Cookie Monster Cupcakes!

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me want cookies!

These cupcakes were so much fun to make! I first saw them a few weeks ago on Facebook.  I thought they looked spectacular and immediately wanted to make some of my own.  So I set about looking for the perfect way to recreate these Cookie Monsters. :)

Firstly, I needed to make them look “fuzzy”.  I opted to use dyed coconut instead of dyed coarse sugar for two reasons.  Firstly, coconut is a lot easier to obtain in St Andrews and secondly, these cupcakes have a generous amount of icing and are topped off with chocolate buttons and a chocolate chip cookie.  I don’t really think they needed the extra sugar. :P

For the eyes I used white chocolate buttons and piped little dots of melted dark chocolate for the “googly” pupils.  They look the best when you make them a little crazy. :)

For the mouths I just bought a packet of chocolate chip cookies, cut them in half (and of course ate all the crumbs… what else was I to do with them?). Then I made an incision in the cupcake before firmly pressing the cookies in.  I think it looks cute if you do a few of the cupcakes with broken bits of cookie!

As for the cupcake recipe, I halved the recipe for Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake, which gave me 12 petite cupcakes.  I just used my favourite buttercream icing as well.  So the recipe below makes 12 cupcakes with extra icing and extra coconut (not really such a bad thing though, is it?).

I think these cupcakes would go great at any party, as even adults can’t resist the googly eyed Cookie Monster. The hardest part might be bringing yourself to eat the little guy. :P

So without further ado, Cookie Monster Cupcakes!

nomnomnom.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp cake flour (I used 1 cup plain flour + 2 tbsp of cornstarch)
  • 1/2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp buttermilk (add a few tsp of lemon juice to the milk and let stand for a few minutes)
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • Blue Icing (see recipe below)
  • Blue coconut (see recipe below)
  • 24 white chocolate buttons
  • 20-30g dark chocolate/black fondant for the pupils
  • 12 store bought chocolate chip cookies

Directions:

  1. For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.  Line a muffin pan with 12 liners.  Grease the top of the pan. Set aside.
  2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
  3. Whisk together the buttermilk and egg whites in a small bowl.
  4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
  5. Beating on medium speed, add in 1/3 of the flour mixture.
  6. Beat in 1/2 of the egg-milk mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.  Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
  7. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.  Divide the batter evening among the 12 liners (about 2 tbsp per cupcake).
  8. Bake for 15-18 minutes, checking just before 15 minutes.  They are done when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. (I baked mine for 15 minutes)
  9. Let cupcakes cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Wait until completely cool before icing cupcakes

Assembly:

  1. Spoon a dollop of blue icing on the cupcake and smooth evenly with a knife or offset spatula.
  2. Dip cupcake in blue coconut, making sure it is evenly covered.
  3. To make the mouth, cut a line across the bottom third of the cupcake and use the knife to spread the edges a bit.  Insert half a cookie into the mouth and smooth the icing around it, so that the cookie doesn’t fall out.
  4. Melt the chocolate and spoon it into a plastic bag. Cut a small tip off one of the corners and pipe little pupils onto the white chocolate buttons.  Make sure the dark chocolate spots are set before touching.  Smear a dollop of icing on the back of the button and position on the cupcake.
  5. Et voila! Repeat 12 times.  However, you may want to do it in stages. Eg. Ice all the cupcakes at once, then dip them all in coconut, then make the mouths, then make the eyes.  It saves time to do it that way!

well worth the effort!

Icing Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups icing sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3-4 tbsp cold milk
  • 1/2 tbsp vanilla
  • blue food colouring

Directions:

  1. Sift icing sugar into medium sized bowl.
  2. Cream vanilla and softened better together in a large bowl.
  3. Gradually beat in icing sugar, alternating with milk, until desired consistency is reached.
  4. Beat in food colouring until desired colour is reached.  Note: Liquid food colouring will thin icing; if you can, use gel food colouring. If you can’t, you might need to add a little extra icing sugar to get the right consistency.

Coloured Coconut Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 100g of dessicated coconut
  • blue food colouring
  • medium plastic bag

Directions:

  1. Place coconut in plastic bag.  Add blue food colouring.
  2. Shake and rub together until coconut reaches desired colour.  Be sure to hold the bag closed when you’re shaking it!
  3. This recipe will make more than enough coconut to cover your cupcakes.

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