Cupcake Test 13, "Cookie Dough Cupcakes"

Alternatively titled, "That's the way the Cookie (Dough) Crumbles".   Is there anyone (over the age of 20 anyway) who doesn't remember licking the beater after making a batch of chocolate chip cookies?  There's just something about the taste and texture of raw cookie dough that brings a smile to our hearts.  But, with the scares of "bad things" that raw eggs have brought in the years, seldom do we actually enjoy that childhood experience any longer.  Fear not, the cookie dough portion of the cupcakes (and the truffles too) are free of raw eggs.

The BtB pulled together a couple of links for cookie dough cupcakes.  The first from Love & Olive Oil, and another from Annies-Eats.  Love & Olive Oil is a non-dairy version, however, the egg-free cookie dough is the important part here.  I used the cupcake recipe from Annies-Eats, the cookie dough from Love & Olive Oil, and the frosting from both of them.

Process Notes:  I made enough of the cookie dough to make the truffles (also from Love & Olive Oil), and reserved 24 of them for the cupcakes, along with 3/4 cup of cookie dough for the frosting.  The cupcake batter made 29 regular size cupcakes, as well as 24 mini cupcakes.  The cookie dough made enough additional to roll about 4 dozen more small sized truffles.  Since I had only reserved 24 of the truffles, I did 2 dozen cupcakes with the cookie dough baked in them (L&O).  The remaining cupcakes were scooped with a melon baller after baking, and then a truffle was placed in the indentation (AE).  The cupcakes came out sunken in the centers where the cold cookie dough was.  These cupcakes also overflowed the baking cups quite a bit.  After sitting a while, the "ring" that was above the cupcake liner, well, it kinda fell down. 

No cupcakes were touched during this disaster.

I made the cookie dough frosting from L&O first, and it was just enough to cover about 15 cupcakes, as well as the 24 minis.  Then the brown sugar frosting from AE, which finished the rest of the cupcakes, with not much left over. 

The truffles were coated with melted milk-chocolate chips and placed on a rack to harden.  Note - don't do this.  When I pulled them off the rack, they cracked and left part of the chocolate behind, so they all looked like they had a bite taken out of them.  Use a silpat, wax or parchment paper instead.

Tasting Notes:  Me - The cupcakes were moist and tasty in spite of their tendency to fall apart.  They had the memory of chocolate chip cookies baked into them, most notably in the brown sugar and chocolate that were the main flavor ingredients.  I liked the taste of both the cookie dough and brown sugar frostings, however, I think there should be more cookie dough in the frosting than what the recipe calls for.  Either one would be appropriate with the cupcakes.  The truffles, well, they are the epitome of cookie-dough-ness.  A bit grainy, a bit raw, with chocolate chips inside.

Love the truffles and will definitely make them again.  The cupcakes, although they tasted fine, probably won't be making a repeat appearance.  I did like the scooped cupcake better than the baked cupcake.  The baked cupcake lost the "raw" flavor/texture, which only makes sense.  I can't quite put my finger on what it is that I didn't like.  Maybe the cupcake batter was too raw around the cookie dough center. 

Mark - Thought the cupcakes were "yummy" and he preferred the brown sugar frosting to the cookie dough frosting.  The truffles, were OMG! good and he refused to share them with his co-workers.

Up next, Cherry Almond Cupcakes...