My 1st Regular Sized Cupcakes

How do you always start baking? Hmm.. I start by reading through the recipe over and over again and understand the steps and instructions.. Then I will analyze what I ingredients I need to get.. After everything, I start baking.. Hence, I usually mentally and physically(?) prepare myself one day before.. Usually..

I just bought my first standard size muffin/cupcake tin.. I don't usually like this size cos I feel that it's big.. I worry that it would be too much for people and that they would stop at 1 cupcake.. :) I like my cupcakes small as it makes me want to eat it more.. haha.. But I really wanted to buy the muffin tin anyway.. So the cupcake who has the honour of being the first cupcake to be baked in the tin is Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcake.. I was really excited to bake these.. It looked really tantalising the first time I saw it and I knew I had to try it.. It was creative and looks really delicious..

Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcake (taken from http://howtoeatacupcake.net/)
(my notes and comments are in red)

Chocolate Cupcakes (from MarthaStewart.com)
makes 12 (plus 1 smaller cupcake)

Ingredients
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan (omit if you're using paper liners)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan (increased to 1 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (Reduced this to 1/4 cup: Use original amounts if you want a really chocolatey cupcake)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk (I used those hi-lo milk cos that's what I have on hand and I think it works just fine)

This is the batter and the cookie dough before it was baked.. it was really cook to see it like this.. I really wanted to eat th cookie dough just like that.. hehe..

This is what happened after it was baked.. The cookie dough disappeared.. :) Magical I tell you.. Haha.. Well... The picture of how it looks inside at the top before the recipe..

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (177 degress celcius). Butter and flour a standard 12 cup muffin pan, or use paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla and mix until combined.

3. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, followed by milk; end with remaining flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).

4. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Place a ball of frozen cookie dough on top of each cup (do not push it in).

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the centre of a cupcake (but not in the cookie dough) comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes.

6. Cool cupcakes in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookie Dough Frosting

For the cookie dough
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tbsp
2 tsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips (slightly lesser if u dun like chocolate chips as much like I do)

For the frosting
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (I only had 1 cup normal whipping cream available at that time)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar (reduced to 2/3 cup)
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

For the cookie dough
1. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add water and vanilla and mix well.

2. Add flour, salt and a stir to combine. Stir in 1/3 cup mini chocolate chip.

3. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and freeze (don't have to place in the freezer, just put in the normal fridge) until firm (I used a cling wrap), about 30 minutes.

4. Break dough into 1/4 teaspoon sized chunks (I would make bigger cos I love the cookie dough part) and place the chunks on a plate or in a plastic container, separating layers with waxed paper (I used cling wrap). Store them in the refrigerator until ready to use. (I got more than 13 balls that I needed for the 13 cupcakes. That's why I would make bigger chunks next time. The leftovers that were used in the frosting were very little but sufficient I guess, but maybe I would make slightly more cookie dough next time)

To make the frosting

1. In a medium bowl (a cold bowl with cold beaters), beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat); set aside. (While refrigerating the cookie dough, I washed my bowl and beaters and placed it in the fridge)

2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth.

3. Fold the the whipped cream.

4. Fold the frozen cookie dough chunks into the frosting and immediately frost the cooled cupakes. (those leftover unused cookie dough)

I made it on some random day.. I was just excited to do it.. Anyway.. Not many like the icing but I love the icing with the cupcake.. In fact,I think I would put extra icing on it for myself cos I want to eat every bite of the cupcake with the icing.. Haha.. Although I didnt have sufficient whipping cream, that taste ok to me.. Well.. It was a bit runny.. But I guess it should be fine if you put it in the fridge for a while.. Oh.. Don't put too many cookie dough in it cos some people might not be confortable with the idea of eating uncooked cookie dough.. unless they don't know.. hahaha..

Okay last comments is that.. EAT IT CHILLED... hahaha.. I think it's best eaten when it chilled.. I can't explain why.. But it's just nicer.. To me at least.. Espcially with the icing..

~If you.. if you could return
Don't let it burn, don't let it fade
I swear im not being rude
But it's just your attitude
It's tearing me apart.. It's ruining everything~