I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love Oreo cookies. I think it’s something of an impossibility. Oreos are one of the most delightful snack-time cookies that ever lived and it thrills me that they are used in innovative ways in plenty of desserts – I mean, have you tried London Dairy’s amaaaazing Cookies and Cream ice-cream or the delicious Oreo shakes and smoothies available at almost every cafe? They are to-die-for!! (I’m drooling as I write this!)
In all my years of baking, I’ve experimented a lot thanks to the fact that I’m easily bored, but I must admit that these Oreo Cookies and Cream Cupcakes are by far the most fun to bake and the most unique.
I turned 21 this past weekend and I was racking my brain as to what to bake for my colleagues. (If you’re wondering; no, I did not bake my own birthday cake!) I was pondering over a cup of iced green tea, confused between red velvet cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes when it hit me. It had been over a year since I had baked these beauties and all I could think was, I couldn’t possibly go wrong with these cupcakes, could I?
Here’s what you’ll need:
For the cupcakes:
- Sugar – 2 cups
- All Purpose Flour – 1 and 3/4 cups
- Cocoa Powder – 3/4 cup
- Baking Powder – 1 and 1/2 tsp
- Baking Soda – 1 and 1/2 tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Eggs – 2
- Milk – 1 cup
- Vegetable Oil – 1/2 cup
- Vanilla Extract – 2 tsp
- Boiling Water – 1 cup
- Oreos – 5 cookies, crushed
- Oreo cookies – 20, to form the base of the cupcake
For the Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream Cheese – 200 g
- Icing Sugar – 75 g, sifted
- Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
- Oreos – 4 cookies, crushed to a fine powder
This is how to make these scrumptious treats:
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
- In a big bowl mix together sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt until fully incorporated.
- Add milk and vegetable oil and mix well. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract and mix.
- Add the boiling water while mixing slowly. The batter will be thin, don’t worry about it. This will mean that your cupcakes will be moist and soft.
- Add the crushed Oreo bits and mix well.
- Line the muffin tray with cupcake liners. At the bottom of each liner put a whole Oreo cookie.
- Spoon the cupcake batter over the Oreo cookie until each liner is filled up to 3/4 capacity.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and leave it to cool on cooling rack.
- In the meantime, beat the cream cheese until soft.
- Sieve in the icing sugar and mix well. Be careful not to over mix or the frosting will end up being too runny.
- Add the vanilla essence and the powdered Oreo cookies and mix well. Your frosting is ready
- Once the cupcakes are cooled through, spoon the frosting over the cupcake and garnish with a few bits of crushed Oreos.
- Your Oreo Cookies and Cream Cupcakes are READY! What you waiting for?!? Dig in!!
If heaven was accessible to a person who is very much alive, this would be it. When you sink your teeth into these lip-smacking cupcakes, you will be shocked, to say the least. All of a sudden, you’ll be surfing through a whirlpool of flavors and textures – there’s the creamy frosting, luscious in its tang yet mildly chocolaty thanks to the powdered Oreo; the soft crumbly yet moist cupcake with bits of Oreo rendering the perfect balance of sweetness and the dark, wonderfully bitter feel of the Oreo cookie; and last, the crunchy whole Oreo cookie which not only enhances the essence of the cupcakes with its creamy centre but also adds oodles of texture to the cupcake. It is a marvelous experience – one you cannot miss!
Every one at work absolutely loved these cupcakes! Some kept coming back for more, while others asked for the recipe. I was even told that I am in the wrong profession and that I need to making baking my full-time job. (Oh, how I wish! All in good time, hopefully.) How did everyone at home like these? Well, everyone loved them! These are not too sweet despite the frosting and they disappeared within minutes.
These cupcakes are one of those pleasures of life that shouldn’t be missed – you’re going to have to try them to believe me!
The Foodscape 