Oreo Cupcakes

These are one of my most popular cupcakes. Moist, dark chocolate cake is bursting with Oreos and is topped with a fluffy vanilla cream frosting with crushed Oreos sprinkled on top…pure decadence.  This is one amazing cupcake!

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1 ¾ cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
¾ cup Hershey’s Cocoa Special Dark
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup whole milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup hot water

1 Package Oreos (14.3 oz.)

For the frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. whole milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the hot water and beat at low speed until combined.

Step 2. Fill 2 paper lined cupcake trays (12 cupcakes in each tray) about 2/3 full.  Chop up about 20 Oreos and spoon a bit of Oreos into each cupcake, gently pushing the Oreos into the batter slightly.  Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the trays. Let cool completely.

Step 3: Make the frosting! Beat the butter on medium speed with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds, then gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until fully combined, about a minute.  Beat in the vanilla extract. Gradually add the milk and continue to beat for an additional minute or until frosting is a desired consistency (add more milk if necessary).

Step 4: Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. If you do not have a pastry bag, you can fill a Ziplock bag with frosting, cut the tip off one of the bottom corners of the bag, and pipe the frosting onto the cupcake. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and gently wedge half an Oreo cookie into the frosting on the side of each cupcake.