Cheater Cheater, Cupcake Eater...

I made THE most amazing cupcakes today...  A chocolate chip cookie INSIDE of a chocolate cupcake.  I know, right?  I can't even begin to describe the amazingness that hits your tongue as you take a bite of this.  You think, hmm, good cupcake.. Then, Pow!  What's this?  It can't be.  No!  It is.  It's a cookie.  Inside. Of. The. Cupcake. 

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting.  I don't even have an actual concrete recipe to share as I kind of just took a little of this, and a little of that and slammed it all together with a result of deliciousness. 

Then, if that wasn't enough, I topped it with a cookie dough flavored frosting and chocolate chips. 

There, got your breath back?   I'm going to smack you right in the taste buds. 

For the cupcake, I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe, but clearly, you can use your favorite or even a box mix. 

Then, I went into cheat mode.  Instead of making a batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch like I normally do, I spooned from a tube of ready made cookie dough.  I felt awful, turning my back on my cookie recipe. 

For the sake of time saving, and mostly because I had two tiny people tugging at my pant legs, I used the tube.  If you don't have children trying to expose your undies, or if you just want to show off, you can whip up a batch of homemade cookie dough.

I digress..

Line your cupcake tins with paper and fill about 2/3 with batter.  Drop a spoonful (about 1 T) of cookie dough in the center.  I pushed it down a little but the cupcake kind of bakes over it. 

Bake them at 350 for about 18-20 minutes.  (Clearly your oven may vary.)  You will see (if you're staring inside the oven glass like I my two year old was) a slow motion love scene between a cupcake and a cookie.  It was borderline softcore beautiful.  The batter rises to make sweet love to the cookie dough, enveloping it in a tender embrace.   

What you get when you take them out is a beautifully cooked chocolate chip cookie inside of a moist cupcake.  A few of them had erupted (even sounds dirty, doesn't it?) and the cookie was peeking through the top of the cupcake and was nice and crisp. 

To hide the surprise inside, but to seductively allude to the gift your tasters will find on the inside, top them with this:

Cookie Dough Frosting
(Adapted from TidyMom)
1 Cup butter, softened (I used salted, your preference)
1/2 Cup light brown sugar, packed
2 1/4 Cups powdered sugar
2/3 Cup all-purpose flour (This had me shaking my head.. Flour?  In Icing?)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 Cup mini chocolate chips

Beat together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in powdered sugar. Sift in flour and salt and mix until combined. Add in milk and vanilla until frosting is smooth.

Top with a few chocolate chips and try not to eat ALL of the cupcakes back to back.  To back.  To back.