The last wedding weekend of the year has finally arrived!  I think there has been much anticipation all around.  It has been almost two years since the bride and groom first came together and it has been obvious for all of those two years that they were made for each other.  So cheers to you both, you know who you are!  And hopefully you are not currently coupled to you computers reading my toast to you.  

 

 

My second toast goes to the Maid of Honor, who did a fabulous job planning and baking for the many events that tradition persists should herald a marriage.  It is no easy feat planning bachelorette parties and showers amidst busy everyday life and a move, just as it is no easy feat to mask a cake resembling the bride’s “double Ds” on a 5 hour caravan to Tybee island.  Yet another masterpiece of design from your oven to my tummy!  Which was not quite prepared to eat an entire D cup and then dawn a bikini… 

 

From peanut buttery Reece’s Cupcakes, to cream cheesy Pumpkin, the perfect Joy of Cooking chocolate cake, the miniature delights I made haste to stuff down in search of the hidden ring, putting my Cookie Dough cupcakes to shame, and finally the classic Butter cream boobs that tasted just as good as they err… looked…this Maid is made of pure talent when it comes to the kitchen!     

 

For the cake:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 3.9 oz box of pudding (flavor will determine flavor of the cake)
• 1 cup veg. oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla

 

Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes for cupcakes, 30-35 min for cake.  (My kind of instructions!)

 

For the butter cream icing:

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
• 2 vanilla coffee creamer (use a little more if icing isn’t soft enough)

 

I didn’t receive instructions for the frosting, but I imagine you cream all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth.  Let cake cool completely before frosting!

 

A dear friend is turned the ripe old age of 24 this weekend and while sad I could not be there to give her a birthday hug and glass of her favorite vino in person, we planned a little preliminary birthday bash in her honor.  Since no birthday outing is complete without some sort of dessert I was left questioning what the dessert could possibly be as sweet as she.  She’s a traditionalist; her favorites being brownies & cookies yet those just don’t seem special enough for the occasion.   But what if we were to combine the two?  What if I made cookie dough cupcakes!

     

  

Now I’ve been known to be a semi-homemade baker in the past, but I’m feeling inspired by the occasion and the original recipe which, of course, I will stray from at some points or many throughout my baking expedition.   Additionally, I have a past experience with cookie dough cheesecake bars that were delicious enough to inspire decades of future cookie dough recipe experimentation!  That said, this is still an experiment that will have to take place after a long day’s work, so compromise might still be in order.  Either way, here’s to you Kimberly!  I’m so glad to have met you and thanks for always reading!

 

Cookie Dough Cupcakes!

(Makes 24)

 

Cookie Dough

• Any cookie dough will do be it your favorite recipe or store bought!  Just roll into 24 balls of your preferred size and pop into the freezer until ready to bake.  Apparently, it is imperative that they be quite cold prior to baking to maintain the gooey center which mine lacked.  Save remaining batter for mini cookies to bake and use for garnish.  Note that the mini cookies must be really really small to fit in the cupcakes!

    

  

Brown Sugar Cupcakes (courtesy of http://hellobaker.net )

• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.

3.       Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4.       Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.

5.       Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

6.       Measure out milk and vanilla together.

7.       Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.

8.       Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.

9.       Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.

10.   Place previously prepared frozen cookie dough ball into cup liners, then fill about half to three-quarters full of cupcake batter.

11.   Bake for 20-22 minutes until golden and the cake springs back when lightly touched.

 

 

Note:  If you feel that the homemade frosting is a feat in itself, just grab a box of your favorite cake mix at the grocery store.  I went with triple chocolate fudge since it seems the most similar to brownies, but shhh don’t tell. 

    

   

Cookie Dough Frosting aka best frosting EVER!

• 1-3/4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk

 

1.       In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, salt, and vanilla.

2.       Add milk and continue mixing until well combined. With the mixer running, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, mix until well combined.

3.       Mix in the eggless cookie dough.  (The recipe says to taste, but you really should just go for it and use it all.)

4.       Frost cupcakes (I just loaded the frosting into a plastic bag and cut a tip in the corner since I don’t own a fancy frosting bag), sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, and mini cookie to garnish!  (This is where you want to see Lessons Learned below…)

  

 

 

 

Eggless Cookie Dough for Frosting

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

1.       Cream the butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add water and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Stir in mini chocolate chips (optional).

2.       Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

 

 

Lessons Learned!!!

1.  The silicone baking cups my Nonna gave me are awesome!  The cupcakes pop right out, have pretty ridges along the sides, and are easier to eat without the messy paper cling!  http://www.amazon.com/MIU-Mini-Silicone-Cupcake-Baking-Cups-24-Pack/dp/B000H84S1M  

2.  I already mentioned this one, but freeze the cookie dough balls prior to baking in cupcakes!

3.  Patience is a virtue.  This is a lesson I must learn each and every time I bake, but you must must must let the cupcakes cool prior to frosting and let the cookies cool prior to garnishing on frosting!

4.  Inserting the cookie is tricky.  If you attempt insertion when the cupcake and frosting are soft it crumbles.  If you attempt insertion when the cupcake and frosting are cold the frosting is too hard.  In conclusion I think the best strategy is to refrigerate the cupcakes (they’re awesome cold!) and then let them sit out for 30-60 minutes before garnishing with the mini cookies which you don’t want to refrigerate anyway. 

5.  You will not be able to eat just one, so get in a good workout and get over it!