Cookie Dough Cupcakes

[kaci]

Cookie Dough Cupcakes


Makes 22 to 24 cupcakes (2-1/2 inches each)

Baking time: 23 to 27 Minutes

Assembly time: 10 Minutes

24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 package (1 pound) frozen cookie dough (see "the Cupcake Doctor says" below)
Chocolate Buttercream (see below)


1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350
degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large
mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop
the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down
the sides again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Spoon or
scoop a heaping 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two
thirds of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the
empty liners, if any.) Cut the frozen dough pieces in half to make 24
pieces. Place a frozen cookie dough piece on top of each cupcake. Place the
pans in the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when lightly
pressed with your finger, 23 to 27 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven
and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife
around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the
bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the
cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for
15 minutes before frosting. They may sink a bit in the center.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the Chocolate Buttercream.

5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to
spread it out with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover
the tops completely. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room
temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or
freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6
months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

From Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor