Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I love lattes, especially when they come in mugs. It's not a secret and my friends tease me for it, but I still get way too excited when I see that any coffee drink comes in a mug.

Part of the love comes from my time studying abroad in Stockholm. The amount of times I would go to a cafe to do like 20-30 minutes of homework, just to sit at a cafe and enjoy a latte, were too many to count. There was one street I loved - Götgatan - because part of the street was just pedestrian access and it was right down the street from the bar that we frequented.

Also - sidebar confession - I just spelled cafe "caffe" because I was trying to say "kaffe". Swedish translation problems.

Anyway, lattes. I love them. Especially in mugs. So much so that anytime I go to a cafe here that I know serves them in mugs, I have to get them. So yesterday, when I was meeting a friend at Urth Cafe, I got a large dark roast latte, not realizing that the mug it was coming in was actually the size of my FACE.

Big mistake. I've been mostly drinking tea lately or small cups of coffee, but not a lot of caffeine on a day to day basis. So drinking a HUUUUUGE latte the size of my face on a relatively empty stomach led to the most caffeine-crazed 6+ hours I've had in a looooong time. Like after the coffee, I went for a quick hike which only helped a little bit. Once I got to work, I couldn't talk to people because I was talking a million miles a minute. And then the crash. It was rough.

Despite this, I will continue to drink lattes out of mugs. But maybe more like a small or medium one.

Anyway, something I also love is cookie dough, in whatever form. Cookie dough truffles? Chocolate cookie dough cups? Cookie dough swirled marshmallows? Cookie Dough Frosted Cookies? Cookie dough cookie sandwiches? Plus the Cookie Dough Cookbook I own.

So when it was time to try and come up with a cookbook that was good enough for a co-worker leaving AND a friend's birthday (first time I was paid for baking! ... i think)? I came up with these. I used my brown sugar cupcakes, stuffed them with an eggless cookie dough filling, and then swirled on Annie's Eats cookie dough flavored frosting. They take some time to make like any filled cupcake, but each individual step isn't difficult.

The result? OMG cupcakes that taste like cookie dough through and through. Please, if you have a cookie dough lover in your life, make them these cupcakes.

Cookies Dough Cupcakes

makes about 24 cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup milk

For the Cookie Dough:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extarct
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

For the Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Whisk in vanilla and milk to incorporate. Pour in butter and whisk until smooth. Slowly add in dry ingredients, mixing just until everything is combined.

Pour batter into the prepared liners, roughly 1/4 cup, until each well is 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from tin and let cool completely on wire cooling rack.

For the cookie dough: In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Add milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Use a wooden spoon and stir in flour until dough comes together. Add in chocolate chips.

For the frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Slowly add in flour and salt until combined. Mix in milk and vanilla until smooth, blended, and creamy.

To assemble the cupcakes: Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a sharp paring knife and cut out a cone shape from the center of the cupcakes. Fill the centers with roughly 1 tablespoon cookie dough (or however much is needed). Once filled, frost cupcakes however desired and top with a few mini chocolate chips.

[sources: cupcakes and cookie dough from me, frosting from Annie's Eats]