Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

Hello to my favorite people!  It is so good to be back, in the kitchen, writing, creating, and sharing!  Wow, that sounded like a PBS television show.  I affectionately call it the coma channel, between the Victory Garden, Bob Ross, and the quilting lady, who needs sleeping pills?

I am BACK!  Done with sickness and back, better than ever!  Well, that might be a bit of an assumption but  I am hoping it will be true.  I think besides having double ear infection and a sinus infection, my MIND needed a break too.  I feel so refreshed.  Of course part of my excitement could be simply that I can breath again.  I can take 3 steps without hacking up a lung!  Oh, if I had a dollar for each time I said, "God, if you just make me feel better I swear I will never EVER say I am not feeling well to get out of anything again" I would be a rich woman.  By the way, the jury is still out on if this is a legit agreement. 

I have had this idea swimming in my head for awhile and decided it would be my "out of sickness" post.  I knew it wasn't going to be difficult because I used ALL box products.  Except the butter cream.  Yes, I did, and if you choose to be a better person than I, you can make your cake from scratch and the cookie dough as well.  This is a great recipe for little hands to help with.  It is fun, and when you bite in and you get cookie dough, well, come on now, that is the bomb diggity in, and of itself!

Please enjoy these!  I am on a cupcake kick, be expecting some cool stuff!!!  I will post the cupcake recipe first, and then beneath will be the chocolate butter cream recipe.  This amount of butter cream is the perfect, exact, on the dot, amount of frosting for 24 cupcakes! 

Cupcakes
1 devils food cake or just plain chocolate cake mix
1 roll of refrigerated cookie dough (or make your own)

Prepare cake mix as directed on the back of the box.  Set bowl aside.  Line cupcake tins with liners.  Add 1 tsp cake batter to the bottom of each. 

Take the cookie dough and divide into 28 slices.  OK, that was my original intention.  I wanted enough balls for the cupcakes and a few leftover to bake plain to crumble on top.  You will get about 3-4 balls from 2 slices.  I trust you will do fine with this.  If you don't care about crumbling any on top, then by all means, just divide into 24 balls. 

Now put a ball of dough in the center of each cupcake liner.  It makes no difference if they aren't EXACTLY the same size.  Don't fret.  Just go with the flow! 

Now divide the batter among all of the cupcakes.  Just get the dough balls covered.  Make sure to press them down a bit into the batter at the bottom too. 

Now, bake according to the direction on the box.  Mine was 350 F, for 18-23 minutes.  Mine took 20 exactly.  When they are done, let them sit and cool. 

Chocolate Butter cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter + 3 tbsp 
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Mix all ingredients until smooth and creamy.  Pipe or spread with a knife on top of cooled cupcakes.  YUMMO!

Your "Eat More Cupcakes" Chefwannabe

Swiss Meringue Butter Cream

And lavender roses are my favorite!  Sterling roses.  No thorns.  Perfect.  "Every now and then, um, everybody's entitled to too much perfection".  Know the movie?  One of my all time favorites! 

Now for the icing.  I love decorating with this icing.  I love how it tastes because it is only slightly sweet.  In fact it is SO slightly sweet I added extra sugar at the end.  *shrugs, no judging* HAHA!  I will warn you if you are not aware, this icing is the consistency of the creamiest sweet butter you have ever eaten.  I could not eat it on a regular basis, not that I would want or need to but, the consistency took me a second to get used to.   ON the cake, it is much better than just tasting it alone. 

YouTube Demonstration! 

Here is what you need:
(This will fill and decorate a 2 layer 9 inch cake) 

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
5 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups (3 US sticks) of butter cubed. DO NOT MICROWAVE!
2 tsp vanilla
Coloring - optional

In a double broiler set up, add in sugar and eggs.  Make sure simmering water underneath is NOT touching your bowl or pot.  Whisk continuously, when you test the mixture between your fingers you should feel no sugar grit.  When it smooth, it is done and the egg whites are safe and ready!  Pour mixture into your standing mixer bowl.  Yes, I would use a standing mixer, there is SO MUCH mixing involved.  If you have only a hand mixer just be ready to work it!  Using your whisk attachment whisk egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks and the bowl feels room temp to the touch.  If it is to warm, it will melt your butter!.  Add in butter a little bit at a time.  Do not dump it all in at once.  Now is where the mixing forever comes in.  After all the butter has been added let it roll.  It may take up to 10 minutes or better to get this into one cohesive mixture.  It may at one point look clumpy, do not freak out.  It will do this before it comes together, just keep the mixer going!  Add vanilla at any point during the mixing and food color at the end.  I used Wiltons VIOLET with a light hand to get this lavender that some might mistake for silver or gray. 

When it is done, using a Wilton 1M tip and a piping bag,  start creating your roses.  You can practice on a plate or baking sheet and then scrap them back into the bowl. 

I hope this is helpful.  And I am so glad so many of you loved the cake.  I am no professional so I take the easy things and try to create fun stuff.  I loved how this turned out.  It was for my sister for her birthday.  I think this cake would be perfect for a bridal shower too!!  It is so sweet and has the look of "shabby chic" roses.

Thank you again for all of your kind words when I posted the photo of this cake a couple of days ago on my Facebook Fan page!!   

Your "feelin' a little rosey" chefwannabe

PS.  If you want to be sure your egg white and sugar mixture cools properly, you can put it in the fridge for 30-45 minutes before beginning the whipping process.  (right after taking off the simmering water)