Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

In the world of ?hit or miss? not everything can be a ?hit?. Not that this cupcake was a ?miss?; at least not a total miss. But I had such high hopes for this cupcake. I had found the recipe on the internet some time ago. I copied it and into my ?TO TRY? folder it went.

Sidebar: It seems to me that everyone I know that likes to cook or is a ?foodie? has one of these folders. They are crammed with recipes cut out of the newspaper; recipes furtively torn out of a magazine at the doctor?s office when you hope no one is looking ?cause you really didn?t want to take the recipe but you just simply have to have it; recipes you?ve seen on the net and ran off a copy of so you would be able to locate them again; recipes you?ve jotted on a stray envelope and then have to try to decipher your own handwriting; and on and on it goes.

Yeah, that?s the folder I?m talking about. This recipe popped into my mind the other night when Bob and I were scarfing down mint Oreos?. (They are evil and should not be available to the public without a Surgeon General?s warning!) So I dug the recipe out and here we are.

When you look at the recipe I know the first thing you are going to say. And you?re right, you?re right, I know you?re right. As soon as I saw it began with a cake mix *gasp*, I should have put it in file 13. But I swear there are some good recipes that begin with cake mixes. And whoever it was that wrote the directions clearly stated that ?It will turn out great!? You?re right, you?re right, I know you?re right. And you can?t believe everything you read, either.

So here is today?s offering. Take it for what it?s worth. They weren?t awful. They just weren?t great.

And, I can?t believe these words are coming from my mouth, but I think I liked them better un-iced. I know! That?s absolute insanity coming from these lips! The truth is, one of the reasons I wanted to make these was the name of the icing ? ?Hell on High Heels? icing. How could I not like that? But the icing was the worst part. Maybe it was me. Maybe I hosed it up when I was making it. After adding the cream and vanilla it just wouldn?t come together. By the time I was finished with it, it kind of tasted like a glob of sweet, Oreo? flavored butter. And the Oreo? flavor wasn?t even that intense; in the icing or the cupcake.

Like my dear husband said, ?If I wanted an Oreo?, I?d eat an Oreo?". (He?s definitely not a fan of ?tastes like? foods.) I tersely replied that these were not Oreo? cupcakes. They were Cookies and Cream cupcakes. But who am I kidding? He had me on this one.

Sometimes it?s not easy when he so very right.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
?Culinary Infatuation Blog ? adapted from ?Bake and Destroy?
Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 box French Vanilla Cake Mix
30 Oreo? style cookies
1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Take 12 cookies and split them in half, trying to get icing on both sides. Put the halved cookies in the cupcake liners icing side up.
Crush the remaining cookies.
In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, yogurt, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add 1 ½ cups crushed cookies and mix until well combined.
Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 15-18 minutes.
Remove and let cool on wire rack.

?Hell-on-High-Heels? Icing:

1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
*Additional cookies

In a small bowl, beat together sugar and butter until well combined. Increase speed to high, beating until light and fluffy.
Add cream and vanilla, beating until smooth.
Add remaining cookie crumbs and beat until well combined.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes to let firm up a bit before piping on the cupcakes.

*Optional: May top with half of a chocolate sandwich cookie after piping icing on cupcake.