All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [154]
4. Cut the pieces of frozen cookie dough in half to make 24 pieces. Place a piece of frozen cookie dough on top of each cup-cake and push it down into the batter. Top each piece of cookie dough with about 1 teaspoon of the reserved cupcake batter.
5. Place the pans in the oven and bake the cupcakes until they are golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 23 to 27 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of the cupcake cups, lift the cupcakes up from the bottom of the pans using the end of the knife, and pick the cupcakes out of the pans carefully with your fingertips. Place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes longer before frosting.
6. Meanwhile, make the Fluffy Chocolate Frosting.
7. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of frosting on top of each cup-cake and swirl it with a short metal spatula or spoon to spread it out, taking care to cover the top completely. The cupcakes are then ready to serve.
Keep It Fresh! Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to three days or for up to one week in the refrigerator. Freeze the cupcakes, in a cake saver or wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to three months. Let the cupcakes thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Recipe Reminders
MADE FOR
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PREP NOTES
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DON’T FORGET
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SPECIAL TOUCHES
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Note: If you can’t find frozen chocolate chip cookie dough you can substitute an 18-inch log of refrigerated cookie dough.
My Favorite Cupcake Baking Tips
If you want to make great cupcakes and muffins, keep these things in mind.
1. Cupcake batter is a little more forgiving than muffin batter, which needs to be beaten gently. I beat cupcake batter using an electric mixer and muffin batter by hand with a wooden spoon.
2. Use paper liners in cupcake pans for easy clean up.
3. Choose cupcake pans that are as deep as your paper liners. A pan that is not as deep will cause the cupcakes or muffins to bake up and over the side, creating a big top—nice on a muffin but not so easy to frost on a cupcake.
4. Mist the top of the cupcake pan lightly with vegetable oil spray so the cupcakes or muffins don’t stick to it.
5. Use a scoop to portion just the right amount of batter into each cupcake liner. A standard ice cream scoop holds about 1/3 cup of batter, enough for a 2½-inch cupcake. A smaller scoop will fill a mini pan with 1½ to 2 tablespoons of batter. Using a scoop with a spring-action lever that sweeps across the scoop’s bottom and removes the batter makes cupcake assembly a mess-free breeze. Fill cupcake liners about two thirds to three quarters full, depending on the recipe.
6. If you can find a short metal spatula, you can use it to run around the edges of the cupcakes after baking, making removal easy. And a small spatula makes frosting the little cupcakes a real pleasure.
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH CUPCAKES
I LOVED THE IDEA of pairing cookie dough and cup-cakes so much that I wanted to create a peanut butter version. You can find peanut butter cookie dough in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. Bake the cupcakes until the cake portion is done and the cookie dough is still a little