Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

I recently subscribed to a Magazine called Food Heaven, but then received a notification from them to say I will not receive my first issue of the magazine until February! I decided I couldn't wait until then because I wanted some inspiration for my Christmas baking, so I went out and grabbed the latest issue of Cupcake Heaven as I definitely do not bake enough cupcakes. Flicking through I immediately found this recipe and knew I had to try it out for myself. So as well as making cupcake batter for this recipe you also have to make cookie dough! To make 12 cupcakes you will need...

For the Cookie Dough:

- 100g Unsalted butter

- 75g Caster Sugar

- 1 medium egg

- 1 tsp Caramel flavour

- 125g Plain Flour

-1 tsp baking powder

- 100g Dark chocolate chips

For the Cupcake Batter:

- 150g Unsalted Butter

- 150g Caster Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla extract

- 3 medium eggs

- 150g Plain flour

25g Cocoa powder

2tsp Baking powder

For Decorating:

- 150g Unsalted butter

- 275g Icing sugar

- 1 tsp Vanilla extract

So you want to start off by making the cookie dough, which is not only used for little cookies on the top but also inside the cupcakes! So to make the cookie dough you need to beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, beat in the egg and caramel flavour, and then sift in the flour and baking powder, finally adding the chocolate chips and then combining this with your hands until you form a dough.

Weigh out 200g of cookie dough and make 12 cookie dough balls, which then need to chill in the fridge until you have made the cake batter.

Then make the remaining cookie dough into mini cookies, you can make as many of these as possible, but you need at least 12 for the top of the cupcakes, which you can then also chill. Next you need to preheat your oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4 and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake cases. Then you are all ready to make your cupcake batter which is as simple as throwing all the ingredients into the bowl and mix together until well blended. 

Next comes a bit of a time consuming part, which starts with filling up the cupcake cases half way, then adding the chilled cookie dough ball, before finally filling up the cupcake cases. These need to be popped in the oven for 22-24 minutes. (mine took double this amount of time but I think that was down to the oven I was using being rubbish and old). Once the top of the cupcakes is hard to the touch then they are ready to go! As soon as these are out of the oven turn it up to 190C/Gas Mark 5 and put your mini cookies in for 10-12 minutes until golden. They may still be a little soft when you get them out but they will harden as they cool. 

Once everything is cool you can go ahead and make your butter cream icing by mixing together the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract. I used the back of a teaspoon to spread on my buttercream icing and I like the fact that it looks kind of messy, almost like whipped cream. Then I cut each mini cookie in half and placed it onto the cupcake like butterfly wings, and finally I placed chocolate chips on top of that. There you have it folks, cookie filled chocolate cupcakes that are sure to impress everyone this holiday season, I'm sure you could even exchange the cookies for gingerbread for the same effect!

Let me know in the comments what you have been baking recently, I would love to know?