Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Try to be unhappy when you're eating a cupcake.  Just. . . try.  It's pretty much impossible.  Just looking at this picture makes me giddy.

So last weekend, I finally decided to tackle these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.  They have been on my list for awhile, but I needed to scour the Internet to find the perfect recipe that had the right balance of chocolate chip flavor in the cake, an eggless cookie dough filling and a fluffy brown sugar buttercream.  And spell check really needs to stop telling me "buttercream" isn't a word because it's going to be a reoccurring theme on this blog.  Obviously.

I hit the jackpot with this recipe from Amanda at Fake Ginger.  It has a dense, chocolate chip flecked cake with a filling that tastes exactly like the cookie dough you sneak while baking that you know you
shouldn't with the eggs in there (but you do it anyway).  I have made this brown sugar buttercream before for a Cookie Dough Layer Cake and it really pulls everything together to get that genuine cookie flavor.  There may or may not be 6 1/2 sticks of butter in this recipe. . . but these are definitely worth the splurge.  They were a huge hit and I will definitely be making them again soon! 

And how cute are those star-shaped mini chocolate chip cookies on top?  I found them at our local Giant.  I'm in love.  This might be my new screensaver at work.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes:
Recipe by Fake Ginger, adapted from Annie's Eats
Makes 20 cupcakes

For the Chocolate Chip Cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the Cookie Dough Filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the Brown Sugar Buttercream:
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake pans with cupcakes liners (about 20).  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and stir.  Add the dry ingredients to stand mixer, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (mix each addition until just incorporated).  Blend in the vanilla, and then fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.

To make the filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy.  Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until smooth.  Stir in the mini chocolate chips by hand.  Cover and refrigerate until it has firmed up a bit, about an hour or so.  Once the mixture is firm, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake (I use an apple corer).  Fill each hole with a spoonful of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

For the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Slowly mix in the powdered sugar until well incorporated.  Finally, mix in the salt, milk, and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.  Frost the cupcakes as desired and sprinkle with the mini chocolate chips for decoration.