Oreo Cupcakes

Oreos.

If you don't like them you should probably go away, because everyone with a brain (poor Scarecrow) loves Oreos. 

Now that we've gotten rid of the Scummy Oreo-Haters, we can talk about how great they are. They make any normal cake, ice cream, or plain dessert instantly more delicious. Today when I remembered it was my friend Megan's birthday, I decided she deserved Oreo cupcakes, as every girl does on her birthday. 

I used my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe, this time using cake flour to make them a little fluffier. When deciding on the frosting, I went with something akin to the taste of the Oreo innards. The whipped yummy insides of Oreos are what make them worth eating, much like how the frosting makes a cupcake worth eating. 

Oreo Cupcakes

Yield: 12 regular cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes

1 1/4 cup cake flour (you can use AP flour)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

6 tbsp butter, room temperature

1 large egg plus 1 egg white

1 tsp vanilla (I used clear)

1/2 cup half and half (I have used anything from skim milk to heavy whipping cream and it always works out fine)

6-8 Oreos, smashed to smithereens

1. Preheat oven to 350 fahrenheit (I used a toaster oven which always seems to overheat, so I heated my oven to 325).

2. Line the cupcake pans with paper liners

3. In a bowl or mixer, beat the sugar and butter until it's light and fluffy. Add the egg and egg white and beat until incorporated throughout. Scrape the bowl and beat for 15 more seconds.

4. Quickly mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a dry ingredients bowl. Mix this in with the butter/sugar alternately with the half and half. Beat until no flour is visible, making sure to scrape the bowl often. Don't overbeat! Add the crushed Oreos and mix until just incorporated. 

5. Scoop batter into the prepared cupcake liners. Spray a cookie scoop with cooking spray so the batter is easily removed. Divide batter evenly (Or, if you're me, you divide batter so they're all equal except one is giant and you claim that one as soon as they leave the oven). 

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool on a drying rack (If you're impatient or time-crunched like me, you can refrigerate them on the rack for 15 minutes).

Fluffy Oreo Frosting

Yield: enough for 12 cupcakes

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp clear vanilla

2 tbsp powdered sugar

6 crushed Oreos

12 mini Oreos or 6 regular Oreos, cut in half

Mix whipping cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form. Add crushed Oreos and pipe frosting onto cupcakes. 

Listen, I know my fingernails look great. You don't have to tell me. 

It's been a while since I've painted them...

Cute!