Christmas Cupcakes

Christmas Cupcakes can also be made on other days than Christmas!

Ingredients: 250 grams butter, 250 grams sugar, 4 eggs, 250 grams flour, 1 sachet vanilla sugar, baking powder, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 50 grams plain chocolate,

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Put in a muffin form the paper shapes (for these special days in green and red). Mix 250 grams butter with 250 grams sugar until creamy. Add gradually 4 eggs and mix until you have a pale batter. Add 250 grams flour, 1 sachet vanilla sugar and baking powder and mix it well. Fill the cupcakes with the 3/4 of the batter. Sprinkle over the cupcakes about 50 grams finely chopped plain chocolate. Add with the rest of the batter 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and mix it well. Shovel it in the chocolate cupcakes so the chocolate is well covered. Place the cupcakes for about 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Decorate the cupcakes possibly with red and green icing. Enjoy!

Hazelnut Cupcakes

Ingredients: 250 grams butter, 250 grams sugar, 4 eggs, 250 grams flour, 1 sachet vanilla sugar, pinch of salt, baking powder, 55 grams hazelnuts, 220 grams Nutella hazelnut spread,

Number of cupcakes: 18

Preheat the oven at 160 degrees. Put in a muffin form the paper cupcakes. Mix 250 grams butter with 250 grams of sugar to creamy. Add gradually 4 eggs and mix until pale and frothy batter. Add 250 grams flour, 1 sachet vanilla sugar, pinch of salt and baking powder and mix it well. Add hazelnuts last to the batter (keep 18 hazelnuts separately). Fill the cupcakes with the 1/2 of the batter. Add to the rest of the batter a small jar Nutella hazelnut spread (220 grams) and mix it well. Put the Nutella batter in the cupcakes. Put one on each cupcake a hazelnut. Place the cupcakes about 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven. Let the cupcakes cool well. Enjoy!

Coffee Walnut Cupcakes with Coffee Cream

Ingredients: 250 grams butter, 250 grams golden caster sugar, 4 eggs, 250 grams flour, pinch of salt, baking powder, 45 grams walnuts, 4 tablespoons strong coffee,

Number of cupcakes: 18

Preheat the oven at 160 degrees. Put in a muffin form the paper shapes. Mix 250 grams butter with 250 grams golden caster sugar to creamy. Add gradually 4 eggs and mix until pale and frothy batter. Add 250 grams flour, a pinch of salt and baking powder and mix it well. Put 45 grams chopped walnuts and 4 tablespoons strong coffee to the batter. Fill the cupcakes with the batter. Place the muffin form about 30 to 35 minutes in the oven. Let the cupcakes cool well.

Coffee Creme
Ingredients: 250 grams mascarpone, 200 grams golden caster sugar, 4 tablespoons strong coffee, 1 sachet Oetker whip it,

Mix 250 grams mascarpone with 200 grams golden caster sugar, 4 tablespoons strong coffee and 1 sachet Oetker whip it. Decorate the coffee walnut cupcakes with the coffee cream. Keep the coffee walnut cupcakes with coffee cream cold! Enjoy!

Ssshh Don’t Tell Anyone They’re Vegan Cupcakes

also known as… So Addicting You’d Think They Were Crack Cupcakes, Lick The Beaters All You Want Because There is No Egg in Them Cupcakes, and The Best Darned Cupcakes You’ve Ever Eaten… cupcakes.

Need I say more?

Yes, actually. I do. When I first made these (I’ve made them 3 times since!), but the first time, the recipe was off. My cupcakes were secretly training to be donuts.

So, what does one do with sunken, wannabe-donut cupcakes?

Fill them with chocolate, of course!

Once frosted, you couldn’t even tell of the mishap. They were heavenly, but sticky and sickeningly sweet. After two bites, we decided that something could, indeed, be too sweet. I attributed it to the 2 tablespoons of almond extract in the batter and the 1 tablespoon of it in the frosting (I didn’t go overboard, did I?). As much as I love almond, the almond extract really amplifies the sugar content. Hence, sickeningly sweet.

Despite the sweetness, the cupcakes still disappeared rather quickly. :) I knew I had to give them a second chance.

I increased the flour, decreased the almond extract and baking powder, added almond paste, popped them in the oven… and viola! Perfect cupcakes! I don’t think there exists a more perfect cupcake.

I topped it with a variation on the frosting (again with a bit less almond extract), which is practically fudge. Slathered on the delicious and perfectly cooked cupcakes, topped with some sliced almond and a cherry (always a cherry), I present you, the world’s perfect cupcakes… (and they’re vegan! what? yes, it’s true! you know what that means? eat all the raw batter you want with no worries about nasty bacterias and raw eggs! it’s a dream come true!)

Heavenly Vegan Almond Cupcakes with Fudge Frosting

Makes 14 cupcakes (or 12 and plenty of tasties).

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 ½ cups plain soymilk
2 1/8 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup almond paste (not marzipan)
½ cup canola oil
1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
½ cup soymilk
3 tablespoons margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350º. Line 14 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners. Lightly spray liners and top of pan with cooking spray. This will prevent the tops of the cupcakes from sticking to the pan when they rise. Set aside.

Combined apple cider vinegar and soymilk in small bowl. Stir well and set aside (the mixture will curdle).

In a food processor, chop almonds until finely ground. Add almond paste and oil and pulse until well incorporated. Mix in almond and vanilla extracts and pulse once to combine.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the curdled soymilk and almond mixtures to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth (try not to overmix it).

Fill each muffin cup with ¼ cup of batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.

For frosting:
With electric mixer, beat margarine until fluffy. Add cocoa powder and soymilk and beat until combined. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and continue to beat until all the sugar is incorporated. Add extracts. Beat on high speed for another 3-5 minutes, or until fluffy. Spread generously on cupcakes (there will be plenty leftover – store in the fridge and eat with a spoon!). Sprinkle with leftover sliced almonds (or sprinkles) and top with a maraschino cherry. Store at room temperature in an airtight container (though these cupcakes are notorious for disappearing at an alarming rate, so storage probably won’t be an issue).

Banana Split Cupcakes

You heard me right. Banana Split Cupcakes. These give the almond ones a good run for their money. There is just enough banana flavor in there to taste delicious, but not so much that you feel like you’re eating a banana whole. The frosting is fluffy and the chocolate drizzle is the ultimate finish.

And since they have banana in them, you can easily justify eating these for breakfast. I mean, they’re basically just banana bread, right? :)

Banana Split Cupcakes

Makes about 16 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 ½ cups plain soymilk
2 1/8 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
½ cup canola oil
1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
½ cup shortening (crisco)
½ cup margarine
3 ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup soy milk
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon corn syrup
3 tablespoons soy milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350º. Line muffin cups with paper cupcake liners. Lightly spray liners and top of pan with cooking spray. This will prevent the tops of the cupcakes from sticking to the pan when they rise. Set aside.

Combined apple cider vinegar and soymilk in small bowl. Stir well and set aside (the mixture will curdle).
In a bowl, mash banana with canola oil until incorporated. Add extracts and mix well.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the curdled soymilk and banana mixtures to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth (try not to overmix it). Mix in chocolate chips.

Fill each muffin cup with ¼ cup of batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
For frosting: With electric mixer, beat margarine and shortening until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and continue to beat until all the sugar is incorporated. Add soymilk and vanilla and continue to beat for another 5 minutes. Spread generously on cupcakes.

Melt chocolate in the microwave by heating for 20 seconds, stirring, heating for another 20 seconds, until melted. Add soy milk and corn syrup and stir. Drizzle chocolate over frosted cupcakes, top with a cherry and/or chopped nuts and sprinkles, and enjoy.

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Yesterday was Taylor’s birthday. And at 8:00 at night I decided he needed birthday cupcakes.

Cut to tonight, a mere 24 hours later… there are 2, count them 2, cupcakes left. Out of a batch of a dozen. While I would like to blame the kitchen elves for this, or the kitty, I know that we, just the two of us, are solely responsible for the extinction of this batch of oh-so-rich chocolate cupcakes.

That should tell you something about the amount of deliciousness we’re talking about here.

I knew I had made something good when Taylor marched into the office at 8:15 am this morning, with a cupcake in hand, saying, “It’s my birthday. I can have a cupcake at 8 in the morning if I darn well please!”. Me, well, I waited until at least 10 to have my morning cupcake. :)

Rich and chocolaty, with a smooth and not too sweet frosting speckled with vanilla, topped with a few sprinkles… yes these cupcakes beat a birthday cake any day, hands down.

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Makes 11-12 cupcakes.
Recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Vanilla Bean Frosting:
1/4 cup margarine (or butter), softened
1/4 cup tofutti (or regular) cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together the soymilk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract to the soy milk mixture and beat till foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no lumps remain (or very few remain).

Pour into liners, filling each with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

For frosting, cream together margarine and cream cheese until just combined. Add confectioners’ sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing each addition until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla, and beat until fluffy and smooth. Keep tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use, then pipe/spread onto fully cooled cupcakes. Add sprinkles and don’t blink or they’ll all be gone.

Cupcakes in May

I made me some pretty cupcakes last weekend, to bring to an open house our good friend Tiffany was having. I think they went over well. :) I got enough requests for the recipes (rich chocolate and almond), so I’m reprinting them again (with any modifications I’ve made since the original).

I added mini-chocolate chips to the chocolate cupcakes, and topped them with some neon pink frosting (Tiffany’s business colors are hot pink and black – so I thought it was only fitting). I did a chocolate version of the cream-cheese frosting rather than fudgy frosting for the almond cupcakes, it’s thicker and easier to pipe onto the cupcakes. For the cute little flowers, I colored some marzipan, rolled it out and cut it into flower shapes. Add one tiny white nonpareil in the center, and tada!

I’ve been practicing my cupcake-decorating skills, because I’ve decided that I think I’m crazy enough to make my own wedding (cup)cakes. And they’ll need to be pretty. Plus, with a proposal like that, I don’t think I could get away with having anything but cupcakes at our wedding. :) So you can probably expect to see a lot of cupcake experimentation in the near future.

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Makes 11-12 cupcakes.
Recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Vanilla Bean Frosting:
1/4 cup margarine (or butter), softened
1/4 cup tofutti (or regular) cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together the soymilk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract to the soy milk mixture and beat till foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no lumps remain (or very few remain).

Pour into liners, filling each with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

For frosting, cream together margarine and cream cheese until just combined. Add confectioners’ sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing each addition until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and food coloring, and beat until fluffy and smooth. Keep tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use, then pipe/spread onto fully cooled cupcakes.

Vegan Almond Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Frosting

Makes 14-15 cupcakes (or 12 and plenty of tasties).

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 ½ cups plain soymilk
2 1/8 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup almond paste (not marzipan)
½ cup canola oil
1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Chocolate Cream Frosting:
1/3 cup margarine (or butter), softened

1/3 cup tofutti (or regular) cream cheese, softened
½ cup cocoa powder
2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons plain/vanilla soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350º. Line 14 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners. Lightly spray liners and top of pan with cooking spray. This will prevent the tops of the cupcakes from sticking to the pan when they rise. Set aside.

Combined apple cider vinegar and soymilk in small bowl. Stir well and set aside (the mixture will curdle). Add oil and flavor extracts and stir.

In a food processor, chop almonds until finely ground. Add almond paste and 1/8 cup sugar and pulse until well incorporated.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the curdled soymilk and almond mixtures to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth (try not to overmix it).

Fill each muffin cup with ¼ cup of batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tops are puffed and lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.

For frosting:
With electric mixer, beat margarine and cream cheese until fluffy. Add cocoa powder and soymilk and beat until combined. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and continue to beat until all the sugar is incorporated. Add extracts. Beat on high speed for another 3-5 minutes, or until fluffy. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cupcakes

Is it weird to crave white chocolate? Like, seriously crave?

I knew I had to bake, and I had to bake immediately. And even the thought of the delicious almond cupcakes weren’t hitting the spot.

So I adapted a basic vanilla (vegan!) cupcake recipe and loaded it with white chocolate. Add some chopped macadamia nuts and you have one decadent cupcake.

Wedding cupcake contender? I think so!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cupcakes

Makes 12-14 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
For cupcakes:
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces white chocolate
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

For Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2-3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons soy milk or soy creamer
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces white chocolate

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Stir the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside a few minutes until curdled.

In a large bowl, sift or mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add oil and soymilk mixture and stir until just combined.

Meanwhile, gently melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or VERY CAREFULLY in the microwave. When melted, stir in the vanilla bean seeds or extract and stir until dispersed. Slowly add chocolate to batter and stir until incorporated. Gently fold in nuts.

Fill each cupcake with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat butter or margarine until fluffly. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until creamy. Melt white chocolate as before, and mix in vanilla seeds or extract. Add to frosting and mix well. Add extract and soy milk, and beat until fluffy (add more sugar and/or soymilk if you need it, until you get the right texture). Generously pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Rum Buttercream

In my recent craving for all things pumpkin (apparent by the recent baking of pumpkin muffins and multiple batches of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies), it was only time before the vivid orange squash made its way into some vegan cupcakes.

These cupcakes began as a vision. I’d lay in bed thinking of just what kind of fluffy frosting should top them. I had wanted to do a brown-sugar buttercream, but was afraid that the inherent differences between heavy cream and soymilk would prevent me from doing so (the recipe I had found, I assume, relied greatly on the ‘fluffing’ powers of cream, powers that, try as I might, I cannot replicate with soymilk). If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know – I’d love to try to make this frosting in a non-dairy version.

Brown sugar buttercream impossible, I moved on to my next idea. Thinking of what spices and spirits would go best with a slice of rich pumpkin pie, I set out to make a buttercream, spiced with cinnamon and spiked with rum. And it was good. Quite good. Since the frosting isn’t cooked, the rum stays put, and you could definitely taste it. Same with the cinnamon. I was worried that one might overpower the other, but the balance was perfect.

A perfect fall cupcake, indeed!

Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Rum Buttercream

Makes 12 cupcakes. Recipe adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon each ground cloves, nutmeg, and ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
soy milk, as needed

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350ËšF. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, soymilk, and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Gently whisk by hand until just combined, don’t use an electric mixer or overmix the batter as it may become too gummy. Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill liners with 1/4 cup batter (cups should be approximately 2/3 full). Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, cream butter. Add 1/2 cup confectioners sugar and mix until smooth. Add rum and cinnamon, and slowly mix (careful not to splatter). Continue adding sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well between additions. Continue to beat until light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick, add a bit of soymilk to thin it out. If too thin, add more sugar and continue to beat until it is the right consistency. Spoon into a piping bag or just slather it right onto the cupcakes. Dust with cinnamon and enjoy!

Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes İndioan

Pretty cupcakes aren’t always delicious cupcakes, looks can be deceiving.

Case in point: Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes. Made from the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook, which, up until this point, has been pretty failsafe. These? Not so much. The overly fragrant combination of cardamom and rosewater makes this cupcake taste like a bottle of perfume. In the future, I shall not waver from the tried and true formula for cupcakes: the addition of yogurt in this recipe just makes for a dense and slightly sour cake. Nothing light and fluffy about these pink poofs.

Pretty, yes. But we couldn’t even bring ourselves to eat a half dozen of them.

I still love the idea of a pistachio cupcake. But it needs some different flavor compliments, ones that bring out its nuttiness and don’t mask it behind perfumey yuckiness. Any ideas?

It’s a learning process, I guess.

Dulce de Leche Caramel Cupcakes

Little sis is in town this week. And that means one thing: lots of cupcakes. We’ve made it our goal this week to finalize the flavors for the wedding. We’re looking for two more flavors to compliment the tried and true Rich Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Cupcakes and Almond Cupcakes. We didn’t even have to think twice about wanting those two gems on the menu. However, we quickly decided that there is such a thing as a person that doesn’t like chocolate, and we need a non-chocolate cupcake recipe in the mix. While some variation of the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cupcakes might still be in the running (we’re thinking raspberry filling?), we had a few other ideas up our sleeves as well.

Like these. Don’t you ever find yourself dreaming of creamy caramel? Or maybe it’s just me. But I wanted to turn those dreams into a cupcake. We adapted the recipe from our favorite book of all time, Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World. The caramel itself is vegan, made with a combination of brown rice syrup, brown sugar, and soymilk. Taking into account my lactose intolerance, and my fear of burnt sugar, it was a very easy and edible way to make a caramel substitute. Keyword here is substitute. While it was good, it wasn’t great, and lacked the true depth of flavor of a good quality caramel.

The cake itself, however, was divine. Moist and fluffy with a beautiful crumb, it might just be the perfect cupcake base.

To improve on this cupcake, we’re thinking of adding some caramel extract to the cupcake itself. Screw vegan at this point, and get some real life caramel sauce or dulce de leche and drizzle it over top of the cupcakes and mix it into the frosting for a rich and authentic caramel flavor.

Our other, extremely enticing and devious idea: add some applesauce and spices to the cake, top it with the caramel frosting, and voila! Caramel apple cupcakes. You might be seeing that one soon.

Dulce de Leche Caramel Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes. Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Caramel Buttercream
1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon caramel extract OR 1 tablespoon caramel sauce

Vegan Caramel Sauce
1/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup soy creamer
1/4 cup soy milk powder
1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350ËšF.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add sugar and brown sugar and mix. Whisk together the oil, soy milk, coconut milk, lemon zest, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until relatively smooth. Fill cupcake liners with 1/4 cup of batter (should be about 2/3 of the way full). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

For caramel sauce, in a small saucepan, whisk together soy milk, creamer, soy milk powder, and arrowroot. Stir constantly over medium heat until arrowroot is cooked and the mixture starts to thicken, about 4 minutes. Whisk in brown sugar, and then brown rice syrup. Turn up heat to medium high and bring to a gentle boil, then turn heat to low to sustain a low simmer, whisking constantly. Cook until mixture is thick and slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before drizzling on cupcakes or adding to frosting.

For frosting, whip butter or margarine until fluffy. Add confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until smooth and fluffy. Add extract and caramel and whip until combined. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Spiced Chai Latte Cupcakes

Folks, we have a winner. Hands down, no question about it, winner. This little gem will be joining lovely almond and rich chocolate on our wedding cupcake menu.

Holy cow they are delicious.

How they all came about:
Robin likes Chai. A lot. And upon hearing we needed a non-chocolate cupcake recipe for the wedding, suggested we try a chai cupcake. Sounds good, right? We first turned to our fail-safe book (though recently it has failed us), Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Indeed, there is a Chai cupcake recipe in there. However, it uses yogurt in the base, which, if you read the disaster that was the Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes last week, you’ll know that the yogurt didn’t fare so well. And I wasn’t going to risk that happening again.

So we began with a basic vanilla cupcake recipe, and went from there.

Chai tea is sure a complicated beast – but after a good bit of research, I understood fairly well that most chai teas are comprised of a few key spices: cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. Some used nutmeg as well, so we decided to toss some of that in the mix.

For the tea portion, we simply steeped some black tea, using the soymilk instead of water. This infused a rich tea flavor to the cupcake without needing any extra liquid – the soymilk was already in there.

The frosting was a challenge, but to me, no cup of chai is complete without a giant dollop of whipped cream. Short of frosting these with whipped cream, I wanted a frosting more silky and smooth than our standard buttercream. We decided to try, for the first time ever, a Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Success. The frosting was to die for. The best frosting I have EVER made. Much less sweet than American Buttercream, but so much richer and with an incredible depth of flavor that almost makes you think there is more in it besides egg whites, sugar, and butter. It made me extremely nervous, making it, though. The frosting feels very fragile, like it can barely support it’s own weight, and at the slightest hint of too much heat or even if you sneezed near it, it’d melt into oblivion. Has anyone worked with Swiss Buttercream before? It is so perfect in every way and I don’t want to abandon it, but I don’t want it to become a wedding-day disaster either.

Spiced Chai Latte Cupcakes with Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Makes 12 cupcakes. Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Frosting recipe adapted from Tartlette.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup soy milk
4 black tea bags or 2 tablespoons loose leaf black tea
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For frosting:
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350ËšF.

Heat soymilk in a small saucepan or microwave until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Allow to steep for 10 minutes, then remove teabags, squeezing out as much soymilk as possible. Re-measure, and add more soymilk to make exactly 1 cup. Whisk in cider vinegar, and side aside until curdled.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Pour in soy milk mixture, along with oil, sugar, and vanilla, and stir just until no large lumps remain.

Fill cupcake liners with 1/4 cup of batter (liners should be 2/3 full), and bake for 20-22 minutes or until puffed and golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For buttercream: put the sugar and eggwhites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream.

Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick and shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until is is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. Add the vanilla and cinnamon and whip for another 30 seconds until incorporated. Spread or pipe on cooled cupcakes.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Um, folks, we have another winner. This one was so good it has bumped another cupcake out of the running altogether. Bye bye regular old chocolate, hello hot chocolate! In Taylor’s words, this is a much more sophisticated chocolate. In Robin’s words, mmmmm. The texture was fascinating. So moist, and yet fluffy and slightly grainy (in a good way). Something about the combination of ingredients that go into the batter, it comes out of the oven full of flavors you can’t quite identify. Deep, rich flavors. While we didn’t add enough cayenne to make it spicy, the pinch we did add brings a depth to the cake like adding salt might, but much more pronounced. It’s like the cayenne becomes a super salt – that brings out the fine details of all the other ingredients within the cake.

In other words, it’s darn good.

We topped these off with a simple cream cheese buttercream, flavored with almond and a touch of vanilla. I jokingly suggested we add some color to the snow white frosting, and immediately both Taylor and Robin shouted “Purple!”. Right, ok, purple it is. And how purple they are. Topped with some pearlescent jimmies, they make for a very glamorous cupcake.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes. Recipe adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons corn flour or very fine cornmeal
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

For Frosting:
1/4 cup cream cheese (or vegan cream cheese, like Tofutti)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
3-3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk or soymilk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350?F and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Whisk together coconut milk and flaxseed and allow to sit for 10 minutes, then whisk in sugar, oil, vanilla, and almond extract.

In another bowl, sift together flour, corn flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Gently mix in wet ingredients.

Fill cupcake liners with 1/4 cup of batter (approximately 2/3 full). Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

For frosting, cream together butter and creamcheese. Slowly add most of the confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add soymilk, extracts, and coloring (if desired), and mix until combined. Add remaining powdered sugar, adding more if necessary to achieve proper consistency. Mix at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Happy National Cupcake Day! When I heard that there was, indeed, a holiday honoring my favorite confection, I knew I had to celebrate. I had been scheming about making some white chocolate raspberry cupcakes for some time now, and figured what better time to put it to the test.

Despite a bit of a fiasco with the frosting (see: I broke my buttercream), and a bit of an ‘overflow’ issue with the cupcakes, these turned out quite well. We made half of them with the raspberry filling and white chocolate frosting, and left the other half unfilled but flavored the frosting with the remaining raspberry, to see which one we liked better. The filled cupcakes are definitely the winners.

If you’re brave I’d encourage you to try the fancy white chocolate buttercreamthat I attempted to do (supposedly not nearly as sweet as regular buttercream, but 10x as hard to make), but for the faint of heart and the cooked-sugar-phobes, these cupcakes are still plenty delicious with the good ole’ fashioned sugary sweet American buttercream.

I love the fact that these cupcakes look like the iconic cupcake with a cherry on top. Whenever you see a cute representation of a cupcake, they always look just like this. Always. It cracks me up that I actually made a cupcake that fit that cliche. Rarely do you ever see an actual cupcake with a cherry on top – so in this case, a raspberry will just have to do!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
4 ounces white chocolate, melted
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Filling:
8 ounces frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water

Frosting:
If you’re brave, try this recipe (and let me know how it turns out!). If you want something less complicated, use American buttercream, instructions below.

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup cream cheese or tofutti cream cheese
3 to 3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon soymilk
6 ounces white chocolate, melted
12 fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350ËšF.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add sugar and brown sugar and mix. Slowly mix together melted chocolate and oil. Whisk together soy milk, coconut milk, lemon zest, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until relatively smooth. Fill cupcake liners with a scant 1/4 cup of batter (should be just under 2/3 of the way full – my cupcakes overflowed, so err on the under-filled side here). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To make filling, combine frozen raspberries with water, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until raspberries begin to break down. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixture and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, and strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing as much through as possible. Return strained mixture to heat once again. Add another tablespoon of cornstarch mixture, and bring to a simmer. If mixture still seems thin, add more cornstarch as necessary. It will thicken more upon cooling. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Cut out small cones from tops of cupcakes (holes should be approximately 1/2″ across and 1/2″ deep), saving removed cake. Fill holes with raspberry filling, and replace cake on top.

To make frosting, beat butter or margarine and cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until creamy. Melt white chocolate as before, and mix in vanilla seeds or extract. Add to frosting and mix well. Add extract and soy milk, and beat until fluffy (add more sugar and/or soymilk if you need it, until you get the right texture). Generously pipe or spread onto filled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a single fresh raspberry.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

It happened again. I had one of my cupcake visions. And I couldn’t shake it. I kept thinking about these cupcakes, constantly, even dreamed about them multiple times. And much like the last ones, the only way to stop obsessing was to hunker down and make them.

So I did.

What’s odd about this is I don’t usually like lemon-flavored sweets. Don’t let any fruit get in the way of my chocolate is my usual sentiment. So the fact that I was focusing so much of my thought and attention on some lemon cupcakes makes no sense at all.

And you know what? These were surprisingly good! Very refreshing. Even for a lemon-dessert-skeptic like me. I enjoyed them very much. We made two variations, one all lemon, with lemon cake and lemon buttercream, and then another variation I’m calling Strawberry Lemonade, lemon cake with lemon strawberry buttercream. The later won in our very non-scientific not so blind taste test.

I used a variation on the tropical cupcake base I’ve used previously, with all coconut milk rather than soymilk (I thought the coconut would play nicely with the lemon). Upped the lemon zest and added some juice as well. The cake came out moist and lemony, but not too much so.

The frosting was tricky. I used a variation on the Swiss Meringue Buttercream I’d actually succeeded in making earlier (unlike the Mousseline Buttercream that I failed at so miserably). I’d be interested in hearing others’ thoughts on this frosting recipe. I felt like the buttercream was nice and fluffy until the addition of the lemon juice and strawberry – it got very greasy and sloppy. It didn’t ‘break’, but it wasn’t fluffy like it had been prior to these additions. It still piped on the cupcakes reasonably well, and tasted rich and buttery, it just didn’t behave like I thought it should. Ideas? Thoughts? I’m wondering what would happen if I tried almost a ‘hybrid’ buttercream – started with the meringue base, but then added some powdered sugar in at the end to fluff it and to cut the butter a bit. Would that work or would I kill it?

Nevertheless, another cupcake for the books. These are definite contenders for the wedding cupcakes, we’ll have to see what else comes out of my head between now and June that might pass these by, but for now, definite contenders!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup oil
1 cup full fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Frosting:
2 ounces of fresh strawberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
6 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon juice (approximately 1 large lemon)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350?F.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add sugar and brown sugar and mix. Whisk together oil, coconut milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until relatively smooth. Fill cupcake liners with a scant 1/4 cup of batter (should be just under 2/3 of the way full). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To make frosting, first wash and hull strawberries and toss them into a food processor. Puree strawberries and set aside.

Add sugar and egg whites into a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat.

Using the whisk attachment on a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. Don’t freak out if your buttercream curdles or separates, keep beating and it will come together again.

Once the buttercream is thick and smooth, gradually beat in the lemon juice on medium speed, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. By this point you should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. You can stop at this point if you want to stick with lemon buttercream. For strawberry buttercream, gradually add in strawberry puree, beating on medium speed until well incorporated.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream

Whoops, another sugar craving. I needed to bake something. But what? Flipping through some of my old recipes usually helps. I came across a recipe for my mom’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake, something that sounded scrumptious but honestly I could never remember actually eating, let alone baking. Since cake takes far too much effort, a quick conversion to cupcakes sounded like a good idea.

These were the first cupcakes I’ve baked with eggs & butter since the whole love of cupcakes began. And honestly, they were too dense for me. I like my cupcakes light and airy – the kind of cupcakes that you eat one and wonder where it went. These, you definitely know where it went. That doesn’t mean they weren’t delicious – the taste made me feel like I was eating a cookie and a cupcake and a cake all at the same time. If I made them again though, I might try modifying one of my vegan cupcake recipes to mimic the same flavors, but without the density. That and I’d use mini chocolate chips. The big ones might be fine for a full cake, but they tend to take over the cupcake.

I topped these with a brown sugar variation on Swiss Meringue buttercream, and it was delicious. The rich flavors of the brown sugar pair perfectly with the toasty notes of the oatmeal and cinnamon. It’s more rustic with the brown sugar, and couldn’t have been more perfect.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream

Makes 12 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
7/8 cup boiling water
1/2 cup quick oatmeal
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup chocolate chips (mini would work best)

Frosting:
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350?F. Line muffin tin with cupcake papers.

Pour boiling water over oatmeal. Let stand for 10 minutes until absorbed. Add margarine and stir until melted. Add brown sugar, white sugar, and eggs. Mix well.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Add to sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in most of chocolate chips, saving approximately 1/4 cup.

Distribute 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle a few remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 2 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on rack.

For frosting, in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, whisk together egg whites, sugar, and salt. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Transfer to the clean bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy and cooled, about 15 minutes. Raise speed to high; beat until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium-low; add butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, until fully incorporated. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Tequila, Sunrise, Cupcakes.

Ok, is it just me, or do I tend to bake cupcakes modeled after drinks? Chai Latte,Hot Chocolate, Strawberry Lemonade… see a pattern developing?

Well, I’ve got another one for you.

Tequila Sunrise cupcakes.

For those of you unaware of the concoction, it is simply orange juice, a dash of grenadine (sweet pomegranate syrup), and tequila. And it is those exact flavors that have been baked and frosted into this sweet cupcake.

While they were quite delicious, a perfect blend of citrus and sweet, they’re not chocolate, and thus didn’t do a lot to satisfy my sugar craving. I ended up baking (or, not baking) a batch of eggless cookie dough to snack on the very next day. Whoops. Guess that’ll teach me not to try and substitute fruit in place of chocolate. My stomach knows when you’re trying to pull a fast one.

Needless to say, it’s a good cupcake. An interesting one too. Though next time I’d up the pretty factor by adding food coloring to the batter. See, I used blood oranges for my juice and zest. And when I mixed the batter, it was a beautiful shade of rosy pink. Lovely! I thought, how pretty will these be? Well, something must have happened in the oven, as my pretty pink cupcakes turned an odd shade, the precise color you get when you mix red with green and golden cupcake… not too pretty. So, I’d make my own pink by adding some red food coloring, plus a touch of yellow, to the batter next time. Overpower whatever chemistry it was that caused my cupcakes to cross to the dark side of the color wheel.

Tequila Sunrise Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 cup soy milk (plain or vanilla)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tequila
1 tablespoon grenadine
red+yellow food coloring (optional)
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons soymilk
2 teaspoons tequila
1 tablespoon grenadine
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350?F. Prepare muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, soy milk, oil, tequila, vanilla, grenadine, food coloring, and sugar. Slowly stir in dry ingredients and mix until just combined (may be slightly lumpy). Fill cupcake liners with a scant 1/4 cup of batter (should be just under 2/3 of the way full). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

For frosting, cream butter in electric mixer for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon soymilk, tequila, zest, and grenadine, and mix until combined. Add more soymilk and/or confectioners’ sugar if needed to achieve proper consistency. Mix at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Yes, you heard me. Cookie dough cupcakes.

Could there be anything more perfect?

It was my birthday yesterday, and in my mind, the world’s best birthday that consisted of these decadent cupcakes and a heart-racing new episode of Lost. Oh I love Wednesdays. Especially when it’s my birthday. (Also take note of the lovely new cake stand – thanks Grandma! It’s a perfect size for cupcakes!)

But back to the cupcakes – the best part might just be the frosting. I mean, you could eat this stuff with a spoon. It’s a standard American buttercream mixed with real chocolate chip cookie dough (eggless, of course). The result is a brown-sugary, vanilla scented, chocolate dotted, whipped to perfection dollop on top of an already delicious golden cupcake. And the cupcake itself, well, it has a few surprises of it’s own. See, I submerged a frozen ball of cookie dough in the batter before putting it in the oven. Frozen so it wouldn’t fully bake (or else they’d be just chocolate chip cookie cupcakes, not quite the same).

Lucky for me I have a go-to recipe for an eggless cookie dough. You know those times when you think you are craving chocolate chip cookies, but after a spoonful or two of dough realize maybe it was just that you were craving, and don’t really feel like baking the rest of it? Yea. That’s when this recipe comes in handy. It’s not meant to be baked (in fact, I make no claims whatsoever that it won’t turn into a bubbling pile of melted goo in the oven – I’ve never baked it and can make no guarantees should you try). Perfect for eating by the spoonful. Or even better, rolling and coating in chocolate. Mmmmm.

The only thing was the cupcakes with the dough in them sunk ever so slightly (I know, as I had one extra cupcake without a dough ball, and it puffed and browned much more than the others). This recipe would also be delicious with a chocolate cupcake batter. Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough? Seriously?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Makes 14-15 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
Cookie Dough:
1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3/8 cup granulated sugar
3/8 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons soy milk or milk
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
3/4 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons soy milk
3/4 cup eggless cookie dough, room temperature

DIRECTIONS
Make the cookie dough:
Beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla with electric mixer until creamy. Add the soy milk and beat well. Add in the salt, baking soda, and flour and slowly mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Form teaspoon-sized balls (approx. 1″ across). Roll and place on a foil-covered baking sheet. Make approximately 14 dough balls, reserving at least 3/4 cup of the dough for frosting (extras? eat it!). Freeze dough balls for at least 2 hours until solid.

Make the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Whisk together soy milk, coconut milk, sugars, oil, and vanilla. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until no large lumps remain.

Fill cupcake liners one-half of the way full (approximately 3 tablespoons of batter each). Do not overfill. Drop one frozen cookie dough ball into the center of each cup. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until tops are puffed and golden. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before frosting.

Make the Frosting:
Cream butter with electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until well-incorporated. Add soymilk and mix until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add cookie dough, approximately 3/4 cup of it, and mix until combined. Taste, and add more cookie dough if you like. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes, and sprinkle with more mini chocolate chips.