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. 

Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache and Peanut Butter Cookie Frosting

Sometimes you just stumble onto recipes that you just know are going to be good. Well...this wasn't one of them...it was GREAT!!! I had a lot of fun making them and I took them when I went to visit a friend. I also put some away in the freezer for when my girls come by the house. Oh if only I had a way of blocking them from my vision every time I open the freezer door. I open the door to take out something for dinner each day, look at them, drool a bit, and then force myself to close the freezer door. Yes, I have actually NOT gotten into them. See...miracles still happen today!
These are easy to make and look so cute when they are finished. It really looks like there is a cookie on the top of the cupcake. It's just frosting, but it's incredibly soft, yummy, peanut butter frosting, shaped to resemble a peanut butter cookie.

 Recipe Source:
http://tideandthyme.com/peanut-butter-cookie-cupcakes/

For the cupcakes:
1½ cups hot brewed coffee
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
12 tbsp. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
 oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the hot brewed coffee and cocoa powder until dissolved.  Set aside.  In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla.


For the ganache:
6 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream

For the peanut butter cookie frosting:
9 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups creamy peanut butter
3 cups confectioners’ sugar


Heat oven to 350°.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a bowl , whisk together the hot brewed coffee and cocoa powder until dissolved.  Set aside.  In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the coffee-cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix each addition just until incorporated, being careful not to overmix.  Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling each about two-thirds of the way full.  Bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans briefly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cupcakes are cool, make the ganache by placing the semi sweet chocolate chips in a small bowl.  Bring the cream to a simmer, pour over the chocolate, and let stand about 2 minutes.  Whisk together until a smooth ganache forms.  If needed, let cool briefly at room temperature to thicken slightly before using.

To make the peanut butter cookie frosting, combine the peanut butter and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high for 1 minute.  Turn off the mixer, add in the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low speed until fully incorporated.  Increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter mixture and use clean, dry hands to form it into a patty.  Use the tines of a fork to make the classic crisscross pattern on top of the “cookie”.  Repeat with the remaining peanut butter mixture.

Use an offset spatula to spread a layer of ganache over the top of each cupcake.  Place a peanut butter “cookie” on top of each cupcake.

Halloween Cupcakes

Boo! My daughter had to make cupcakes for her work party and she came to my house so we could make them together. I'm usually not one for liking most of the scary type Halloween things, but how could I say no to spending time with my beautiful daughter? :)
So we made these spider web cupcakes and shattered glass cupcakes. I talked to her today and she said they were a big hit at work!!

For the spider web cupcakes. Just bake cupcakes and frost with orange frosting. Then use black gel to make 3 or 4 circles around the cupcake. Then use a knife to "drag" through the circles and create the spider web look.
For the shattered glass cupcakes. Just bake cupcakes and decorate with white frosting. Then make sugar glass (see recipe below) and use red gel food color (the gel works better than the liquid for this effect) and put it on like blood on the glass.


Sugar Glass:
2 cups water
1 cup white corn syrup
3 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Mix ingredients and cook until it's 300 degrees on the candy thermometer. Then pour out onto a buttered cookie sheet. Let cook and harden. Break into "glass"

Butterflly Cupcakes

I can't believe my beautiful grand daughter turned one year old this week. Wow how time flies!! The older I get, the faster it flies. Tomorrow is her birthday party and I was given the pleasure of making birthday cupcakes for the kids at the party. I think the kids will have fun with them. :)

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Today was the last day of school for the students, so I decided to make them something special to take to work today. I was out of a lot of my normal baking ingredients, so I settled for lemon cupcakes with lemon butter cream frosting. I love this frosting because the lemon cut the extreme sweet taste and it was actually a pretty refreshing frosting. Hopefully I can remember the recipe as I just threw it together before work this morning. At 5:30 AM, my brain was not working up to full capacity, so here goes.....

1 box lemon cake mix
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
3 cubes butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
Juice of half of a small lemon
Zest of 1 large lemon, or two small lemons

Bake the cupcakes according to the directions on the box. Let cool completely.
To make frosting:
Mix butter in standing mixer until fluffy. Mix in sifted powdered sugar a little bit at a time until completely incorporated. Mix in vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. (You can add more or less lemon juice and/or zest according to your taste). Mix until thoroughly combined. If frosting is too thick for piping, you can add a small amount of milk...maybe 1/8 - 1/4 tsp.

Bake Sale Cupcakes

I made this style cupcake a while ago with my good friend Tammy and posted them on this blog. I tried them again today, to take to a ministry pot luck at church tomorrow. I still haven't mastered the piping of the crust around the edges of the "pie." They turned out alright, but I am definitely my own worst critic. I think everyone will like them. If nothing else, they taste great! You can't go wrong with home made red velvet cake and yummy home made cream cheese frosting.

Make your favorite kind of cupcake. Frost the top slightly and place candies to look like fruit all over the top. Make the lattice with white frosting that has been tinted with 3 drops of yellow food coloring and one teaspoon of cocoa. Pipe the edges of the pies with more frosting.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Baking. This is what an insomniac does when she wakes up at 4:00 AM. Since there seems to be nothing worthy of spending my time watching on the television that time of morning, I decided to bake. I wanted something different then I have baked in awhile, so I made gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. They were really yummy and I'm sure nobody at work minded that I didn't sleep well last night haha! I think these cupcakes turned out pretty light and fluffy and what a great pairing of tastes with the cream cheese frosting.

Cupcakes:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup hot water

Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg and molasses. Add sifted, dry ingredients until smooth. Blend in hot water. Place batter into cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes or until done.

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 TBSP (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups sifted, powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Mix cream cheese and butter together in mixer until thoroughly mixed together and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well to combine.

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Chocolate and Peanut Butter Frosting

When I was a little girl I used to love eating bananas with peanut butter on them and I would strategically place chocolate chips perfectly apart on the peanut butter to have a great trio of flavors. When my friend Natasha was talking about cupcakes today at work, I just had to come home and try this trio of flavors in a cupcake. I actually like the result. The banana cake is moist. The peanuts around the edge give it that little bit of crunch it needs. The chocolate ganache is heavenly, of course and the swirled frosting tastes great together. So off to work I go tomorrow with a dozen cupcakes and I'm sure nobody will mind ;)

*Yes the camera is STILL being repaired and that's why these pictures look like two different kinds of cupcake. Same cupcakes, different light in the lens I guess :)

*This last picture was halfway through the process when the cupcakes were just covered in ganache and had the crunchy peanuts around the edges.

Make banana cupcakes. Cool completely. Dip tops in chocolate ganache. Spoon more on if needed. Sprinkle peanuts around the outside edge only. Make the chocolate frosting and the peanut butter frosting and place in the same decorator bag. Swirl frosting into the center of each cupcake.

BANANA CUPCAKES
1/2 lb butter, (2 sticks), softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 Tbsp milk or cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350. In mixer, blend together butter and sugar until fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add eggs and beat well. Add bananas and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the already mixed ingredients and mix until thoroughly blended. Add the milk and the vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Fill cupcake  liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake, comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream 

In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips with cream over low heat. Remove from the heat. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally. Cool completely or until thickened some.  Spread ganache with a spatula if necessary to evenly coat, working quickly before it thickens. Chill until ganache is set. 

PEANUTS 


Chop salted cocktail peanuts finely and sprinkle around edges of cupcake. 


PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
half of 1/3 cup milk (sorry I wasn't sure on fractions how to half 1/3)

In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in slowly, half the powdered sugar.  Mix in half of the amount of milk. Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar and then slowly beat in the rest of  the milk and beat until frosting reaches desired consistency.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/8 cup cocoa powder (you can just measure this by using half of a 3/4 cup)
1/6 cup milk ( you can just measure this by using half of a 1/3 cup)

Cream butter and vanilla together with mixer. In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the dry ingredients to the mixed butter mixture until thoroughly mixed. Slowly add the milk and mix until you have the desired consistency of your frosting. You might not use all the milk!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Banana Cream Filling and Peanut Butter Frosting

Bananas and peanut butter go together like biscuits and gravy, salt and pepper, honey and tea......well more like John and I ♥
Throw in some chocolate and what a trio! If you like all these flavors, I think they combined well in this cupcake.
The banana filling oozes out of the center when you bite into it and the peanut butter frosting helps cut some of the sweetness of the cupcake.  I have to admit that I used a dark chocolate cake mix today. It's really hard to beat the cost of a one dollar cake mix, when the prices of ingredients are soaring these days. The filling and the frosting are both home made though...so I guess I get a little credit for this one ;)

 For the cake:
1 dark chocolate cake mix

*Bake according to package directions.

For the filling:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1//8 tsp salt
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 large banana, mashed
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

In a pan, heat the milk until very warm, but not boiling. Set aside. In a bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir this mixture into the hot milk and stir continuously for 4 - 5 minutes while cooking over low heat. It will get very smooth and thick. Add the egg yolks and continue to cook for about 2 more minutes. Set aside to cool down. Mash the banana until it's very smooth. Add the lemon juice and mix together well. Stir into the cooled filling. After the filling is completely cooled down, fill the cupcakes. ( I use a special tool to remove a piece of the center of the cupcake for filling, but you can just use a knife to cut a small wedge out of the cupcake, but save that wedge to put back over the top of the filling.)

For the frosting:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp milk
2 cups Powdered sugar

Using a mixer, combine the butter and peanut butter together. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar. At this point it will be very dry and thick. Mix in the 3 Tbsp milk and continue to blend until it's all incorporated. Beat for a few minutes until it is light and fluffy. Frost the cupcakes!

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Sour Cream Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

So I have to start this post and say that I "cheated" and used a boxed cake mix. I love to make homeade red velvet cupcakes but I just didn't have time today. I am taking these to work tomorrow and tonight is church, so a boxed cake mix worked perfect. I didn't want to just make ordinary cupcakes, so I filled these with a sour cream fillling. I know that might sound strange with red velvet, but it's a very light filling that helps to cut some of the sweetness of the cupcake. I made a standard cream cheese frosting and I even colored my own sugar!! Coloring your own sugar is so easy and way cheaper than buying it already colored at the grocery store.

For the cake: Bake a red velvet cake mix according to package directions. Add as many chocolate chips as you like. ( Shake the chips in flour first, it keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cupcake)

For the filling:
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp sugar  *(I added a little bit of sugar to mine until I felt it was sweet enough)
dash salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

In the top of a double boiler, stir flour with the sugar and salt. Mix in beaten egg and stir. Mix in sour cream and stir until smooth. Cook over hot water for approx 8 min or until thickened. Let cool before filling cupcakes.


For the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Blend the cream cheese and butter together in mixer. Add vanilla and mix again. With mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar gradually and mix until light and fluffy.

For the colored sugar:

Mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1/4 tsp red food coloring in a sealed baggie. Knead the sugar until the color is evenly dispersed. Pour out the sugar onto a cookie sheet or plate. Let it dry for 30 minutes. Break up any "clumps" that are left and sift onto the top of your cupcakes.

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with Pomegranate Whipped Cream Frosting

I love trying new flavors together. Sometimes it's a hit and sometimes it's a miss. This one was definitely a hit. I have had a box of chocolate fudge cake mix in my pantry for quite some time now. As I was mixing it up, my mind was all over the place as to how I could make it more interesting. I didn't have any flavor extracts to add to it, so I opened the refrigerator with the anticipation of something jumping out and calling out "use me to add flavor". Well...nothing quite jumped out at me, so I just mixed up the plain old boxed mix. Then I got to thinking that there had to be a way to make this more unique. There just HAD to be! So I found grenadine syrup, which is basically pomegranate flavoring. First, I took a jar of marshmallow creme and decided to try what it would taste like if I added the grenadine to it. So I took out the tiniest little spoonful and dropped a drop on it. It was yummy. So I mixed some into the jar and stirred it up. I threw some dark chocolate chips into the jar also to make it doubly interesting. I then proceeded to fill the cupcakes with it. For the whipped cream frosting, I added a little bit of sugar and some grenadine to the whipping cream. It turned the whipping cream a beautiful shade of pink. I frosted the cupcakes with it, but I still wasn't done. I took a 1/4 cup of pink sugar crystals and added a half teaspoon of water to them. I mixed them until they felt like wet sand. I patted it out onto waxed paper and used a heart small heart cookie cutter to make hearts. I let them dry for approximately one hour and put the hearts on a few cupcakes. They are pretty fragile and most of them fell over in the  process, but a few survived.

Orange Cupcakes

Today my daughter was over and we decided it would be fun to bake together. After putting our heads together to come up with something new and creative, we came up with our own version of orange cupcakes. They actually turned out really yummy! This was the first time that I have ever "marbled" my frostings together. It was easy to do and almost made the top of the cupcake look like swirled ice cream. Yes, I will admit that this time, I used a boxed white cake mix. YIKES...there's a first for everything haha!

1 box white cake mix

orange juice

1 intense orange/dark chocolate candy bar

1 tub vanilla frosting

1 tub chocolate frosting

Follow instructions on cake box, but substitute orange juice for the water with exact same amount. Shave some of the chocolate bar into the batter. Bake according to package directions. Cool cupcakes.

Shave more chocolate bar into each of the tubs of frostings and add just a splash of orange juice into the white frosting. Spoon the white frosting into the decorator bag as it's laying on the counter (so it kind of fills it sideways) Next, spoon the chocolate frosting into other side of the decorator bag. Twist the top of the bag and pipe onto cupcakes as usual. This should create a "marbled" effect. Shave more chocolate bar onto the top of the cupcake and grate some orange zest onto the top of the cupcake.

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Well, I did it! I cheated and used a boxed cake mix and a tub of store bought frosting. Somehow I feel like I've committed a crime haha. I never use boxed mixes or store bought frosting, but I've had these sitting in my house for quite awhile now. I bought it on a whim one day when cake mixes were on sale for one dollar along with the frosting being one dollar! So I decided to do a little something different than just bake a dark chocolate cake. I like chocolate and peppermint together, so after I whipped up the cake mix, I added some peppermint flavoring to the batter. I baked them, cooled them off and then stirred more peppermint flavoring into the tub of frosting. After they were frosted, I drizzled melted choc chips (with a very small amount of oil stirred in) over the tops. Shake some pink sugar over the top and you are finished! I took them to my neighbors house so their grandkids and great grandkids could enjoy them. I think that's what I love about cooking and baking the most is giving it all to other people to enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling

Chocolate and peanut butter go together like..........well John and I ♥
I liked this recipe, but next time instead of trying to dip the cupcake tops into a chocolate ganache mixture, I would just make a regular dark chocolate frosting recipe and use a spatula to spread it and then pipe the peanut butter dollop on top of that.

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks plus 3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin cups with paper liners.
Place cocoa powder in med bowl. Add boiling water and whisk until a paste forms. Whisk in the buttermilk until combined.
In a med bowl, sift the flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat 1 1/2 sticks of the butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Beat in the dry ingredients and the cocoa mixture. Spoon the batter into paper lined muffin tins, about 2/3 full. Bake for 16- 20 min or until toothpick inserted in center, comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

In a med bowl, beat peanut butter with remaining 3 Tbsp butter until creamy. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and beat until light and fluffy. (this is where I had to add a tiny bit of heavy cream to give it a more fluffy filling type consistency, so if you need to do that go ahead). Spoon all but 3 Tbsp of the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. (reserve the 3 Tbsp for later) Plunge the tip into the cake and squeeze a small amount of filling into each cupcake.

In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Take it off the heat and add the semisweet chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. No need to stir. After 5 minutes, whisk together the chocolate and cream. Let stand until cool and thickened, about 15 minutes.  Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the chocolate mixture and place back on the cooling rack for approx 5 minutes. Re-dip the tops again into the chocolate and place on rack for 5-10 minutes again. Spoon the remaining 3 Tbsp peanut butter mixture into the pastry bag and pipe tiny rosettes onto the top of each cupcake.

Cupcake "Pies"

My friend Tammy and I got together to bake the other day. We were attempting to make "pie cakes". They are cupcakes decorated to look like pies. They were actually fairly simple, but we were lacking the right decorating tip to make the lattice tops for the pies. We had to get really creative with the tips we had. I think we accomplished it fairly well, but next time I will definitely buy the right tip before trying these again. I hope they were a hit with her family!!
All you do is bake vanilla cupcakes. Frost the top of the cupcake lightly with butter cream frosting. Place any color M&M you want to use for "fruit" on the top of the cupcake. Do not get too close to the edges as it makes it very difficult to pipe on the "crust". Tammy and I learned that the hard way! Pipe a "crust" around the edges of the cupcake. Next pipe a "lattice" over the top. Enjoy!! * I know  these don't look the greatest, but for our first try and without the right decorating tips....I think we did a pretty good job!

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Frosting

These cupcakes are super yummy. They taste a little like Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. I had a similar recipe I used last week in a vanilla cupcake, but I was trying to be a bit more creative this time around. Everyone that tasted the vanilla ones did say they liked them though!
Oh...the frosting is also green on these cupcakes, but the flash on my camera made it look white :(

CUPCAKES
1 Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Bag Oreos with mint filling
2 Tbsp flour


FROSTING
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cube butter, softened
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/4 tsp mint flavoring ( you can add as much as you like to suit your taste)
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Place paper liners into your muffin tins. Twist 24 Mint 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. ( I cut mine into eighths...you don't have to be precise, they are only going in the batter and won't really show). Mix the cut up sections of cookies in a small bowl with 2 Tbsp flour. (this  keeps them from sinking in the cupcake) Stir the floured Oreos into the 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.

For the frosting: Mix together the cream cheese and butter until blended well. Mix in vanilla and peppermint flavorings. 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.

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.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Banana Buttercream Frosting and Milk Chocolate Topping

I have come to the conclusion that for me, sharing food and desserts I have made, is like sharing a piece of my heart with others. Every time I share something I have baked or made,  I want it to be that I am showing others love in a different way than just saying "I love you" or "I was thinking about you." I love making things and others generally love eating them. So tonight I decided at the last minute to make a batch of cupcakes to take to work tomorrow to share. I truly cheated tonight though and used a chocolate cupcake mix. I rarely use boxed mixes, but since I decided so late to make these and I knew I would still have to make frosting, I cheated and used a mix...but ssshh...don't tell anyone! lol

I used a boxed chocolate cake mix for the cupcakes. I then followed a recipe for banana buttercream frosting and it was way too thin, so I added a can of buttercream frosting from the store and added 2 more mashed bananas and a little bit of lemon juice (so the bananas won't turn brown). I then piped the frosting on and froze the cupcakes for about 40  min to firm up the frosting for dipping. I melted 1 cup milk chocolate chips with one Tbsp oil and stirred it together. When the chocolate mixture cools down some, dip the top of each cupcake in the melted chocolate.
**So I'm thinking you could just buy a tub of buttercream frosting and add a couple, very mashed, bananas and a tsp or so of lemon juice for your frosting!

Hamburger Cupcakes and Almond Shortbread Fries

As you know, Kylie and I made the hamburger cupcakes for today's pot luck at church. Well on the way home from church today I decided to make a little something to go with it and make it even more "fun" than it already was. I made almond shortbread shaped like "fries". They are ssssoooo yummy!! Since I don't eat red meat, I have now decided that each time I'm craving a hamburger and fries, I'll just have one of these haha.....

Hamburger Cupcakes

Today, Kylie and I made "hamburger cupcakes" for a church ministry pot luck tomorrow. We had so much fun baking and decorating them together. I'm glad she was helping me as this took awhile. We made a mess, but made some adorable looking "hamburgers" in the process.

Bun: Vanilla cupcake cut in half
Meat Patty: Chocolate cupcake with the top cut off
Condiments: Buttercream frosting dyed yellow (mustard), red (ketchup) and green (lettuce)
Sesame seeds for topping

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Filling

Can I just say I love Red Velvet Cupcakes? They are probably one of my favorites. I filled these with a vanilla filling and frosted them with a vanilla buttercream frosting. This one cupcake is what started my passion of baking lately. I made these one weekend and from that, my passion for baking was sparked. I have always enjoyed baking, but now I truly LOVE it. I would love to open a bakery, but that's just a dream.