Oreo Cupcakes

I never thought I had a big sweet tooth; growing up with a father who was a dentist and a mom who was a dietician didn't leave much room for lots of candy and sweets (as you can imagine), but I have definitely developed one over the years. I am thankful for knowing my limits when it comes to treats, otherwise I would have eaten this whole batch of Oreo Cupcakes on my own! Putting one side of an oreo on the bottom of each cupcake is the trick that made this recipe for me - it creates a denser chocolate cupcake that is still light and fluffy because of the frosting on top. Bon Appetite!

Oreo Cupcakes
from My Baking Heart


For the cupcakes:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
24 Oreos, one side twisted off and reserved for frosting

1. Prehead the oven to 350*. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan. Place one oreo in each liner, cream side up.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside; set aside. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the brown sugar and continue beating until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour, beating after each addition.

4. Divide the batter between the prepared liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. 19 to 24 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Let the cupcakes cake cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:
1 1/4 cups low-fat whipping cream
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs, made from reserved Oreo sides

In a bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff. Gently fold in teh cookie crumbs. Scoop the mixture into a ziploc bag and cut an edge after folded/sealed with no air. Frost the cupcakes and top with 1/2 of an Oreo. (*the original recipe had you fill each cupcake, but I just thought that would be too much frosting - so I opted to just frost the top).