Whenever someone special to me has a birthday I search high and low for what I believe would be the most perfect cupcake for them to enjoy on their special day. I often start to second guess myself as soon as I make my decision and search a little more before finally committing.

I have had my eye on this recipe for a while now, but I just wasn’t convinced that any cupcake could taste like cookie dough. I am happy to report I was WRONG. When I finally made the commitment to these and started making them I just couldn’t wrap my taste buds around them. My brain said cake, but my mouth said cookie dough, while they were busy arguing my tummy said delicious.

I’m not kidding when I say, these cupcakes are a game changer. They are easily in my top 5 favorite, and that says a lot! I was a little worried that they would be a little much, but I think they turned out perfect (I mean, of course they are rich, but in a fantastic way). If you wanted to you could probably skip the cookie dough ball in the center, I didn’t think it changed the flavor much, but it did add a nice textural difference. Either way, I know you will love them. I am glad to say the birthday girl liked them, and that’s what counts. Enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes   (Print Me)

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

Eggless Cookie Dough Filling:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 Tbsp light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
2½ tsp vanilla extract
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Cupcakes:
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Prepare cupcake pans with liners and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in bowl or measuring glass. Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and alternating with the milk, add both to the butter mixture, mixing each addition until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepped cupcake liners. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookie dough filling:
Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla beating until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Frosting:
Beat together the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt, then mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended. Add a cup or so of mini chocolate chips to the frosting if desired, if piping the frosting you will want to take that in to consideration when choosing a tip.

To assemble core the center of completely cooled cupcakes, fill with a scoop of the cookie dough then frost. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips if desired.

Source: Annie’s Eats