It has been over a month since I last posted on the blog...you could say I've just been taking my sweet time getting around to it (get it?). During this time I've still be cooking, baking, taking photos of things, but I just haven't been able to get around to blogging any of it. And by "been able to get around to" I really mean I have been too tired/lazy/etc. I know my many loyal followers have been antsy for a post (<-- sarcasm font), so here it is and it is sweet...literally!
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| Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupakes |
I recently stumbled upon a new blog that I immediately fell in love with - Bake at 350. This blog has amazing ideas, recipes, tutorials and has completely inspired me to try new things in my baking. One recipe that grabbed my attention was that for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes, so I desperately looked for an excuse to make them (since I can't bake just because...that is how I end up with half as many baked goods as intended and a childlike sugar-induced stomach ache). Fortunately, Jim had a Sunday lab meeting one weekend so I was able to make these cupcakes and cast them out of the house...after trying just a bite of one, of course!
The final result was a chocolate chip cupcake topped with brown sugar cookie dough frosting. The inspiring blog post provides a recipe for filled and frosted cupcakes, but since I was sending these to a group of scientists who actively study diabetes (albeit Type 1 diabetes, which is not the type that can be induced by diet) then I scaled back and did not include the filling. I also was probably just a little bit lazy, too. Nonetheless, the cupcakes turned out amazingly!
The actual cakes themselves were literally the most perfect-looking cupcakes I have ever made; I'm not sure if this is a function of the recipe, batter level in the tray, or some other variable but I was excited to see such pretty little domes. They were quite tasty too - moist and light with a subtle flavor that allow the frosting to be the star of the show...and boy was that frosting a star! I don't know why I didn't expect more out of the frosting when I first saw the recipe, but it really does taste exactly like cookie dough! Trying a bit of the frosting transported me back to the special times that my mom would buy us refrigerated cookie dough and let us eat it without baking any cookies at all (back before the days that I knew, or even had to know, what a calorie was!). Taken together, this cake and frosting combination is delicious and I can see why Bake at 350's son asked for these as a birthday treat!
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| Not too flat, no "muffin top", golden brown domes - perfect! |
For the cupcakes:
3 sticks of butter*, room temperature
1 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
2 2/3 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips
*Even though most baking recipes call for unsalted butter, I usually use salted butter because I feel like it can balance out sweetness sometimes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt) together. Set aside. With a stand mixer or an electric handheld mixer, cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs (one at a time); beat until incorporated after each addition. While mixing on low speed, add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk. Using a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips.
Fill lined cups two-thirds full with cupcake batter. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate pan, and bake for another 10 minutes (20 minutes total) or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before decorating with frosting (recipe below).
For the frosting
3 sticks butter, room temperature
3/4 c brown sugar, packed
1 lb (16 oz) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
Mini chocolate chips*
*The original recipe doesn't include chocolate chips in the frosting. I added chips to transform the frosting from "brown sugar cookie dough" to "chocolate chip cookie dough". Unfortunately the chips caused a bit of a problem during decorating when they occasionally clogged the tip of my pastry bag, so I can understand why they weren't in the original recipe. However, they tasted good in the frosting so I'm glad I included them. I would recommend using mini chocolate chips to avoid clogs during decorating.
With a stand mixer or an electric handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy (about 5 minutes). Reduce speed and slowly add powder sugar; mix until just incorporated. Add salt, milk and vanilla; mix to combine. Transfer frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and frost cooled cupcakes.
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| Delicious, but now I want a cupcake! |
I have more blog posts up my sleeve, hopefully I can get some momentum going again!
