Cookie Dough Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Happy national chocolate chip day everyone! And what better way to celebrate than with a cookie dough stuffed dark chocolate cupcake. Yes, you heard me right. A cupcake stuffed with cookie dough. Could it get any better? Not much.

This cupcake recipe comes from the one and only, Lindsey over at Love and Olive Oil. She is such an amazing blogger and has recently published two cookbooks - both of which are now in my collection (and I am pretty certain they should be in yours too!)! Her Cookie Dough Lovers Cookbook is absolutely perfect and has more recipes with cookie dough then I know what to do with - cookie dough layer cake, cookie dough truffles and cookie dough popsicles, just to name a few. To be honest, I am pretty much planning to try every recipe in the book. No joke. In fact, my mom has already requested the cookie dough layer cake for her birthday in October. Needless to say, when I needed a new cupcake recipe to make for one my coworkers for his birthday, I knew Lindsey's cookie dough cupcake was the one to make. I mean, come on. Cookie dough inside a cupcake!

This cupcake is super easy to make and when they bake up, they come out perfect. I am serious. This recipe makes exactly how many cupcakes it says it's going to make and the chocolate cupcakes come out of the oven looking like little mounds. Perfect little chocolate mountains! It's not everyday you get a cupcake that does that and when it does, it's a good day. Trust me. While the cupcakes are cooling, it's time to make the cookie dough filling. Not to worry- this is eggless cookie dough so you don't have to worry about eating it and getting a tummy ache from the raw eggs. The bad part is that this cookie dough filling tastes so darn good that you may eat it all before it actually goes in the cupcakes. Don't say I didn't warn you. It's that good. To make this cupcake even better, you take part of the filling and mix it into the frosting to make a cookie dough frosting. Oh man, my mouth is filling up with saliva. Is yours? Whether you are a cookie dough lover or chocolate chip lover, this cupcake it for you. It's perfect in every little chocolate chip way and the ultimate cookie dough and chocolate lovers cupcake.

this cookbook is a must have!

brown sugar in the batter - heck yes!

this recipe calls for the dry to be mixed before adding the wet. somehow, it works!

wet ingredients. ps. this bowl is as old as I am, just ask my mom.

want to lick the beater?

cookie dough filling. YUM!

see, I told you - chocolate mountains!

my super fancy filling piping bag - a gallon ziploc!

cookie dough frosting!

get in my belly!

Cookie Dough Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cupcakes (from "The Cookie Dough Lovers" Cookbook)


Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Cookie Dough
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup of the cookie dough mixture

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into a large bowl (I almost never sift, but find it's the best way to deal with lumps in cocoa powder). Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the milk, oil, vanilla and both eggs to the dry ingredients and whisk just until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Divide the batter evenly among the wells of the prepared pan, filling each about 2/3-full.

Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes, or until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes, then remove them to the rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the cookie dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the half-and-half and the vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the flour and the salt and beat just until incorporated. Remove 1 cup of the cookie dough mixture and set aside to use in the frosting. Add the mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough left in the mixer bowl and stir to evenly distribute. (At this point, I remove the prepared cookie dough from the mixer bowl so I can use it to make the frosting - I don't bother washing it out.)

To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar to the bowl, about 1/2 cup at a time, and continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Add the cookie dough mixture (the 1 cup you reserved before adding the chocolate chips) to the frosting and beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

To assemble the cupcakes: Use a small paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece from the center of each cupcake or a cupcake corer tool. Fill the hole with some of the cookie dough mixture, then replace the top portion of the cone (you'll need to slice off the tip). Transfer the cookie dough frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a tip. Pipe frosting into a swirl on each cupcake. Garnish with additional mini chocolate chips, if desired. 

Chocolate chip cookie dough. Does it get any better?