These cupcakes are chocolate cupcakes with eggless chocolate chip cookie dough in the middle and cookie dough buttercream frosting on top. In other words, heaven. The way they are made was just genius, or at least I thought. You make the cupcakes like usual. Then, you make the cookie dough. Then, before you add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough, you set aside 1 cup and use it in the buttercream frosting, which makes the frosting actually taste like cookie dough! Genius! I thought it was awesome, not to mention absolutely delicious.
Last note: These cupcakes are filled, so you need to make a hole in them, but I suggest not using a cupcake corer. I have one myself so I started out using it and halfway through realized I had tons of cookie dough left. You need a bigger hole, so I definitely suggest using a knife. I also have pictures of the method I use to stuff the cupcakes below, enjoy!
Cookie Dough-Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes
Cupcakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¾ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- ⅔ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided
Frosting:
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup cookie dough (from above)
Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a cupcakes pan with paper liners and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugars, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add milk, oil, vanilla, and egg. Whisk until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure the flour is completely incorporated.
Fill cupcake liners ¾ full with batter. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes, then move to rack to cool completely.
Make the cookie dough: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in milk and vanilla. Add flour and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated. Set aside 1 cup of the dough for the buttercream; stir ⅓ cup of the chocolate chips into the remaining dough.
Make the frosting: Cream butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, and beat until smooth. Add the reserved plain cookie dough and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Assemble the cupcakes: Using a paring knife*, cut a cone-shaped piece from the top of each cooled cupcake; cut off the tip of the cone and throw away. Fill cupcakes with remaining cookie dough and replace tops. Pipe buttercream frosting on top of the cupcakes, making sure to cover the seams. Sprinkle with remaining ⅓ cup chocolate chips.
*When I first saw this instruction, I thought to myself, “Yes! Perfect time to use my cupcake corer!” Actually… not. I found that the cupcake corer doesn’t yield a big enough hole for cookie dough, so I suggest using a knife.