Oreo Cupcakes - With a Built-In Cup for Milk

Oreo cupcake + Oreo cream cheese frosting + mini homemade Oreo cookies + chocolate liqueur cup filled with milk = fun + yum!

Oreo Cupcake Shout-Out

Before I detail how to make the Oreo cupcake and also present some key tips on how to eat it without getting milk everywhere, I have to give a major shout-out to Kendall from Res-o-puh-leese. I get reader questions all the time, and I'm always happy to help where I can. However, I LOVE answering questions that are really challenging - questions that I have never thought of before.

Kendall emailed me saying, "I'm co-hosting a St. Patrick's Day party next month, and I had the idea to make shot glass cupcakes--cupcakes hollowed out around a container holding some Bailey's." I was immediately enamored with the concept of a cupcake with a built-in cup. I decided to try it out with more of a kid theme - but wouldn't the Bailey's idea be fantastic?! Be sure to visit Res-o-puh-leese, Kendall clearly has some great ideas!

Now.. onto to the Oreo cupcake details...

Aside from Oreos, Bissinger's liqueur cups were the key ingredient in these Oreo cupcakes. The cups are the perfect size to fit inside the cupcakes and they are able to hold the milk (which soon turns into chocolate milk) without it leaking into the cupcake.

The liqueur cups come in a 12 pack and you can buy them at Sur La Table. (UPDATE: It looks like they are sold out. You could buy this similar product on Amazon.) Since I'm in St. Louis, we have Bissinger's shops all over and I was able to pick them up locally. You could, of course, make your own chocolate cups. I don't imagine it would be all that hard - just time intensive.

The Oreo cupcakes rose nice and high, which left tons of room to put the chocolate cup in the cupcake. If you are going to use this technique with a different kind of cupcake, make sure that the cupcake is tall and domed, not flat. Before putting the liqueur cup in the cupcake, make sure that the cupcake is COMPLETELY cooled. You do not want to melt the chocolate.

Use a small paring knife to cut a wedge out of the cupcake and then stick the cup in the void. I used some cake from the wedges to make the mouths on my cupcakes. The wedges are also perfect to simply snack on!

I found that the easiest way to fill the cup with milk was to use a small funnel. Don't fill the cups until right before you are ready to serve the cupcakes.

Just like there are many ways to eat an Oreo, there are many ways to eat an Oreo cupcake. However, there is one key guideline: Do not bite into the cup until you have drunk all the milk or you will end up with mess! I had twelve cupcakes with cups and only one taster ended up with a milky mess -Alan of Patric Chocolate. Alan claimed that it had nothing to do with him biting into the cup and everything to do with his cup having a crack. I'm still inclined to blame user error.

You can use up the milk by dunking Oreos in the cup as shown above. This works best if you have mini Oreos. I used my homemade Oreos. You could also just break up full-sized ones up into pieces.

Another idea is to break of the bottom of the cupcake and dunk pieces of the cake in the milk. To get those last few sips, just hold the cupcake up to your face and drink! Don't worry if you get frosting on your face - just look in the mirror, smile, and then lick it off!

Oreo Cupcake Recipe

I got the Oreo cupcake recipe from Heaven is Chocolate, Cheese, and Carbs. It is a really good, basic chocolate cupcake with Oreo bits mixed in. You could use any chocolate or yellow cake cupcake recipe you like in place of this one and simply mix in Oreo bits. I converted the recipe (shown below) from its original metric to US customary units, and added my notes.

Makes 18 cupcakes (Only 12 got the special cup treatment. The rest just got slathered with Oreo cream cheese frosting.)

• 3/4 C butter, room temperature
  
• 2 1/4 C brown sugar
• 8 oz dark chocolate, melted
  
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 3/4 C milk
• 8 Oreo cookies, smashed to bits

1. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in egg yolks.
3. Mix in vanilla and chocolate.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
5. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter/sugar mixture.
6. Stir in Oreos.
7. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until peaks form.
8. Fold the batter into the egg whites.
9. Fill cupcake liners almost to the top - remember that you want these to be tall.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 F or until a toothpick comes out clean.
    

Oreo Frosting - Cream Cheese is the Key

Oreo frosting, in my mind, has to be made with cream cheese. As I mentioned when I made my Oreo cookies, I love Oreo cheesecake and I thought that I could, to some degree, replicate the feel of a good Oreo cheesecake in the frosting for my Oreo cupcake. I started with a basic cream cheese frosting and mixed in Oreos and a splash of vanilla extract.

I consider my Oreo frosting a success! It was perfect on the Oreo cupcakes, but it would also be great on any plain chocolate or vanilla cupcake. Even a box mix cupcake would be kicked up many notches if you topped it with homemade Oreo frosting.

Oreo Frosting Recipe

• 8 oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C butter, room temperature
• 3-4 C powdered sugar (use more or less depending on how stiff you want the frosting to be)
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 3/4 C crushed Oreos (I crushed them in the food processor to be sure the pieces would be really tiny and wouldn't get stuck in my piping tips. If you are going to spread the frosting, it might be fun to use bigger chunks of Oreo. Also, I used my homemade Oreo cookies which aren't standard size - so I can't tell you exactly how many Oreos 3/4 of a cup is.)

1. Whip cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time.
3. Add vanilla extract.
4. Gently stir in crushed Oreos.
   

Oreo Cookies Made From Scratch - Just Like the Ones From the Box, Only Better

Oreo cookies seem to be pervasive in this country. Oreo cookies showed up at every party while I was growing up, and they are still used in countless desserts. My personal favorite is Oreo cheesecake (not to slight my Oreo cupcakes). Oreo cheesecake was in the dessert cycle in our cafeteria on Semester at Sea and I just couldn't resist it! Just the thought of an Oreo seems to bring a childlike grin to 80% of the population (the result of my informal study).

I've always liked the Oreo, but since I could read and understand product labels, I've never been a fan of their ingredients. I've also never really loved the filling.

For this month's Taste & Create, I was again paired with Heaven is Chocolate, Cheese, and Carbs. Last time, I made her amazing naan recipe. This time, I had to try out the homemade oreo recipe.

How Were the Homemade Oreo Cookies?



The homemade Oreo cookies were just like the ones from the store - they even had that same, familiar smell. The only difference was that they were better. I used some vanilla bean paste in the cream which made them all the more tasty, and the cookies were super fresh and crispy. Also, I was able to make the cookies in a variety of sizes.

Since you are making them yourself, you could try making Oreo cookies in different shapes! Imagine the possibilities with creativity and a good set of cookie cutters - perhaps shamrock Oreos with green food coloring for St. Patrick's Day!

The Oreo Cookie Recipe

As I mentioned above, I got the Oreo cookie recipe from Laurie of Heaven is Chocolate, Cheese, and Carbs. Laurie got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, who got the recipe from the book Retro Desserts by Wayne Brachman. Clearly, this recipe is a slut. I am reprinting it below with my notes.

The Chocolate Wafers

Makes about 40 Oreo average sized Oreo cookies. It's hard for me to say exactly since I made a variety of sizes.

• 1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 C plus 2 T butter, room temperature
  
• 1 large egg

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar.
2. Beat in the butter and the egg. Continue mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. (I found that while the dough wasn't sticky enough to roll, I could press it flat with my hands like the recipe said and then use cookie cutters to cut perfect circles. If you just care about the taste, then there is no need for the cookie cutters. Also, remember this is a chance to get creative and use all kinds of cookie cutters.)
   
4. Bake for 9 minutes at 375 F. Set on a rack to cool.
   

The Filling

• 1/4 cup room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste instead.)
  

1. Place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla.
   
2. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
3. To make a cookie, pipe teaspoon-sized blobs of cream into the center of a cookie using a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch round tip. (If you don't have a pastry bag, you could easily just spread the filling with a knife or use a Ziplock with the corner cut off as a pastry bag. I had a pastry bag, but I only had a star tip. The tip doesn't matter much.)
   
4. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. (If you do this really fast, it will look like you are spinning records. See above.)
5. Eat the cookies using whatever method you prefer. I like the take apart, lick the cream, then eat the cookie method. Be sure to save some to make oreo cupcakes!

Special Thanks

Special thanks go to my mom who was my assistant baker for these Oreos. She was making a special visit to St. Louis so that she could touch my belly.

Pickle and Ice Cream Cupcakes

Update: These pickle and ice cream cupcakes were featured in People magazine and on FOX 2 news!!


Yes, that's me! While you might think my belly is just big from eating so many cupcakes, that is not the case! I'm having a baby! To answer the questions that I've been asked a million times:

• Yes, we are going to find out the sex - that will be in March.
• No, we don't care either way, as long as it's healthy.
• I'm due on Aug. 8.
  
• No, I haven't had morning sickness. However, my stomach does feel weird most of the time and I have a constant request in to Jonathan to press on my stomach - hard.
  
• Yes, I have cleared with my OB that this will not hurt the baby.
• No, I have not had any weird food cravings.

Despite my lack of cravings, I simply couldn't announce my pregnancy here on Cupcake Project without making pickle and ice cream cupcakes. I like pickles and I like ice cream, but I fully expected these cupcakes to taste NASTY!

Did the Pregnant Lady (Me) Like The Pickle and Ice Cream Cupcakes?



Shockingly, I really liked the pickle and ice cream cupcakes. The cupcakes themselves tasted like a pickle in cake form. The prominent flavor was definitely dill and they were somewhat eggy like a dill quiche - not very sweet. If you like dill and you like pickles or you have a pregnant woman in your life who has a good sense of humor, you might consider making these cupcakes.

But, my favorite part of eating these cupcakes was actually dipping the pickle in the ice cream and sucking it off. I couldn't believe that I liked that combination of flavors. Weird! Do pregnant women like pickles and ice cream because they are phallic? Do I realize that my grandma reads this?

Pickle Cupcake Recipe

Makes 8 cupcakes

• 1 C flour
  
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/2 t ground dill
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t onion powder
  
• 6 T butter, room temperature
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 C sour cream
• 1/3 C dill pickle juice (the liquid from the pickle jar)
  
• 1/3 C finely chopped dill pickles

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, dill, salt, and onion powder in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs and sour cream until blended.
4. Alternately fold in flour mixture and pickle juice, beginning and ending with the flour.
5. Fold in the chopped pickles.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.

The Ice Cream

I topped the cupcake with vanilla ice cream. Can anyone think of a flavor that would go better with pickle? The topic had never come up for me before and I figured vanilla would be a safe bet.

Cupcake Fondue - Get Hot and Steamy for Valentine's Day

For something hot this Valentine's Day, dip your cupcakes in fondue. Not only do you get to play with wet, drippy chocolate, but you get the opportunity to frost each others' cupcakes.

Strawberry Whipped Cream Recipe

I think that I should just let the strawberry whipped cream photos speak for themselves. The strawberry whipped cream photos say, "Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, oh, oh, oh?" If you don't get this reference, watch the video at the end of the post. In the meantime, follow the recipe below and put some strawberry whipped cream on your pound cake cupcakes or on anything else that comes to mind.  



Strawberry Whipped Cream Recipe

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons food processed strawberries (take some fresh strawberries, wash them, remove the stems, and throw them in the food processor until they become a thick, seedy liquid)

1. Whip cream until it looks like whipped cream.
2. Mix in sugar.
3. Mix in strawberries until just combined.
4. Be sure to frost your cupcakes before you eat all of the strawberry whipped cream.

Pound Cake Cupcakes

Pound cake cupcakes, as you might expect, are rich and dense - but, most importantly, they are versatile. Like their full-sized cousins, pound cake cupcakes can be served with whatever topping your creative mind can dream up. Just in case your mind is at a loss, I'll be giving you two Valentine's Day-appropriate pound cake frosting ideas this week. One is classically beautiful and one is a twist on a typical chocolate ganache. Stay tuned.

Pound Cake Cupcake Recipe

The pound cake recipe that I used is from The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet. I found the recipe on Robin's blog, Caviar and Codfish. Robin had such great things to say about it, but my favorite line was, "I’ll surely make it again. Every time I need a hug." Virtual hugs to Robin for sharing the recipe!

The pound cake recipe is officially called double-vanilla pound cake. In my reprinting below, I will provide you with options to punch up the vanilla flavor even more or take it down some, to your taste.

Makes 12 regular cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes

• 3/4 C sugar (If you have some vanilla sugar on hand, this would be a good time to use it.)
  
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 T pure vanilla extract (You could use vanilla bean paste here instead. If you use vanilla bean paste, you could skip the addition of the vanilla bean.)
  
• 2 C (7 ounces) sifted cake flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• ¹/3 C (3 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature

1. Place the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
   
2. Use a paring knife to split the vanilla bean lengthwise, then turn the knife over and use the dull edge to scrape the seeds into the sugar. (Save the pod for another use - like making vanilla sugar.)
   
3. Blend on low speed until the seeds are evenly dispersed.
   
4. Add the butter and beat on medium-high until the mixture is very light—almost white in color, 4 to 5 minutes.
   
5. Beat the eggs with the vanilla in a small bowl.
   
6. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the eggs to the butter mixture about 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to completely blend in before adding the next.
7. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk together.
   
8. With the mixer on the lowest speed, alternate between adding the flour mixture and sour cream, ending with the flour mixture.
   
9. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
10. Bake at 350 F. For mini cupcakes, bake for 12 min. For regular cupcakes, bake for 20 minutes.
    

The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift

Note to ladies reading this: Stop reading now and send this post to the special guy in your life.

Nutorious Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered the Nutorious Nut Confection Giveaway! I loved hearing all of your ideas of what to do with the nuts. My favorite idea was to use to the nuts on yogurt - so simple. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before.

The two winners of one bag of Cranberry Orange Tango are:

• Lynn Michelle - whose winning is almost as random as the fact that I shot my first wedding before my St. Louis wedding photographer husband because of her (long story).
  
• Bladerunner - whose recent Livejournal post sounded straight out of Twilight (I'm kinda hooked on Twilight this week, as my Twitter friends know): "There are days the Boyfriend positively breaks my heart. I think it burst today. Because there's just no room left for all the love I have for him. I shall have to start keeping the excess in my spleen or something." Perhaps she'll share her winnings with him.

The grand prize winner of 4 different flavors of Nutorious nuts is:

• Katie - Katie is an integral scholar. I'm not sure what that is, but it sure sounds impressive. Congrats, Katie, on winning the grand prize!!!

Note to winners: Please email your full name and address to stef at cupcakeproject dot com to claim your prize.

Valentine's Day Cupcakes - Root Beer Float Cupcakes

Valentine's Day cupcakes could be any cupcake made with love for your Valentine. However, if you want an extra special Valentine's Day cupcake, I've got a few ideas that I'll be sharing in the next week to give you plenty of time to get ready to make them.

My first Valentine's Day cupcake idea for this year is the root beer float cupcake. It's the picture of romance from a simpler time.


I would strongly recommend that if you choose this cupcake, you accompany it with a cute homemade card cut out of red construction paper.

How to Make a Root Beer Float Cupcake