Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Our cupcake contributor, Lauren of EllenJay Events, is here with a decadent new recipe….

Calling all chocolate chip cookie lovers!  Or should I say cookie dough lovers?  I’d like to introduce you to the ultimate cupcake to satisfy both a chocolate and cookie craving all in one bite!  These Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes have just become the new favorite cupcake at our house and I hope you will enjoy them just as much!  It’s chocolate cake, filled with cookie dough, covered in cookie dough frosting, topped with chocolate chips and a mini cookie dough cookie on top!  Do you think there is enough cookie dough involved?  Oh my goodness these are so yummy, I ate three in one day!

These cupcakes start out with a simple and super moist chocolate cake recipe.  The recipe is so easy you don’t even need to use a mixer, just whisk all the ingredients together by hand.  Next comes the fun part…we are going to fill the center of the cupcakes with cookie dough.  It’s going to be a little surprise inside once you take a bite!  The best part, is that the cookie dough doesn’t contain any raw eggs, so feel free to snack on it all you want as you fill the cupcakes.  To hollow out the center of the cupcakes you can use a cupcake corer or apple corer, either one will do the trick.  Then grab a melon baller and scoop some cookie dough into the center of each cupcake.  If you don’t have a melon baller, just grab some dough and roll it into a ball with your hands.

To make the cookie dough frosting I thought the logical place to start was with the basic ingredients used to make chocolate chip cookies.  So looking at the back of the bag of Nestle Toll House morsels I started combining the butter, sugars, flour and vanilla in a bowl, omitting the eggs, salt and baking soda.  I then added in some confectioner’s sugar and milk to create a fluffy frosting.  This icing flavor is truly an exact replica of cookie dough.  My fingers kept sneaking back in the mixing bowl to sample, it was just that good!

So if your pantry isn’t already stocked full of chocolate chips like mine is, then hurry out and grab a bag because you are going to want to make these immediately!  This is such a fun recipe that your kids would absolutely have a blast helping you with!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
recipe by Lauren Kapeluck
(makes 28 cupcakes)

For the Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
2. In large bowl combine all dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk until well combined.
3. Add oil and sour cream and mix together with whisk.
4. Gradually add water and continue to whisk.
5. Add vanilla and eggs and whisk until combined.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
7. Bake for 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.
9. Once cupcakes are completely cool, hollow out the center of your cupcakes using a Cupcake Corer or Apple Corer.
10. Fill centers will Cookie Dough and frost with Cookie Dough Icing.  Garnish with chocolate chips and a mini Cookie Dough cookie.

For the Cookie Dough filling:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy.
2. Gradually add in flour and sweetened condensed milk and mix until well combined.
3. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. If dough seems too sticky, put in refrigerator to set up for about 30 minutes before filling cupcakes.
5. Fill center of cupcakes with Cookie Dough.  I used a melon baller to get a consistent size ball for each cupcake.
6. Roll out the left over cookie dough using a rolling pin and cut out mini cookies using a small circle cutter.  Chill the dough cookies until they are firm and then use to decorate the tops of the cupcakes.

For the Icing:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk

1. In bowl of stand mixer cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
2. Gradually add in flour and confectioner’s sugar mixing well and scraping down sides of bowl.
3. Add milk as needed to reach desired consistency.
4. Mix in vanilla.
5. Continue to mix icing for 3-4 minutes.
6. Place icing in piping bag fitted with large round tip and swirl on top of cupcakes.
7. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top if desired.

I hope you all enjoy these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes!  I highly recommend adding a scoop of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream on top of these cupcakes!  You know, just in case there isn’t enough cookie dough already!