Cookies and Cream Cupcakes with Rainbow Frosting

Anytime before I cook or bake or do anything in the kitchen that involves food, I have to make sure the counter is bare (except for the fruit and coffeemaker of course) and wiped down completely. I have to feel like there is space for me to work without having to divert my attention from something I enjoy, just to clean something completely unrelated.

So today was no different, and as I sit here wearing a Carleton University t-shirt covered in cupcake batter and vanilla icing, I can't help but feel like I've made the most of my day. Weekends are a precious gift from school work, and so I always feel like I have to make the most of it; which means doing stuff all day and never sleeping in past 9:30 or 10.


Today, I made Cookies and Cream Cupcakes with an Oreo base and homemade vanilla frosting. They are heavenly, but after about 4.5 hours in total, from preparation to picture taking, I could barely muster myself up to eating one. I forced myself to try one, knowing very well that if I didn't, they might soon be gone.


I spend the past two days trying to find a recipe that didn't say to just use cake mix. It wasn't hard to find, but in those two days I had to find the will to make them. After a hectic day yesterday, my plans for baking after the gym were squashed.

The recipe was really simple. I found it off the TLC website. The recipe yields 24 cupcakes, but didn't include a recipe for icing. So I found a separate recipe and doubled it, as it only was enough for 12 cupcakes; at least that's what the recipe said. 24 cupcakes down, and enough icing to cover at least 10 more.


Cupcake Recipe:
Ingredients needed -
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 egg whites
1 cup crushed Oreo cookies, plus extra for garnish
1 container of vanilla frosting (though I made my own)

The strange thing about this recipe is that it was probably the first recipe I ever came across let alone made, that didn't have me separate the wet and dry ingredients first. It said to mix everything together. I was skeptical at first, as was my Mom, but it turned out just fine.

Directions -
1. Prehear the oven to 350'F. Lightly grease 24 (2 1/2 inch) muffin cups, or line with paper baking cups.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. Stir in sugar.
4. Add milk, butter, and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer at low speed for about 30 seconds. Then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
5. Add egg whites and beat for 2 minutes.
6. Stir in 1 cup of crushed cookies.


The original recipe did not call for Oreos at the bottom of each cupcake, but should you choose to do it, and I HIGHLY recommend you do, just place a single Oreo in each paper baking cup and spoon the batter over it.

As for the frosting, I'll just link you to the recipe I used, as I'm sure many of you either have recipes or know how to make a simple frosting. Click here for the recipe.


Once I made the icing I crushed up a few more Oreos into the icing and seperated the icing into four bowls, where I added different colours of food colouring.


HAPPY BAKING!

-Jordan