Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
There comes a time in every child's life where the only thing that really makes anything happen is cookies. Cookies are one of the many secrets to a child's soul, along with Skittles and water guns. However, today, Skittles and water guns hold no value. Today, cookies will prevail.
I feel fortunate in the sense that I have one of the largest groups of taste-testers in Arizona, and the bright side? Two hundred and fifty of them are between the ages of 12 and 18. Working at a high school has some surprising perks, and having an environmental predisposition is a very valuable asset. The kids are usually pretty happy with the opportunity of tasting the stuff that I bake for their events, like dances or karaoke nights (yes, we have karaoke at our school).
After distribution of these fantastic and BASIC cupcakes, I realized I had to share the recipe. Everyone needs easy things in their lives. The easier, the better. If you have kids, school, 4 jobs, or anything of that nature, you deserve some easy tasks in your life. Not only that, but you deserve to revisit your cookie-filled childhood and devour some delicious treats. There's no shame in that. Not one bit.
Cookies and Cream Cupcakes:
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
24 Oreos, plus a little extra for crumbs
2 or more tsp Oreo crumbs
Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl using a whisk. Add eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk and mix well until thoroughly combined. Add the water and mix.
In each baking cup, add one tsp of crumbled cookies. The method I chose was simple, and similar to the "crush the apples" method in the Maple Butter Apple Bliss recipe:
Put half of the Oreos into a LARGE plastic Ziploc bag. Seal, and begin rolling, beating, hitting, screaming, etc. whatever, until the cookies are at a desired texture. It sounds scary, but I find it to be very calming and therapeutic after a long days work. This is kind of what you're going for:
Next, you'll want to fill the cupcake liners with the single teaspoon (trust me, that's plenty):
Fill each liner with batter about 3/4 and bake for 16-18 minutes.
Beat the shortening in a mixer until smooth (hint: pretend it's butter for a buttercream). Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add the powdered sugar in three additions, and then 1-2 tbsp of milk at a time. When the consistency is ideal, add cookie crumbs. Hint: the cookie crumbs need to be crumbs, not chunks. Make sure that there are no pieces big enough to clog the piping bag or frosting tip.
When the cupcakes are done, set them on a cooling rack, clean up, and eat a cookie. When the cake is cool, frost. The ending result should be something like:
So there! Have at it, you childish, anxious, teen dream baker, you! You got this! Go listen to some Backstreet Boys and do the Macarena! Do what you want, you rebellious, spontaneous, punk! And while you're doing what you want, when you want to, enjoy some cookies and cream cupcakes. And do not be afraid to eat just the frosting. I salute you, you maniac! Enjoy!
