Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

These Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes combine an easy cupcake recipe with a creamy, whipped frosting both inside and on top. These are a real chocolate vanilla treat.

(Images, post and recipe updated 5th February 2019)

Those who know me well, know that I adore cupcakes. Those perfectly little already portioned gorgeous baked yummy handfuls of goodness. Oops, sorry. Rambling. I like a good cupcake and I’ve made many. On this occasion, my very first blog post ever, I set myself the challenge of creating Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes.

For these cupcakes, I wanted one that didn’t rely on Oreos to complete the cookies portion of the story. Is it just me, or does ‘cookies and cream’ always seem to end up with Oreos? Well, I decided to make everything from scratch, cookies and all.

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The very best chocolate cupcake recipe

First, I wanted the best chocolate cupcake recipe. Check! I’ve made this one for a few occasions so it totally fit the bill. This is definitely my favourite chocolate cupcake to make because it’s perfect and what makes a perfect chocolate cupcake in my eyes is one that is;

• easy to make
• moist, light and fluffy
• full of chocolate flavour

This chocolate cupcake has it all, and then some.

What is Ermine?

Next was to create the creamiest buttercream topping I could muster up. Light, delicate and, yes, creamy. Did I mention how creamy it is? This buttercream is an interesting recipe using a heated, thickened mixture of milk and flour but, trust me, I mean really! Trust me. It’s amaaaaaazing. It’s called Ermine Frosting and I use it a lot. You can see it used here on these  Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes and even on my Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes (in custard flavour – yum!). We’re talking #buttercreamgoals, friends.

This is the super silky, super creamy buttercream that dreams are made of.

You may have heard of this frosting before under one of its many other names including ‘boiled milk frosting’, ‘milk and flour frosting’, ‘flour buttercream’. The idea of flour in buttercream may seem strange but what it does is add some stability without adding extra sugar.

In a regular buttercream, powdered sugar is piled in to help keep the buttercream stable as well as sweet but I often find it too sweet. Well, this not too sweet buttercream is perfect. The flour helps to give it some structure and cuts down on the sugar content making it the perfect sweetness without being overpoweringly so.

How to make chocolate cupcakes

Ok, so I’ve mentioned the virtues, now let’s make these cupcakes.

Mix together melted butter and sugars and therein lies the secret to both moist and fluffy cupcakes and easy cupcakes too. The melted butter and the brown sugar help to keep these cupcakes super moist. They still stay light and fluffy too and being that there is no creaming of butter and sugar, it’s way quicker.

Now add some of the dry ingredients. I use Dutch Processed Cocoa in these cupcakes to give a dark colour and intense chocolate flavour. Try to use this if you can as it does make a huge difference but you can use plain unsweetened too.

Now add some buttermilk and the remaining dry ingredients and the batter is done – 5 minutes is all it takes.

I use a medium ice cream scoop to portion out the cupcake batter into the liners and I love these silicone muffin trays. They’re flexible and give a nice tall shape to the cupcakes. Once they’re baked, use a cupcake corer to cut a hole out of the centre of each cupcake.

And now that Ermine frosting

The ermine frosting starts by making a paste out of flour, milk and a little granulated sugar. Let this mixture cool to room temperature before proceeding (you can speed things up by putting it in the freezer for 20-25 minutes but make sure it’s not particularly cold when you start.

This, my friends, is the glory of Ermine Frosting. Whipped, light and airy. Super creamy, deluxe frosting that is not cloyingly sweet. Utter perfection in my eyes.

This buttercream can split if you use particularly hot or cold ingredients so make sure they’re all room temp. Also, it should be used immediately and doesn’t whip up very well if used the next day, for instance. The idea is, make it and top your cupcakes straight away. Once the cupcakes are topped, the buttercream will hold perfectly if you store them in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Make sure to take them out of the fridge 1/2 an hour before you want to serve them.

A little of the frosting gets mixed with some cookie crumbs and piped into the centre of the cupcakes. The rest adorns the top.

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Top it off with a homemade chocolate cookie or Oreo if you prefer, and there you have it – Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes.

Just in case you missed all that

• perfect chocolate cupcakes
• creamy cookies and cream filling
• creamy ermine frosting

5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Calories: 435kcal

Author: Marie Roffey

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These Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes combine an easy cupcake recipe with a creamy, whipped frosting both inside and on top. These are a real chocolate vanilla treat.

Course: Afternoon Tea, Desserts, High Tea, Sweets

Cuisine: Various

Keyword: best chocolate cupcake recipe, cookies and cream cupcakes, easy cupcake recipe

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES

• 130 g (1 cup / 4.6oz) plain (all purp) flour
• 1/2 cup (40g / 1.4oz) dutch processed cocoa (or plain unsweetened)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 113 g (1/2 cup / 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (100g / 3.5oz) white sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g / 3.5oz) dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk, room temp

FOR THE ERMINE FROSTING

• 1 cup (200g / 7oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup plain (all purp) flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (notes)
• 226 g (1 cup / 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• Pinch of salt
• 2 chocolate cookies

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 180C / 350F 160C fan forced. Line your muffin tins with paper cases.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well to combine.
• In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the melted butter and both sugars until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl each time and beating well after each. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
• Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar. Stir through gently with a spatula until just combined. Now add half of the buttermilk, Mix gently again. Continue like this until all the flour and buttermilk is combined... just. It is important not to overmix or be too heavy-handed otherwise your cupcakes will turn out dense and tough.
• Fill the cupcake cases only to about 2/3 full. Bake in the oven for around 18-20 minutes, turning the pan around in the oven halfway through to make sure they bake evenly. When a toothpick inserted comes out with just a crumb or two, they are done.
• Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

FOR THE ERMINE FROSTING

• In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together the milk, half of the sugar and the flour. Continue to heat and whisk regularly for another 3-4 minutes until you have a very thick paste (like glue).
• Transfer it to a plate, spread it out to about 1cm thick, then cover it with plastic wrap pressing the plastic wrap to the surface. Place in the freezer for around 25 minutes until cool (not cold or frozen, but no longer warm).
• Beat the butter and remaining sugar on medium for about 5 minutes or until very light and creamy - scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often.
• Now add the milk paste mixture 1/3 at a time, beating for about 30 seconds between each. On the last one, beat for a minute, still on medium. Again, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
• Crush the cookies up and then stir them through about 1/2 a cup of the frosting. Cut a hole in the top of each cupcake with a cupcake corer (or sharp knife) and fill each hole with a little of the crumb frosting mix (this is easiest if you use a piping bag).  
• Now pipe the frosting the remaining white frosting on top of each cupcake and sit a cookie on top.

Notes

1. I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (4 teaspoons worldwide)
2. For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).

TOOLS USED IN THIS RECIPE

• Silicone muffin trays – I like the shape these give my cupcakes
• A medium ice cream scoop is perfect for portioning the cupcake batter
• A handheld beater is fine for the cupcake. I prefer a stand mixer when making buttercream though.
• I love my cupcake corer for easy holes in the centre of the cupcakes
• A silicone spatula makes sure nothing gets left behind

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