun alternative to standard chocolate or vanilla-based cupcakes. The margarita and lime zest impart a recognizable, refreshing tang to the cupcakes. They serve as a perfect dessert for a Mexican-inspired meal or summer barbecue.

Since these cupcakes are a creatively doctored white cake mix, there’s far less measuring than a typical made-from-scratch cake would require. Most of the measuring is related to mixing the actual margarita, and who can complain about that? More importantly, a mini-rita remains after 1 1/4 cups of the mix is used in the cupcake batter. It’s the perfect excuse for a small, refreshing drink at any time of day. On one occasion, I may or may not have baked these cupcakes at ten o’clock in the morning.

Since I think my husband makes the best margaritas (a sentiment shared by many of our dinner guests), I adjusted the margarita proportions to reflect his drink recipe. I also used my Grandmother’s frosting recipe, changing the original liquid measurements to include a touch of lime.

Margarita Cupcakes

Yields 24 cupcakes

8 oz margarita mix
3 oz tequila (Jose Cuervo is my fav!)
1 oz triple sec
White cake mix
3 egg whites,beaten
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp lime zest (you’ll use the lime juice in the frosting)

1. Mix together the margarita mix, tequila, and triple sec in a large glass or spouted bowl. You will use 1 1/4 cup of this in the cupcake mix. Pour the leftovers over ice and enjoy!
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, lime zest and 1 1/4 of margarita mixture.
3. Using a hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat on low speed for about 30 seconds to combine ingredients. Increase to medium speed and beat for two minutes.
4. Spoon the batter into muffin tins, filling each cup about 2/3 – 3/4 full.
5. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Cool completely before decorating.

Lime Frosting

Yields enough for 24 cupcakes

1 package confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 tbsp warm water
2 tbsp lime juice

1. Beat shortening, water and lime juice together.
2. Gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar and beat until creamy.
3. You may need to add more water (1 tbsp at a time) to achieve desired consistency. If you prefer your frosting much sweeter, you can add more lime juice. Beware – too much lime juice can make the frosting painfully sweet!

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.

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.

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  flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, 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