Here’s a dessert for all occasions! Oreo cupcakes are made of tender sour cream dark chocolate cake and topped with a tall swirl of cookies and cream frosting. Bake these cupcakes in a standard size cupcake pan and fill them only half full of batter. These cakes will rise quite a bit in the oven but won’t dome in the centers. Their moist texture gives them a level top. Check for doneness using a toothpick tester inserted in their centers. The frosting recipe provides enough for a tall triple swirl of buttercream. The recipe can be halved for a more modest amount of frosting.
1/2cupblack cocoa powderor dark cocoa powder such as Hershey’s dark
1teaspoonbaking soda
1/4teaspoonfine grain sea salt
Cookies and cream buttercream
20Oreo sandwich cookies
2cupsunsalted butterat room temperature
6cupsconfectioners’ sugar
Milk or creamto thin
Toppings
20whole Oreo cookies
6Oreo cookie shellscrushed in a bag with a rolling pin
Instructions
Dark chocolate cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the cupcake pans with 20 paper cupcake liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until well incorporated.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined.
Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling each liner only 1/2 way full. These cupcakes will rise quite a bit in the oven, but will not dome in the centers. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 5-7 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cookies and Cream Buttercream
Separate the Oreo cookies and scrape the cream centers out into a bowl. Add the Oreo cookie shells to a food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, Oreo cream centers, and the confectioners’ sugar. Beat on medium-low until combined. Increase the speed and beat until lightened in color. Add milk or cream 1 tablespoon at a time to thin the buttercream to piping consistency if needed. Beat 5 minutes on high speed until the buttercream is almost white in color.
Add the Oreo crumbs to the buttercream. Mix briefly until the crumbs are well dispersed, about 15 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and fold in any pockets of crumbs.
Transfer the buttercream to a large disposable piping bag fitted with a large open star piping tip.
Assembly and toppings
Pipe a triple swirl of buttercream over each cooled cupcake. Immediately place a whole Oreo cookie into one side of the swirl; top each with a sprinkle of crushed Oreo cookies.
Serve immediately, or store in an airtight cupcake keeper at room temperature until ready to serve.
Notes
Be sure to process the Oreo cookies into fine crumbs for the buttercream frosting. Otherwise, large pieces of the Oreos will clog the piping tip when trying to frost the cupcakes.
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