Food: Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

I'm finally settled into my summer schedule, including a new internship and a couple of online classes. I think I mentioned before that my new internship allows me to see screenings of virtually every movie before they come out in theaters (YAY!) for free (YAAAAAAY!!!), so I've been checking out 2-3 movies during the week and exhausting all my theater going options for the weekend. Now I have 3 days free to devote to my other passion: food. I've got quite a few recipes to share with you within the next week or so. First up, is a new cupcake (surprise surprise...I know). It's cookies and cream, which isn't my number one flavor choice but they came out really good and I thoroughly enjoyed.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
Remixed version of oreo cupcakes from Lovin' From the Oven. Cake recipe courtesy of Cupcakes From The Cake Doctor by Anne Byrn



Ingredients

* 1 package (18.25 oz) plain devil's cake mix
* 3 tablespoons Dutch process unsweetened cocoa
* 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 3 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 24 Oreos

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with 24 paper liners.

Remove top half of the Oreos and place one cookie, cream side up, in each liner. Crush remaining halves in Ziploc baggie, set aside.

Place the cake mix, cocoa powder, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium beat two minutes more.




Fill the cupcake tins 2/3 full with batter. Bake until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 17-20 minutes.

Buttercream "Dream" Icing
Recipe courtesy of The Repressed Pastry Chef



Dream is quoted for a reason. This frosting is a bit annoying to make (check out the sugar to liquid ratio) and didn't taste good at first bite. However, after it set awhile and we frosted the cupcakes I did change my mind. It works well with the cookies and cream because it really tastes like the cream from an Oreo. Definitely not a frosting I'd run to for everything, but for these cupcakes it worked nicely in the end.

* 1 stick salted butter, room temp
* 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
* 1 cup shortening
* 1 tbsp vanilla extract
* 2 pounds powdered sugar (about 3 1/2-4 cups)
* 4-6 tbsp cold milk

Cream butter and shortening. Add vanilla extract and combine well.

Begin slowly adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all the sugar has been added, begin adding the milk, one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition with the mixer on medium-high to high speed until you reach the desired consistency.

Tip: If the mixture becomes too hard to mix before all the sugar is incorporated, start adding milk to thin it out, then continue adding the rest.

Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with crushed cookie crumbs.

ENJOY!