Chocolate Cupcakes

Here's a recipe from Mae Armstrong's Milk and Cookie Party... it was too good not to share! 

Chocolate Cupcake with Cookies and Cream Frosting

Cupcake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

2.      Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.

3.      Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

4.      Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1/2 cup crushed Oreo cookies (cream filling removed)

1. In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
2. Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency. 
3. Fold in crushed Oreo cookies. 
4. Transfer frosting mixture inside a disposable pastry bag with a jumbo star piping tip. 

Mae decorated tops of each cupcakes with the ribbon pinwheels. Mae stamped her custom designed PSA Essentials birthday stamp using a card stock paper and used a sizzix circle die to cut the shape. Glue tag on top of the ribbon pinwheel and add wooden stick. 

This is so simple to do and makes a wonderful presentation for any occasion!