Ready for a monster of a dessert?  All right.  Hold on to your seats…because here it is.

You may have seen these floating around the blogosphere.  I experienced them firsthand when Annie brought in a batch for a birthday at work…and let me just say…I was waiting, (just waiting) for another opportunity to experience these again.  Now, a caveat:  these are not for those of you who have a hard time with sweets.  Because this is an in-your-face over-the-top cupcake.

This is a chocolate chip cupcake….with a surprise cookie dough center..topped with a brown sugary buttercream…and then (to make it completely offensive) a mini chocolate chip cookie is what tops the whole thing off.  But, before you make these, there are a few things you should know.  This isn’t a dessert you should attempt the night before.  These cupcakes are a little bit of a time investment (but totally worth it, in my humble opinion), so stagger out your baking process.  Make your mini chocolate chip cookies one or two days in advance.  The filling can also be made in advance and refrigerated.  And, while we’re talking about the filling, one of the reasons why I like this recipe in particular is the fact that the filling is egg-free…meaning if you are a bit skittish about eating raw eggs in cookie dough, you are in the clear with these cupcakes.  The brown sugar buttercream frosting?  It’s made with a lot of brown sugar, so it retains a bit of that grainy brown sugary texture, so if you want a super creamy and smooth frosting, you could substitute in a simple vanilla buttercream.  Because there is a lot of butter in this recipe, the cupcake liners may bleed through a little (hence the extra liner), so if you have cheap liners you want to get rid of…use those and then use your pretty liners for the outer layer.  Either way, if you are looking for a piece of pure cupcake extravagance, I would advise making these as soon as possible.

But make sure you have a glass of milk nearby.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk**I used skim because that’s what I had on hand.

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips**regular or mini size

For the cookie dough filling:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 cup plus an additional 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

7 ounces sweetened condensed milk**I could only find a 14-ounce can at the store.  I just eyeballed it and used about half.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate chips**You can use either mini or chopped chocolate pieces. I ran out of mini chocolate chips, so I just chopped up some bittersweet chocolate.

For the brown sugar frosting:

24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3 and 1/2 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

2 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For garnish:

Mini chocolate chip cookies***I baked mine for about 12 minutes total, but I checked them frequently to ensure that I didn’t overbake them.

Additional mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. For the cupcakes:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line your cupcake pans with the liners of your choice.

3. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, and mixing well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

5. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

6. With the mixer still on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter/brown sugar, alternating with the milk in thirds…beginning with and ending with the flour mixture.

7. Add the vanilla to the cupcake batter and mix until combined.

8. Add the chocolate chips to the mixture and gently stir them in with a spatula.

9. Divide the batter evenly among your cupcake pans and bake until a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes total, rotating and switching the pans halfway during the baking time.

10. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool completely.

11. For the cookie dough filling: In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

12. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla, mixing thoroughly.

13. Gently stir in the chocolate chips until completely mixed.  Cover the filling with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. **If you make this ahead of time, be sure to pull the filling out of the fridge about an hour before using so it can be easily scooped into the cupcakes.

14. For the brown sugar frosting:  In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

15. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar until completely combined.

16. Add the flour and salt.

17.  Add the milk and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined and smooth.

18.  For the assembly (my favorite part!):  Using a sharp paring knife, very carefully cut a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cupcake.  ***You can discard these or snack on them relentlessly like I did.

19. Using a melon baller or your hands, gently scoop or roll about a tablespoon of the cookie dough filling (just eyeball it) and place it in the coned out portion of the cupcake.

20. Pipe the frosting over the top of each cupcake, using your desired pastry tip (I used my personal favorite, my Wilton 1M).

21.  Top each cupcake with a cookie and some chocolate chips!

Source:  Recipe directly from Annie’s Eats.  Original recipe inspired by Hello, Baker!.  Original cake recipe adapted from Cupcake Bakeshop, frosting from The Cupcake Review and How to Eat a Cupcake.

I love peanut butter.  I really do.  And I love chocolate.  So these cookies are what I would call pure perfection.

I know I just recently posted the chocolate chip cookies, but I’ve been in a cookie mood lately.  And I figure you can never have too many cookies.  Right?  Right!

These are drop cookies-which happen to be my favorite kind of cookie.  Which really means a low maintenance kind of cookie.  The kind where you just mix everything together in a bowl and “drop” the cookies onto the baking sheet.  No use of cookie cutters.  No special frostings or sprinkles.  No “let it chill until firm” (my least favorite kind of cookie, by the way, because I like instant gratification when it comes to sweets….). Just plain old-fashioned cookies that are ready in 15 minutes.

I was surprised when I read the list of ingredients and realized that there was no butter in this recipe.  Yes, there is lots of peanut butter, but no butter.  Which was great because I only had one stick left in the refrigerator and knew that I would probably need it in the coming days. And I decided to use my mini chocolate chips up, but you could add any kind of chocolate chip you like.  Bits of real peanuts would be good, too.  The cookies are moist and chewy…and absolutely wonderful with some milk.

Super Peanut Butter Drops

Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter **I used creamy

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup miniature chocolate chips, plus more for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2.  In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and baking soda until well mixed.

3.  Add the eggs, one at a time.

4. Add in the flour, mixing until well combined.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips.

6. Using a cookie dough scoop or your hands, form the dough into 1 and 1/4-inch balls, slightly flattening each one, and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are slightly puffy and light brown around the edges.

8. Let cool on a wire rack.

9. Garnish with additional chocolate chips, if desired.

Source: The Ultimate Cookie Book.

I love chocolate chip cookies…..and I pretty much relied on ONE recipe to make them. (Yes, I am shamefully hanging my head.)

What was I thinking?  I mean, seriously.  Chocolate chip cookies are, like, the most well-known cookie on the planet.  I usually go for the thick, chewy ones, but in a moment of spontaneous inspiration in the kitchen (which usually turn out to be the best moments, I might add), I decided to give this recipe a whirl.  I needed some homemade cookies stat-not only to satisfy my handsome little nephews…but to satisfy my cravings as well. I had all the ingredients on hand (which is turning out to be a rarity these days), I had already posted the other chocolate chip cookie recipe (so I had to try something new), and my nephew, Elliott, was asking for “Aunt Shanon to make something with chocolate in it.” I mean, look at this face:

How could you deny this face?  Oliver decided to help me out in the kitchen by opening all the cabinet doors, placing the colander on his head, and giggling nonstop.   He also loved watching the cookies bake in the oven and stood there with his hands behind his back, eyes wide open as he looked through the glass at the baking cookies. (***Insert warm fuzzies.)  I love these boys more than anything and will miss them tremendously when I move 1000 miles away in a month!

As far as these cookies go, they are very easy to mix together.  I followed the recipe exactly-no changes here.  I would trust Baking Illustrated with my life, and I don’t tend to stray from their time-tested recipes.  The cookies were amazing.  Even though they were thin, they weren’t *too* crispy.  They actually were a little chewy, even on the second day. The flavor was buttery and light.

I may have changed my preference on how I like my cookies-these are a top contender for my favorite now.  I sent some home to my sister after I had finished babysitting the boys, and the leftovers were gone in a day.  They make an excellent study food.  ;)

Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: approximately 30 cookies

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk**I used whole milk, because that is what I had on hand

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray generously with cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and corn syrup together on medium speed for about 1 minute.

5.  Add the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla, mixing well until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

6.  Reduce the mixer speed to low, and slowly add the flour mixture.

7.  Add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined.

8.  Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the dough about 2 inches apart.

9.  Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking process.

10.  Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.

Source:  directly from Baking Illustrated.