Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes!

Yep, you read that correctly!  This is not a dream!  I was trying to find a new, interesting cupcake recipe and came across this one and was immediately intrigued!  I had to try these, so I decided to make them for a birthday celebration at the theater.  I think they were a success and I liked them.  My prince didn't exactly agree, but he doesn't really have a sweet tooth nor is he a chocolate lover, and thus can't really appreciate the awesomeness that is this recipe.  =)

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix

1 1/3 cups water

1/3 cup canola oil

3 eggs

So first you make the chocolate chip cookie dough.  I followed their recipe and not my usual one.  Next time I make these, I will probably try my standard recipe.  I think you could just use any cookie recipe you like.  I will let you know after I experiment further.  But since I was trying it for the first time I stuck to the recipe...  Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt; set aside.

Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth.

Add 1 egg and the vanilla extract and beat until smooth. 

Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated.

Fold in the chocolate chips; mixing just enough to evenly combine.

Form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls (I used my small scoop); place onto a baking sheet, and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.  The recipe said you would need 30 cookie balls.  Using my scoop, I ended up with 42.  Bonus cookies!!!  :)

Ugh!  I hate waiting!  But I knew I was going to have to when I first read the recipe.  So I made these one night, put them in the freezer and left them there overnight and continued on to the next step in the morning.   You could probably skip this step all together if you used refrigerated cookie dough, but the recipe said it really needed to be frozen, so I'd freeze it either way.  

On to the next step, preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.  Whip up the cake mix, pretty standard stuff.  So standard I forgot to take pictures of these steps :)  Next you spoon (I of course, use  my trusty scoop.  2 medium scoops) into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each 2/3 full.  

Now the fun part!  Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake!  Carefully place a cookie dough ball in each cupcake, don't just throw it in.  After you put it in the cup, push it down gently so that it is covered by cake batter. 

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake portion of the cupcake (not the cookie dough ball) comes clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.  

Now, the recipe reviews had lots of warning about cooking times.  But mine were cooked perfectly in 20 minutes.  I did one batch in my stoneware cupcake pan and it took a few minutes extra, but it always does.  So, are you ready to see the results???

It looks amazing just like this, in my opinon.  lol  I'm a sucker for a cupcake anyway!  But you can't tell by looking at it what is inside.

Ahhh!!!  It's a naked cupcake!  ;-)  It still looks really good to me, but you still can't see what it has hidden in it's core.  I couldn't WAIT to cut this open and see how they turned out...  oh and taste them.  You know, for research purposes!  Drum roll please...

It was exactly how I imagined it!  These are decadent and sinful...  but yummy!  I can't wait to hear what YOUR thoughts on these cupcakes are.  Kinda makes you wanna stay tuned to my blog though, doesn't it?  You never know what I'll try next!!!  ;-)  

I plan on posting again very soon, no more month long breaks, I hope.  Life has kept me pretty busy over the past several months, and I just didn't have time for blogging.  I really enjoy it and have missed it.  Also, I currently have a cast (My sister is currently directing a play and I'm her assistant director) to help eat all of the goodies I create.  

Yesterday was my friend Meredith's birthday and I made these for her birthday party at the theater... but she can't have items containing gluten, so I made her her very own treats.  She got a tray of gluten free brownies and rice krispy treats (they are naturally gluten free, no need to change the recipe!).  

As I was making the rice krispy treats, I noticed on the recipe on the bag of marshmallows that it listed vanilla as an ingredient.  So I added a dash to the batch...  I really liked the way they turned out!  I didn't think anyone would care to read a whole blog about that recipe but it is worth mentioning because they were really good... and completely gone when we left the theater!  Speaking of which, it's time to head there now.  

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on these cupcakes!  Will you try them?  Would you change up the cookie/cake flavors?  This opens a whole plethora of ideas!!!   At least for me, what do you think?

Shouldering Too Much...

Hello!  This is the long lost Princess.  I haven't posted in a while and am not sure when I'll be feeling up to posting again.  I have a severely strained shoulder muscle.  :(  I'm still not sure how I did it, but alas my days are filled with anti inflammatory medication, muscle relaxers and physical therapy... and lots of pain.  In the mean time, I'm working on lots of fun, cool baking ideas that I will get back to (and posted) as soon as possible.

On a positive note, I entered a Betty Crocker contest called "Bake A Difference"  And guess what???  I won the chance to go for the grand prize!  I would appreciate all of your votes to help me win!  That would be so awesome!  Here is a link:  http://apps.facebook.com/BakeTheChange/winning  You can vote for me (Aaron Williams aka The Princess) up to five times each day.  I really hope that I win and can get this program started in my community very soon, even if I don't win.  Thanks in advance for your support and I'll get back to baking and posting as soon as I can!  Bake a difference today... Vote for me!!!!  :)

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I know!  The name of this recipe just SOUNDS yummy!  Wait till you see the finished cookies!  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com  I love this website because not only are they recipes that people actually use, but they are reviewed by other users.  The reviews give you advice and opinions, and while sometimes they aggravate me (like when someone doesn't follow the steps in the recipe and then complains that is didn't turn out correctly), I also find them very helpful.  Not to mention, they have recipes for EVERYTHING... and you can add recipes you like to your "recipe box" while you are browsing.  Seriously, check it out.  You will love it.  On to the current baked deliciousness...

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

40 miniature chocolate covered peanut

butter cups, unwrapped

For once, I didn't change any ingredients... oh wait, yes I did, but we will get to that in just a bit.  First preheat your oven to 375.  Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.

Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy.  Like this...

It's so peanut buttery!  It smells amazing already.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk...

Isn't it amazing what one little egg can do to the texture of your batter?  So smooth and creamy!  Get a spoon and just eat the dough.  Now.  Oh wait, you can't do that!  There is raw egg in there after all.  So resist the urge to gobble it up.  Gradually add the flour mixture; mix well...

Here is what the dough looks like when you get it all mixed up...

The recipe says shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.  I decided not to roll it into balls... I just used my trusty small scoop and scooped it right into the mini muffin pan.  Worked like a charm... and I ended up with more cookies!  I ended up with 52.

 

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.  While they were in the oven, I unwrapped my reese cups...

Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball.  Ta da!

Ok, remove carefully... hmm...  how am I going to get these out of there... AHA!  I've got it!  I'll use my pie server, that will be perfect...

Using the tip, I eased these beauties out of the cute little pan, with no issues.  My mouth was watering, check em out!

I can't stand it!  I've got to see inside...  let's cut one in half!!!

YUMMY!!!  Now, I mentioned changing an ingredient...  after I read the recipe, I had an idea.  What if I stuck another kind of candy in the center...  like a rolo???

Ok, now I gotta see what these look on the inside...

OH WOW!  And I think these might even taste better, if it is possible.  I love reese cups.  They are my favorite candy!  Peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite combo of all time...  but those peanut butter cookies wrapped around a melty, chocolatey, carmely center are irresistible!!!  You know you want to try these... how could you not???