Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

This past weekend we started our patio - a giant DIY project! We enlisted a bunck of our guy friends to come out and help us dig out the back yard. To pay them we provided free beer, pizza and cupcakes. I wanted to make a different kind of cupcake that I had made before so I chose cookies and cream. I made these cupcakes for my soon to be sis-in-law's baby shower and they turned out much better. This time around the cupcake wrappers were REALLY difficult to peel off and were breaking. I didn't do the best job of getting equal amounts in the wrappers so I think some were a little overcooked. But rest assured that was USER error and this recipe is definitely a keeper!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

• Bag of oreos
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 egg whites at room temp
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Icing:

• 8 ounces cream cheese at room temp
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12 cup cupcake pans with liners. Twist 24 oreos and place half with icing on the bottom of the cupcake liners with the cream side facing up - reserve other half on plate. Take reserved oreo halves and rest of bag of full oreos and put in a ziplock bag and crush into large pieces. In a medium bowl mix all dry ingredients except sugar together (flour, salt & baking powder). In a mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Blend in egg whites in batches and fully combine after each batch is dropped in. Add vanilla extract. Add half of the dry ingredients that you mixed together earlier and blend until just incorporated. Add milk and mix. Pour remaining dry ingredients into mixer and blend until just combined. Pour crushed cookies into mixer and gently fold in - do not overmix.

Pour batter into cupcake pans and bake for 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For icing - mix butter and cream cheese until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and mix. Add powdered sugar in batches making sure to mix completely after each addition. Add heavy cream and mix on medium-high for about 5 minutes. Put icing in a pastry bag and frost cupcakes as desired.

CHEERS!

Source: Annie's Eats