Chocolate Filled Cookies and Cream Cupcakes with Cookies and Cream Frosting

There is just not much to say about these beyond YUMMY!! It's my favorite way to make cupcakes because I love the added texture that the Oreo's give to it, plus...anything with Oreo's is just downright delicious! I took these to our Martial arts class that the hubby and I are taking. There is nothing like grown men that have been working out to devour cupcakes! It was actually kind of funny. Thankfully I was able to send the rest home with our instructor, so  he and his wife and daughter could consume the calories instead of me. Everyone loved them and I didn't have to eat any of the calories. That's definitely a win-win situation.

Makes 24 regular sized cupcakes

CUPCAKES
1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 large bag Oreos
2 Tbsp flour

FILLING: 
Chocolate Frosting in the spray can (sold on the baking aisle at most grocery stores)
*It's like the spray cheeses that are sold by the crackers. It's tall, skinny and has a long "shooter" type nozzle

FROSTING
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cube butter, softened
1 Tbsp vanilla
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°
Place paper liners into your muffin tins. Twist 24 Oreos apart. Place the Oreo half with the filling, filling side up into the bottom of the muffin tins. Cut the other unfilled Oreo halves in half with a sharp knife. Save half of the cut up halves for crushing for the garnish and the other half to stick in the top of finished cupcakes. Follow the instructions on the cake mix and prepare the batter. Cut or break the whole Oreos  that are left in the package into quarters or eighths. It really does not matter. They will be placed into the batter and won't really show. I just liked smaller chunks in my cupcakes).

Mix the cut up sections of cookies (from the last step above) in a small bowl with 2 Tbsp flour. (this  keeps them from sinking in the cupcake, while it's baking) Stir the floured Oreos into the cupcake batter. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for about 16-20 min. When toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, they are done. Remove from oven and let cool until they are completely cool.

When the cupcakes are completely cooled, fill each cupcake with the filling by placing the nozzle of the frosting spray container, deep down into the middle of each cupcake. Spray and lift the frosting nozzle at the same time, so the frosting fills up and begins to come out  the top of the hole in the middle of the cupcake.

Now it's time to frost the cupcakes. Mix together the cream cheese and butter until blended well. Mix in the vanilla. Add sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time and blend well after each cup. You can use 3-4 cups depending on the frosting texture that you want. I tend to use closer to 4 cups because I like the piping consistency of thicker frostings, but it does make it much sweeter.

Grind up half of the Oreos that you halved earlier. Dust the top of frosted cupcakes with the Oreo powdered crumbs. Place the other half of the saved Oreo halves into the cupcake for decoration.
**Tip: The halved cookie that you place into the frosting tends to soften and fall over very easily. I suggest only placing this into the cupcake right as they are being served. Or you can just leave this step out.