Big Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

 

I've been on a bit of a cupcake making bender lately. 

Remember when cupcakes were at the top of the social media dessert food chain? Cupcakes...everywhere...

Let's bring those days back. 

I mean... cupcakes are everything. Cake you can hold in your hand... the perfect dessert. And options? holy heck the choices cupcakes offer! There's a million bazillion. 

I know you're on my side. #cupcakesforever

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting and Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients

Cookies

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup + 3 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Cupcakes

3 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Cookie Dough Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups icing sugar

2/3 cups flour

pinch salt

2 Tbsp cream (milk will also work)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

Prepare cookies - Preheat oven to 350. 

Beat together butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Add in the flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips and beat briefly to combine. Finish stirring with a wooden spoon a dough will be very stiff. 

Scoop with a small cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp) on to a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for about 8 - 10 minutes, cookies should be ever-so-slightly brown at the edges but still appear a little under done in the middle. Take them out and let them cool on wire racks. 

Prepare cupcakes - Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until light, scraping bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat in dry ingredients with the milk until just combined. A few flour streaks may remain. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop into 24 muffin tins lined with muffin cup papers.

Bake at 350 until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean and top is light, golden brown - about 15 - 20 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks. 

 Prepare cookie dough frosting - Beat together butter and both sugars until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Beat in flour and salt, cream, vanilla, and chocolate chips. You may have to finish with a wooden spoon as frosting gets very thick. (FYI - if you are worried about using "raw" flour then simply toast it at 350 for about 5 minutes before adding it to dough.)

Scoop about 2 Tbsp of frosting onto each cupcake and then flatter slightly with your fingers. 

I used a medium cookie scoop and had just enough for the 24 cupcakes. 

Lightly press a cooled cookie on top of the frosting. 

24 delightful, handheld treats that are going to make ALL THE PEOPLE happy. 

Well, maybe not all.... some people just want to watch the world burn...

I mean... who doesn't love chocolate chips... *sigh*

I love using mini chocolate chips for these but feel free to use regular, butterscotch, mini m&ms, peanut butter, skor bits, or even white chocolate chips. 

You can half the recipe for only 12 cupcakes, if you like, but these do freeze very well so making a bigger batch is always a good idea! :) 

Can't decide between vanilla and chocolate? Split the difference and go with chocolate chip!