Week 42, November 16, 2014 ~ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

This cupcake is basically a chocolate chip cookie dough lovers dream! It is a chocolate cake with a cookie dough center and a cookie dough cream cheese frosting. I could not stop eating this frosting, it was addictive and the best part is that their is obviously no raw egg in it so you can eat all you want and not get sick! (I probably shouldn't encourage that though) The cookie dough center is an eggless cookie dough that is frozen and then baked into the cupcake so that it still is a little doughy but the rest of the cupcake is cooked.

This recipe makes 16 cupcakes!

For the cookie dough center:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/6 tsp baking soda
• 1/6 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp milk
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a small bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, sugars, milk and vanilla until smooth.
3. Beat the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips into the butter mixture until smooth.
4. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes until it is firm enough to handle.
5. Scoop out dough into 16 balls. and freeze for 30+ minutes.

For the chocolate cake:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 ounces dark chocolate ( I used an 80%)

2 large eggs, room temp

2 large egg yolks, room temp

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup sour cream

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa powder--I use Hershey's Special Dark

1/2 cup brewed coffee, room temp

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool.
3. Beat butter and sugar until fully combined and looks like wet sand; add the melted chocolate once cooled and mix to combine.
4. Mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until just combined.
5. Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined.
6. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
7. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture a little at a time until just combined.
8. Add the coffee and mix till combined.
9. Fill cupcake liners half way and then place a frozen cookie dough ball into the center and press down till covered and bake with 18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
10. Set aside on a wire rack and let cool.

For the Cookie Dough Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 5 Tbsp. butter, softened
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• ½ cup flour
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ⅔ cup mini chocolate chips

Cream softened cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl.

Add brown sugar, vanilla and Dream Whip and evenly beat together.

Add milk, flour and powdered sugar and beat to evenly incorporate until smooth. If necessary add more powdered sugar to thicken it or more milk to thin it. Add the chocolate chips.

Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes so it firms up a bit/

Frost cupcakes...I went for a messier raw dough look. 

Week 11, April 14, 2014 ~ Coconut Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes

"I can't believe I forgot my cupcakes" --me when I got to work at 6 o'clock this morning! ugh whatevs they will hopefully be just as good tomorrow! This cupcake is an ode to my favorite discontinued cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory. It was the Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheesecake and it was amazing. Last time I went I was very sad it was gone. It had a chocolate macaroon crust, with coconut cream and coconut cheesecake filling. There is also a facebook page dedicated to bringing it back...though with only 27 fans I don't think there is much hope...

source: The Cheesecake Factory

So this cupcake has a chocolate macaroon crust, a brownie cake, a coconut cheesecake swirl and a chocolate coconut buttercream. The only thing I would do differently is have more cheesecake and a stronger coconut flavor. It is a very rich decadent cupcake. I took my time eating it. I don't think people will inhale this one quite like the other ones. This is the best smelling cupcake though! On with the show!

This makes 12 cupcakes!

Chocolate Macaroon Crust:

• 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• pinch of salt
• non stick spray

1. Preheat oven to 325 and line 12 cupcake liners
2. combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and mash together with your hands until everything is good and mixed
3. distribute amongst the cupcake liners and pack with the bottom of a glass sprayed with non-stick spray or with clean fingers!
4. put in the oven for about 10 minutes

Cheesecake Brownie Base

for the cheesecake:

• 3 tbsp softened butter
• 1 8oz package of softened cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp coconut extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp flour

for the brownie:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (could also try coconut!)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• pinch salt 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• pinch of cayenne pepper 
• 3 tbsp Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder 
• 2 tbsp dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugars and oil until well blended,  then add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition, then add the vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, cayenne and cocoa.
4. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture a little at a time, mixing well each time, then stir in the chocolate.
5. Fill each cupcake tin 1/2 way (I actually was able to make about 16 cupcake with this since the macaroon crust took up some space)
6. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy.  Beat in the sugar and vanilla until smooth, then add the egg and mix well - then mix in the flour.
7. Top each cupcake with the cheesecake and spread it out.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes using a toothpick to check that the brownies are done. 

• For the Chocolate Coconut Buttercream:
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1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature 

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder*
• 3  Tbsp heavy cream or half-&-half
• 2 tsp coconut extract

1. In a the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment whip butter on medium-high speed until butter turns almost white and is fluffy about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally. 
2. Add the cocoa powder then add in powdered sugar gradually. Mix until well combined.
3.  3 Tbsp heavy cream and coconut and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add more cream if frosting is too thick.
4. Increase mixer to medium-high speed and whip mixture until pale and very fluffy about 4 - 5 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl.

My best advice for making a perfect buttercream is to set it and forget it! If you are using a Kitchenaid just turn it on and walkaway for a few minutes. Whenever I hover it doesn't come out right...

btdubs how CUTE is this cake stand! I got it at Target and it is perfect! AND its plastic so hopefully I can't break it!!  

Week 9, March 31st 2014 ~ Heath Bar Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

It is always best to keep the boss happy! So when the boss mentions he likes heath bars and I should make a cupcake using them then that's obviously what I am gonna do! It also helps that I love toffee too! I was originally going to just make chocolate cupcakes and use toffee chips but then I thought "eh, been there done that..."I have made a lot of chocolate cupcakes so far. So then I thought of the chocolate chip cookie cupcakes I made a while ago and thought those would go good with the toffee...and that was a correct assumption on my part! The chips melted into the cake and made it moister and made the whole cake taste like toffee. Then I topped the cupcake with a layer of chocolate and broken up pieces of health bar and a salted caramel buttercream! Side note I think this might be the first cupcake I didn't fill with anything during this challenge!

This recipe made 12 cupcakes

• The base of the cupcake is a recipe adapted from annies-eats.com. Visit that website for her chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes-which are amazing!
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• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)
• 1/2 cup toffee baking chips (They are with the chocolate chips in the grocery store)
• dark cocoa candy melts --you can also make your own ganache or use chocolate almond bark, I just used what I had
• 3 Heath Bars 

1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. 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. 
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, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips and toffee bits with a spatula.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. One cooled crush the heath bars and put on a paper plate and melt the candy melts as directed or use a ganache. I melted then in a container big enough to dip the cupcakes straight into.
8. Dip each cupcake into the chocolate and then into the candy and put back on the wire rack. While the chocolate sets prepare the buttercream.

For the Salted Caramel Buttercream:

• 2 Sticks unsalted butter; room temperature--you could use salted but just omit the additional salt
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/3 cup caramel sauce --store bought or homemade (you could use the salted caramel recipe I used for my salted caramel mocha cupcakes  if you are feeling ambitious) 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1. Whip the butter for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy
2. Add the confectioners sugar one cup at a time until fully encorporated
3. Add the caramel sauce, vanilla, and salt and beat for another 4-5 minutes until fluffy and it wouldn't fall out of the bowl if you tipped it upside down...try it its fun!
4. Taste and add more salt or caramel if you want---I ended up adding a little more of each 
5. Garnish with leftover toffee crumbs or caramel if you want!

I piled the frosting up pretty high on these...I just couldn't get enough of it!

For the fun pic of the day....the best coffee mug of all time! I love it!