cookies and cream cupcakes with oreo cream cheese frosting

When I volunteered to make cupcakes for two colleagues' birthdays today, I don't know what I was thinking. I ran the Capitol Hill Classic 10k yesterday morning, and then needed to get ingredients and make homemade cupcakes. I was too tired to stand, let alone think through a recipe.

Zander came to my rescue when he suggested cookies and cream cupcakes. I'll let you in on a little secret about Zander: he loves Oreos. I knew I wanted a simple recipe, one that uses Oreos, and I wanted to top it off with a new take on cream cheese frosting. I couldn't find a recipe that met all of those wants, so I smushed a bunch of them together to come up with this one.

These guys are so good I'm almost tempted to have a second. And they're so simple to make, you can do it after running a 10k.

ingredients for cookies and cream cupcakes (adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)
makes 24 cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk (or sour cream)*
2 large eggs at room temperature
2 large egg yolks at room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla + a few drops
12-18 crushed Oreos 

ingredients for Oreo cream cheese frosting  (adapted from Foodess)
8 oz cream cheese (1 block) at room temperature
4-5 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
1.5-2 cups confectioners sugar
12-18 crushed Oreos
12 Oreo halves for decorating

cupcake steps 
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with liners.
2. using a large bowl for a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt (dry ingredients)
3. beat in butter (softened), buttermilk (or sour cream if you prefer, but I think the buttermilk adds to the "cookies and cream" texture and taste), egg and egg yolks, and vanilla. Beat these at medium speed until smooth and creamy - about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
4. fold in the crushed oreos until evenly distributed
5. bake for 20-24 minutes until the tops are pale gold and an inserted toothpick comes out nearly clean. let cool completely

frosting steps 
1. make sure your butter and cream cheese are soft. you can use a microwave to help in this process, but it's best to let them come to room temperature naturally. mix together on medium speed in a small bowl using a stand mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes) mix in vanilla for 30 seconds
2. with speed turned to low, incorporate the confectioners sugar 1/2 cup or so at a time
3. with mixer still set to low, add in the crushed oreos until fully beat in. you will still have some oreo chunks - that's okay! if you want a crunchier outcome, fold in the cookies by hand instead of beating them
4. chill the frosting to thicken it
5. ice the cupcakes and serve with half an Oreo on top

*Baking with buttermilk: I'm new to it, and it's... interesting. It creates a heartier, thicker cupcake with a distinct texture and flavor. Some people die for them... It's growing on me. I liked it in this recipe to help create a cookies and cream effect.

Do you bake with buttermilk? What's your favorite recipe that incorporates buttermilk?

gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Can I brag for a second? How about a whole post?

My office's holiday party last week featured a "Cupcake Wars" contest. Most people were sold on "cupcake;" they had me at "war."

I'm a little competitive.

A little competitive like smack-talk-gauntlet-thrown-BRINGITITSBEENBROUGHTEN.

So a little.

I once created a coalition to ensure victory in a game of "Sorry" at a friend's wine and board games night.

So maybe more than a little.

The cupcakes were to be judged separately on presentation and taste. Two categories. Two winners. Two opportunities to win. Game. On.

I created a strategic plan of action:

• find the single best cupcake recipe in the world that there ever has been


• make it better


• top it with the best frosting anyone ever alive in the history of the universe has ever tasted


• make all the little cupcakes sing and dance, or, worst case, look like endearing, heart-strings pulling snowmen with top hats that no one can resist


• give victory speech; pop champagne

With that kind of foolproof plan, it was impossible to lose!

I chose to make gingerbread cupcakes, kind of a weird choice given that I've never been particularly fond of gingerbread, but in times like these, you have to listen to your growling gut. And for some odd reason, it told me gingerbread. I found a lot of options for the frosting - brown sugar cream cheese (YUM.), maple... but I went with a basic, but delicious, cream cheese frosting. (I forewent the brown sugar version because it doesn't harden as well so it's more difficult to decorate - protip!)

Y'all. This time I'm really not trying to brag, these cupcakes are so good! They made me a believer in gingerbread. They're moist and rich in flavor, spiced but not too heavily, and the all-spice is kept to a minimum (a must for my palette). Alone, they're good. They're solid. But the cream cheese frosting pairing is remarkable. It transforms the spiced cupcake into a real treat that feels decadent but not too heavy. I will keep this recipe as a go-to!

My roommate Matt and I toyed with several options for how to present the cupcakes. We settled on what we could do fairly easily and cheaply - simple, beautiful candy canes in the center of half and the other half made to be snowmen, using marshmallows, icing & oreo halves for top hats. For the main contest, I paired the cupcakes with hot apple cider that complimented and brought out the spice in the cupcakes and arranged the cupcakes on a red throw cloth with sanding sugar sprinkled around to look like snow.

that is to say, "You Can Call Me Al." Our cupcake entry had to be named, and last minute, under pressure, I shouted that and ran away. Turns out - Al is a pretty endearing name for that snow dude with a top hat!

Aaaaannnddddd the America's Next Top Chef holiday office party "cupcake wars" award goes to..... this girl with two thumbs and some cream cheese icing stuck to her shirt!

I won presentation and taste. Bow

Thanks for bearing with me through that obnoxious brag moonlighting as a blog post. ......Is anyone bearing with me? Is anyone still reading?

For those of you who made it this far (hi, Mel!) I'll stop babbling on and get to the point... the recipe!

Gingerbread cupcakes: Taste of Home (skip the maple frosting)

Cream cheese frosting

6oz cream cheese
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), softened1-2 cups powdered sugar, depending on your taste preference (I used 1)
1 teaspoon vanilla + a little drop or two (MORE VANILLA, PLEASE

Beat the butter & cream cheese until smooth and light
Beat in the powdered sugar
Beat in the vanilla
Consistency should be thick & smooth
Cool for at least 1 hour prior to icing if you want it to be firm enough to decorate