Monday, July 2, 2012

Milk & Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

Milk & Choc Chip Cookie Cupcakes
I was in desperate need of comfort food after the week I had. I'm a stress eater, it is not a good thing. This time I couldn't decide between chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes. So I decided that I deserved to have both! In one neat little calorie-laden package. I'm sure this idea has probably been done many times before in many different ways, but I really wanted to bake these. Chocolate chip cupcakes filled with (eggless) chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with milk icing (sweetened condensed milk icing to be exact, my favourite!) and tiny little milk bottle lollies and mini chocolate chips on top.
Milk & Choc Chip Cookie Cupcakes
I couldn't resist topping them with the miniature milk and cookies. It's so damn cute! I have always had a love of miniature versions of food, whether it was mini food toys when I was young or miniature food jewellery during my teens. I still have many, many cupcake necklaces lying around. Also a waffle necklace (it smelt like maple syrup), pancake stack necklace, pie necklace, multiple doughnut earrings, chocolate covered banana slice ring, a giant mint chocolate chip ice cream scoop ring and other assorted rainbow sprinkle covered accessories that I searched high and low to find before Etsy came along. Now I'm feeling guilty because I haven't worn any of it in years, I'm totes wearing my waffle necklace tomorrow. Anyway, my point is that I love miniature food and I think it makes these cupcakes super cute. And everyone loves milk and cookies, they are meant to be together. Which reminds me, how amazing is this milk & cookies bar that I saw on Pinterest?! What the heck, I wish I could have come up with something that perfect.
Milk & Choc Chip Cookie Cupcakes
These cupcakes are an adaptation of my usual foolproof cupcakes with chocolate chips, which I hollowed out the centre of and filled with cookie dough. The cookie dough filling is exactly how you want it to be, buttery, chewy and with no eggs so there's less to freak out about. To be honest you could skip the chocolate chips in the cupcake batter since there's plenty in the cookie dough filling but I like the idea of the whole cake tasting like the cookie while the icing tastes like the milk. And this icing is soooo sooooooooooooooooooooo good. I've been going on about the magic of sweetened condensed milk icing for years and I'm not going to stop anytime soon. It's very sweet and very naughty but it's so fluffy and so good with anything chocolate flavoured. If you're really worried about all the elements being too sweet together, just replace the unsalted butter with salted butter in the recipe, or add a little salt to taste. It was just the right amount of sweet for me and my cravings.
Milk & Choc Chip Cookie Cupcakes
Milk & Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes
(makes 12-15 cupcakes, cookie dough filling recipe from Annie's Eats)
For the cupcakes:
125g (1 stick plus about 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
155g (3/4 cup) sugar
2 eggs
225g (about 1 + 3/4 cups) self-raising flour + 1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Optional: 1/2-2/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (or finely chopped chocolate)

For the cookie dough filling:
55 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp (about 135g) all-purpose flour
1/2 can (200g/7 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (or finely chopped chocolate)

For the icing:
350g (3 sticks) unsalted butter, chopped into cubes
400g (about 3 1/4 cups) icing/confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 can (200g/7 oz) sweetened condensed milk
To decorate: milk bottle candies, mini chocolate chip cookies

Prepare the cookie dough filling. If you want to bake the dough into the actual cupcake batter, then you will need to freeze it the night before. If you are like me and just want to hollow out your cooked cupcakes and fill them with the cookie dough filling then it only needs to be done right before baking. Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth and fluffy. Add flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and beat again until combined. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Wrap mixture in cling film and refrigerate until it firms up a bit.
Milk & Choc Chip Cookie Cupcakes
Make the chocolate chip cupcakes; Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Place sugar and butter in a food processor and pulse until smooth, then add milk, eggs, flour, salt and vanilla and pulse until just smooth. (If you don't have a processor, cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer at high speed, beat in eggs one at a time and then fold juice, flour, salt into the mixture until smooth.) Stir chocolate chips into the mixture with a spatula and then spoon into a 12-hole cupcake tray lined with papers. (If you are baking frozen cookie dough into the batter, fill cases less so you end up with about 15 cupcakes and place a 2 tbsp ball of frozen cookie dough into the centre of each, I did not do it this way so no guarantees it will turn out the same!) Bake for about 20 minutes or until cupcakes are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in tin for 5 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.

If you didn't bake the dough into the cakes, hollow out the centre of each cupcake using a small knife, then fill each centre with about 2 tbsp of the prepared cookie dough filling. Prepare the icing; remove the butter from the fridge about 30 mins before starting. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth and fluffy, then reduce speed and gradually add icing sugar. Beat again on high until well combined. Add condensed milk and beat on high until fluffy. Place in a piping bag fitted with a 1cm round tip and pipe swirls on top of cupcakes. Use a spoon that you have heated under hot water to flatten the centre of each icing swirl. Decorate top of cupcake with milk bottle candies and mini choc chip cookies. Can be served immediately or stored in the fridge in an airtight container for several days. Remove from the fridge 30 mins before serving.
Milk & Choc Chip Cookie Cupcakes
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67 comments:

  1. You've done it again Steph. This idea is absolutely adorable! Love the mini milk bottle and cookie on top. Great final touches! If this didn't cheer you up for the awful week you had, I really don't know what else could have. Here's to a new week ahead xx

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  2. Steph! You're a legend! It's for these amazing but I-can-never-think-of flavour combos that I fell in love with your blog... And I recently attempted your passionfruit trifle and although I had some issues setting the mousse and jelly, it was still ooh sooo good. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes as I know it'll only be a matter of time till I try heaps more from your site. - From a fellow Sydneysider :)

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  3. Oh my :) these cupcakes look absolutely delicious and definitely something that I'd like to eat right now! COOKIES in everything is the BEST :)

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  4. THESE ARE SO GORGEOUS!! i love nothing more than milk and cookies, but these just take it to the next level! i love your super sweet baking style, it's so playful and interesting! i too, am a massive fan of miniature food jewellery... my favourite is my miniature pink macaron ring!

    :)

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  5. holy moly. so much drool happening right about now! <3 milk bottles!

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  6. You are amazing! I want to eat those cupcakes right off the screen.

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  7. I've seen this raw cookie dough/brownie batter floating around the interwebs, and I LIKE IT!!! Super-cute milk bottles, too :)

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  8. These are soooo cute! I love the tiny cookies and milk bottles on top. Hope this week is better xoxo

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  9. OMFG SOOO TASTY! (Yes they're worth yelling about)

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  10. Super cute idea, I love it! I'm a big fan of mini cookies as well (you know, Famous Amos, Charlie's Cookies, the Chips Ahoy etc), so these look perfect for me!

    I love food-shaped jewellery too - have you see the Japanese brand Q-Pot? They're super cute and realistic! I think you might like them. :) I have a macaron necklace and a cupcake necklace from them!

    http://www.q-pot.jp/eng/

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    1. Yes I have actually! The two rings I mentioned are both from there :)

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  11. When I first saw the photos I thought that the cookies and milk bottles were super cute, then I realised that there was cookie dough in the actual cupcakes!! too awesome!

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  12. Wow, these look amazing and so incredibly delicious! I'm keen to try out this frosting! xx

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  13. OMG....these look magical. LOL at your love for sweetened condensed milk. I love it too! I feel like making cupcakes too! I guess, I`ll just have to make these! ;D

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  14. I have never commented on your blog before. But I've been following for either a year or two (via bloglovin). Today, I HAVE to! I love your pictures! They've gotten better and these action pics really make me look forward to trying my hand at baking something I'm not really used to (I'm particular haha) but your styling is amazing! You inspire me to be more bright in my baking! Thank you for having a blog. I hope you are blessed in all other areas of your life as you are blessing ours with your blog.

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  15. Delicious. We had milk and cookies at our wedding - here's a photo: http://pinterest.com/pin/184999497163738296/ and it was the best thing ever! I love the sound of condensed milk icing, what a winner idea!

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  16. Your creations are always completely incredible! I've still not made your condensed milk frosting but it's next on my list of things to do as it sounds a-mazing. I'm making a cake for a friend inspired by a cocktail - do you think I could add alcohol to the frosting, and if so, do you have any idea how much?

    Gorgeous, gorgeous post and the milk bottles and mini cookies are too cute :-)

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    1. Aww thank you! I've had a lot of issues adding alcohol to regular butter icing, just see my Pimm's cake to know how much trouble I had. I had a lot more luck with a Swiss Meringue Buttercream, like in this recipe: http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2010/12/pink-champagne-strawberry-cake.html

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  17. This looks so fresh. That was the first word that came to mind :D I love them!

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  18. These look so delicious! I definitely wanna try these! Thank you so much for the recipe! :)

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  19. Aww these are gorgeous! So clever as always :)

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  20. Well that's surely the best way to deal with comfort eating after a bad week then just sitting and eating your way through anything to hand (i.e. me)!

    These are, as always, such lovely, well thought out cakes, the cookies & milk topping is so cute, that in itself would be enough to put a smile back on my face. In general your baking is the kind of thing that just seems to bring a bit of smileyness with it, if that makes sense, ha! x

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  21. Oh my! It's my first comment here, and oh my, these recipe seems delicious. Btw, your blog is amazing! ;)

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  22. Yum! Those sound and look amazing! I must make these very soon! :) Thanks for sharing! :)

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  23. OMG! These are beyond adorable. You inspire my creativity. Thank you.

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  24. Wow that looks so scrumptious!
    Really love your blog :)

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  25. I think they're probably the cutest cupcake toppers I've ever seen! Adorable!!!

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  26. These are the cutest things I have ever seen in my life. I'm not kidding! SO cute!

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  27. Aww, soo cute! love all of your creative ideas :)

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  28. Simply amazing! These cupcakes are like heaven food! I'm seriously lacking in words! :)

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  29. Why not have the best of both worlds? Too cute, as usual :)

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  30. I know that stress eating feeling where you can't decide what to eat. These are adorable, way creative and so cute to boot!

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  31. Could it get any cuter than that? I don't think so. And that frosting! It is at the top of my "must make immediately" list. Just adorable in every way.

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  32. Has anyone actually tried to make this frosting with three sticks of butter? That's three tablespoons of butter per cupcake, which seems a little intense...

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    1. Then use less frosting on each cupcake, I specified the amounts so that there is a generous amount of icing for each cupcake. Or adapt it to use less butter. Or don't make it at all.

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  33. OH my, the cupcakes look wonderful.

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  34. These are just too cute! Such a fun idea. And how did you make those tiny milk and cookies on top? So awesome!

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  35. Yum! I do the complete opposite when I'm stressed and stop eating! Keep smiling!

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  36. These are too cute for words! I absolutely adore the milk and cookies topping and the idea of sweetened condensed milk (which I practically drink straight from the tin) in icing is inspired!

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  37. Too cute!!!!!! Those cupcakes look so original!! congrats

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  38. First of all, PRECIOUS! I would love to know where the little milk bottle candies came from as well as what brand the little cookies you used are. Thanks for any help you can give me!

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    1. :) thank you! The mini cookies were Chips Ahoy! brand and the milk bottle gummies are pretty common is Aus, not sure about elsewhere in the world though. The ones I used were Allens brand: http://www.lollyworld.com.au/allens-milk-bottles-lollies-400g-46.html

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  39. I made these last night! Easier than I thought, and the ladies at work loved them! So brilliant, thank you for all your amazing ideas xx

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  40. I'm so glad that I stumbled upon your blog. You have such amazing skills and awesome bakes..I love chocolate chip cookies, and only made chocolate chip cake last year. Looks like it's time to make another batch of cuppies. Can't wait to further explore your blog. It's truly inspiring. Feel free to pop over if you like too. Have a wonderful week ahead from a fellow M'sian to another ;). Cheers, Jo

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  41. Jeeeezus, I want these in my belly right now. Love the touches of the mini cookies and milk bottles to the tops. Your baking creativity is off the charts!

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  42. I made these cupcakes today and they taste amazing! But only problem was that the tops were very crumbly? They were no where close to looking like your cupcakes. Was the dough for the batter suppose to be thick like cookie dough?

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    1. Ack, I just realised there was a typo in the recipe, it should have read 1 & 3/4 cups of flour not 2 & 3/4. If you followed the cup measurements it could explain why your batter was very thick? I'm so sorry!! I have updated the recipe now.

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  43. Oh thank you!!! It's ok the still came out great! Lol just crumbly.

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  44. Too cool! I will give them a go, love a bit of "comfort" food too.

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  45. omg! it looks delicious, lovely, so sweet.. i wish a could cook like you!

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  46. I have been crazy addicted to cookie dough for the past few days after making some truffles. These cupcakes look amazing!

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  47. I don't mean to be rude, but I baked these cupcakes last night and they turned out extremely dry. I followed the directions exactly, but they still turned out this way. Were your cupcakes dry?
    -Brittany

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    1. No my cupcakes were not dry. If yours were dry then they may be overcooked. Each oven varies in its baking times, you need to make your best judgement on the baking time based on your own oven. Hence the non-precise timing in the recipe 'Bake for about 20 minutes or until cupcakes are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean'. I have used this recipe many times with success, as have other people.

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  48. I love that the cupcakes still look a bit "wet" on the inside. They must be absolutely delicious!

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  49. Wow!!Fantastic cupcakes!!So cute!!! I am going to do them also!!Thanks for the recipe!! http://maitesweetfood.blogspot.com.es/

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  50. I have a cupcake blog called My Year of Cupcakes. I featured your Milk & Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes on Day 27. Here's the link if you wanna take a look!
    http://myyearofcupcakes.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/day-27-milk-and-chocolate-chip-cookie-cupcakes/
    Thanks for the recipe!

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    1. I just wanted to update you that it was the winning cupcake for that week! http://myyearofcupcakes.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/weekly-winner-4/
      It'll compete tomorrow for the Monthly Champ! Thanks again!!

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  51. I made these and they were delicious! Only thing is the 3 sticks do butter were overbearing in the frosting. I think the frosting was way too buttery. But nonetheless they were good!

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  52. I got a stand mixer for my bday this week and this was the first thing I made - thank you for the recipe :D for once my cupcakes were fluffy on the inside with a crispy top. The condensed milk icing is delicious!

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  53. These look adorable! Love the condensed milk frosting idea. Where do you get the miniture milk candy?

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