Have you seen this? The suspense is as intense as watching Breaking Bad. Holy Trucks And Ducks!

Whew! Once your heart stops racing, you can focus on these dreamy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.

I’ve posted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake recipes before. There was the chocolate ones chock full of cookie dough here and these with the luscious brown sugar buttercream and creamy cookie dough filling. And, of course, these lighter than air Cookie Dough Cupcakes cloaked with vanilla buttercream and a dab of chocolate buttercream.

This recipe uses a doctored cake mix to create a rich cake with a taste of cookie dough in each bite. The fluffy chocolate icing is a rich addition. Mmmm.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 package (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 package (1 pound) frozen cookie dough or an 18 oz roll of refrigerated cookie dough
Fluffy Chocolate Icing (recipe follows)
24 miniature chocolate chip cookies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed, until well blended.

3. Spoon a heaping 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes) Cut the frozen dough pieces in half to make 24 pieces. Place a frozen cookie dough piece on top of each cupcake and push down into the batter.

4. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden, about 25 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and place on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

5. Meanwhile, prepare icing. Pipe onto cupcakes and garnish with a mini chocolate chip cookie.

Makes 22 to 24 cupcakes

Fluffy Chocolate Icing

Ingredients:

8 Tbs butter, softened
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup whole milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place the butter and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Blend on low until well combined.

2. Stop machine and add sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low until the icing is light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more milk or sugar if icing is too thick or thin.

Makes 3 cups

Recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor Returns by Anne Byrn

I’m always on the lookout for new music. Sometimes it is the band’s name, or album title, or what a song is called.

What I got here is a 3-fer.

The Spook School (Very cool).

The album: ‘I Don’t Know, You Don’t Know, We All Don’t Know’ (I know that I like that title).

Song: Can You Ever Trust A Man Who Thinks Matt Damon’s Really Cool? (Waaay cool on the tune name front).

I can never think of Matt Damon any other way than carrying around that murse in The Talented Mr. Ripley….or in that, er, cool swimming costume.

**shudder**

Love this song. Super noisy. Kind of epic.

Check out The Spook School on the band’s Website, (which contains some very entertaining Love Letters that they wrote to their favorite bands). You can buy the band’s music there and learn of upcoming UK and European gigs.

Cheers!