I couldn’t decide if I wanted to bake cookies or cupcakes so I combined the two….

I saw a picture of something similar in a baking mag. However I have my own favourite cookie recipe and my basic cupcake recipe taught to me by my mum! The cupcake recipe I use is no different from many others, but it is, never the less tried and tested and been around for generations and will be for generations to come. What makes it different is what you put with it….

You will need:

For the Cookies:

One quantity of my double chocolate chip cookie dough which is as follows:

• 150g Plain flour
• 60g Coco powder
• ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 60g Dark brown sugar
• 60g Caster sugar
• 120g Butter
• ½ tsp Vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 60g Dark chocolate (chopped or chocolate chips)
• 60g White chocolate (chopped or chocolate chips)

For the cupcakes:

• 170g Caster Sugar
• 170g Butter
• 3 Eggs
• 170g Self raising flour

Icing:

• 170g Icing sugar
• 85g Butter
• 1tbsp Milk

Method:

Make the cookie dough first:

• Place all the ingredients except the egg and chocolate into a bowl and mix to bread crumb stage.  I find the dough hook attachment on my mixer is fantastic for this, but an electric hand mixer or your hands work just as well.
• Add the egg and the chopped chocolate and blend well until a ball of cookie dough has formed and the chocolate chips are well distributed.
• Roll the dough into a large sausage shape about 5cm diameter, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1hour.

Now make the cupcakes:

• Pre heat the oven to 170degrees and arrange 10 muffin cases in your muffin or bun tray grease and line a baking sheet with grease proof paper.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy
• Add one egg at a time, mixing well after the addition of each egg.
• Sift the flour and fold it in gently until all the flour has been incorporated
• Put a heaped teaspoon of mixture in the bottom of 10 muffin cases.
• Cut the chilled cookie dough into about 16, 1cm thick slices.
• Cut each slice in half, one half roll into a ball and the other half reform into a mini cookie.
• Place the cookie dough ball into the muffin case on top of the cake mixture and the mini cookie on to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the muffin cases have a ball of cookie dough in them.
• Fill the muffin cases with the remaining cake mixture. If you find you have spare cake mixture you can either top up the cases or make another cupcake!
• If you have any leftover cookie dough you can either make about 6 regular sized cookies or make 12 mini cookies.
• Bake for about 20–25mins for the cakes and 10mins for the cookies
• Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before icing.

For the icing:

• Mix the Icing sugar, butter and milk together until soft and creamy.
• You can either have the rustic look and spread the icing with a knife, or use a piping bag and your largest nozzle.
• For an icing alternative you can also crush one of your cookies into the icing – this does make the icing very difficult to use in a piping bag, so the rustic look is best.
• Evenly ice each cake making sure the icing is thick in the middle to hold the cookie.
• Gently push a mini cookie into the icing so the cookie stands up.

Hay presto cookie cupcakes with a little hidden piece of joy!