The search for the ultimate recipe - week 1 - Cookies and cream cupcakes

This is the first entry of my blog. As some of you know, I bake at least once a week. On Wednesdays I take my baked goods to my husband's therapist's office, where they await for the 'goodies' anxiously. 

 I recently decided to search for the ultimate cupcake recipes, from recipes I have, or come across on the web. I have a 'group of testers' and they will rate them and give me their opinion on what can be improved for next time. Obviously, opinions are all relative, but I'll let you know the results. At the end of this journey, we all will come up with great recipes. Enjoy!

Yield: 24 cupcakes


Ingredients:


For the cupcakes:
 


2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour


1 tsp. baking powder


½ tsp. salt


1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature


1 2/3 cup sugar


2 large eggs

2 large egg whites, at room temperature


2 tsp. vanilla extract


1 cup milk


24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached

10 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped + the 24 other halves. Set ¾ cup aside for garnishing.

For the frosting:


8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature


6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature


1 tbsp. vanilla extract


4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted


2 tbsp. heavy cream

Directions:


Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners.  Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together and set aside.  With food processor or  electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  Beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. 


 Fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners.  

Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth.  Add the vanilla extract.  Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated and smooth.  Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.  

Garnish: Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs.

Results:

Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars

What can be improved: Nobody thought there was something to be changed. They loved them, maybe they're just nice people. But, I'll tell you what I'll try next time. The half Oreo on the bottom looks cool. But it gets soft. I like my Oreos crunchy. The  chopped Oreos in the mix remained crunchy. Next time, I won't put the halves and see if I like them better.

Let me know if you try them. :)