Dave’s Double Cookies and Creme Cupcakes
I wrote this recipe when I was given the flavor suggestions from my friends, Jackie and Dave, for their wedding. I was told that Dave was a big lover of vanilla and of cookies and creme. (Side note: I’m going to be saying Cookies and Creme in this entire post, but we all know which actual product that means…) I had made cookies and creme cupcakes before, but I had basically just done a dark chocolate cake with cookies and creme icing. When Dave said that he was more of a vanilla fan and that the whole cookies and creme thing was his jam, I figured why not go all out? Therefore, this recipe contains cookies and creme cake, cookies and creme frosting and is topped with a chocolate sandwich cookie. Suffice it to say, Dave loved them and they made the cut into the wedding!
Making this cupcakes starts with my favorite vanilla cake recipe. This proves the theory behind my video series on the Blue Wizard Basics. Knowing one or two good recipes allows you the creativity to change things up and end up with something that seems completely different, even though it isn’t. I add in the crushed chocolate sandwich cookies to make a cookies and creme cake. I leave the chunks of cookie rather large here so that it’s obvious what they are. The results are amazing and as the cake bakes, the cookies become softer and cake-like in texture.
When portioning, I like to use a cookie scoop. This ensures, as much as possible, that you’ll get an even product and all your cupcakes will be the same size. However, if you don’t have a cookie scoop, you could just use a quarter-cup measure or just eyeball it. The batter should divide evenly between 24 cupcakes.
Make sure that after they are baked, that you let them cool completely before you even attempt to frost them. You do NOT want your frosting to melt while you’re decorating. (Believe me) If you’re in a rush, I learned a trick when I was challenged by my friends to make, bake and decorate some cupcakes in 45 minutes. I was able to so by throwing the cupcakes on a cooling rack into the freezer for about 5-10 minutes after they were baked. They cooled perfectly to room temperature just that quickly.
Again, our frosting is another Basics recipe. I just use my regular American Buttercream recipe and add up crushed chocolate sandwich cookies. I will say that it took me a while until I found the right balance of how much cookie to add. I have determined that 6 is the best number to go with.
It is super important that the cookies are finely crushed. If there are any chunks of size, they will get stuck in your piping nozzle if you’re using that. In these photos, you see that I used a rolling pin to crush my cookies. In all future events, I processed them in my food processor. This made sure I never had a blockage.
Speaking of piping, I used my 1M tip from Wilton to pipe these cupcakes. I really like the ridged look on the frosting and think that is really highlights the cookies and creme bits in the frosting. I place a dollop in the middle of the cupcake and then spiral around the outside and up. Watch the video below if you want to see me use this technique. If you aren’t into piping or don’t have the equipment, then why make it more difficult on yourself? You can still make a beautifully decorated cupcake with a butter-knife or a spoon!
After they’re piped, I top with another chocolate sandwich cookie and call it a day. The batch photographed here went to my family for Mother’s Day, and they raved about them. Of all of the flavors of cupcakes I made for the wedding, this was, by far, my favorite. I also have to say that the hub-bub at the wedding was that this one was the winner as well. There was even a case I heard of someone stealing this flavor of cupcake away from one of the bridesmaids who was NOT pleased when she discovered her loss…LOL
Remember, you don’t have to be a professional chef to make magic in the kitchen!
Joe the Blue Wizard
Dave's Double Cookies and Creme Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360 g) Flour
- 2 cups (400 g) Sugar
- 1 tbsp. (14 g) Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. (6 g) Salt
- 2 sticks (227 g) Butter, softened
- 1 cup (240 mL) Non-fat Greek Yogurt
- 2 Large Eggs
- 4 Large Egg Yolks
- 1 tbsp. (15 mL) Vanilla Extract
- 12 Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed into 1/2 pieces at the largest
- 6 cups (780 g) Powdered Sugar
- 4 sticks (440 g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) Salt
- 1/4 cup (60 mL)Milk
- 2 tsp (10 mL) Vanilla
- 6 Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed into fine crumbs
- 24 Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, whole
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare 24 cups in cupcake pans with liners.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined.
- Add butter and use an electric mixer to completely incorporate into the flour mixture. Mixture should look like bread crumbs and have no large clumps of butter.
- Add remaining ingredients and beat to combine.
- Add crushed sandwich cookies and stir, by hand, until evenly combined.
- Evenly portion batter into the prepared cupcake pans. I use a 1 5/8ths ounce cookie scoop.
- Place pans on the middle rack of the oven and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20-24 minutes.
- Allow cakes to cool in the pans for about 15 minutes then transfer cakes out the pans to a cooling rack until cooled to room temperature.
- Place all ingredients into a large bowl.
- Beat at a low speed until powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add in crushed sandwich cookies and stir by hand until evenly combined.
- Pipe frosting onto the cooled cupcakes in whatever way you wish. (I used a 1M tip to make a spiral)
- Top each cupcake with a single whole sandwich cookie.
- Enjoy!
