Monday, September 5, 2011

Oreo Cookie Cupcakes

Chocolate cupcake with Oreo cookie baked inside with Oreo buttercream frosting

I know my last posted cupcake was a birthday cupcake, but so is this one. We have a lot of summer birthdays in my family. This one is for my beautiful niece, who requested an Oreo cookie cupcake. What could I do? She asked so nicely, and I love her. 

Excuse the crappy cell phone picture (yes, again). I broke a camera, got a new camera and promptly lost said camera. You know what they say.... better a cell phone picture than no picture. Okay, so nobody says that but me. I know the picture is bad, but I bet it's making you drool anyway.

This cake is a super moist chocolate cake recipe that I have used before to make Mint Chocolate Chip cupcakes. I baked an Oreo right in the bottom of the cupcake, which I was skeptical about at first, but let me tell you... that cookie gets soft and becomes one with the cupcake. I had planned to fill them with frosting, but I'm glad I didn't. The cookie inside and frosting on top was enough.

Speaking of frosting, this frosting seriously tastes just like the inside of an Oreo. Without the filling, an Oreo is just a chocolate cookie. I mean, chocolate cookies are good, but the filling is the pièce de résistance of the classic Oreo cookie. And really, let's not pretend like we haven't all at some point in our lives eaten only the frosting, leaving behind sad, lonely dark cookie halves with no frosting to keep them company.

Even if you haven't done that, let's pretend you did so I won't feel alone.

Anyway... before you start gathering ingredients and faint, the frosting has *gasp* shortening in it. I generally make my buttercream frosting with only butter, but I had to go the shortening route with this cupcake. I wanted it to really taste like Oreo frosting. Wanna know what the frosting in Oreo cookies is made from? I'll give you a hint... it's shortening. It probably also has a bunch of other stuff that I can't pronounce, but my recipe calls for pure, snow white shortening so it's okay. Anything pure white can't be bad for you, right? Except cocaine. Or shortening, but we're going to ignore that one.

Here's the cake recipe, courtesy of Hershey's Chocolate.

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 30 Oreo cookies, twisted open 


1. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill muffin trays with paper liners. Place the cookie halves with the frosting in each cup, frosting side up. I tried this with double stuff or regular... both worked fine.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Batter will be really, really thin. So thin you'll want to feed it a cheeseburger. Don't worry, it will be fine.

3.Pour the batter into prepared liners, right on top of the cookie halves, filling the cups 2/3 full. You can fill them a little more if you want big, overflowing cupcakes. I like mine to sit neatly within the liner, so I fill them 2/3 full.  
4. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Set pans on wire racks. Cool in pans until completely cooled. This keeps them from falling completely apart when you pick them up. This is a super moist cake, and if it's still hot it will fall right apart, so really... resist the urge and let them cool.
 
While they cool, make frosting!
 
 
Oreo Frosting
 
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
milk if needed
crushed Oreo crumbs
 
You know the cookie halves you had left after you put the frosting sides in the cupcakes? You need those now. Throw a handful in the food processor and reduce them to crumbs. If you would rather put some elbow grease into it, toss them in a Ziplock and beat them to pieces.
 
Beat the shortening and butter until it gets light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, alternating with a tablespoon of milk at a time if needed until the frosting is light and fluffy. Beat in the cookie crumbs. I didn't put an amount for the cookie crumbs because I just eyeballed it until it looked right. It was between 1/4 and 1/2 cup.
 
That's it. Squeeze it on the cupcakes. It doesn't have to be perfect if you stick half a cookie on top!
 
 
I'll tell you, every single person that tried one of these LOVED them. I wasn't surprised. I mean, who doesn't love Oreos? Make them. Eat them. Share them. :)