Cookie dough surprise cupcakes

For a special treat, I made these cupcakes for the teens at our last youth group meeting this past Wednesday night. They are a combination of two cupcake recipes. I used one for the chocolate batter and the other for the cookie dough filling. I used my favorite frosting recipe from Wilton to top it all off. This is an awesome treat for the cookie dough lover!

The batter and cookie dough recipe came from Taste of Home.

The chocolate batter:

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs 

1 cup water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The cookie dough:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Make the cookie dough first by creaming the butter and sugars in a small mixing bowl. Beat in the flour and confectioners' sugar until blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Set aside. 

Next, make the batter. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, water, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be thin). 

Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full with cake batter. Drop filling by tablespoonfuls into the center of each; cover with additional batter until you've filled each muffin cup 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

The frosting: (from Wilton Industries, Inc.)

Chocolate buttercream

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened but not melted

1 lb. confectioners sugar (about 4 cups)

3 tablespoons milk or water

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate

Cream shortening and butter. Add sugar, water and vanilla. Blend on medium speed until all ingredients are mixed well. Blend a minute or two more until creamy in texture. If using a hand mixer and icing is not creamy, use high speed or add more milk a drop at a time. This icing can be refrigerated in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks. Rewhip before using. Yield: 3 cups stiff icing. To thin icing, add 2 teaspoons milk per cup of stiff icing.

This cupcake recipe will make 20-24 cupcakes with some frosting leftover. You should have enough cookie dough for all of your cupcakes--unless, of course, you succumb to eating some while you bake! (really....they are that good!)