Cookies and cream cupcakes

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 175 degrees Celsius, then line a cupcake pan with paper liners. A properly hot oven lets the cookie base and the cake bake through at the same time. Start baking once the oven has held a steady heat for about fifteen minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Place 130 g whole chocolate sandwich cookies in the bottom of the paper liners, one per cup. A whole cookie forms a crunchy base and keeps the bottom of the cupcake from getting soggy. The cups are ready when the cookies lie flat against the bottom.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Put 100 g chocolate sandwich cookies for the batter in a zip-top bag and crush them into coarse crumbs with a rolling pin, then grind 80 g chocolate sandwich cookies for the frosting into a fine powder in a blender. Coarse crumbs stay crunchy in the cake, while the fine powder blends into the frosting so it isn't gritty. You'll have two separate bowls: one of pea-sized crumbs and one of powder as fine as sand.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Beat 115 g softened unsalted butter with 180 g granulated sugar and a pinch salt at medium speed for about four minutes. Well-beaten butter holds plenty of air, which gives the cake its soft, fluffy crumb. The mixture is ready when it is light, pale and smooth when rubbed between your fingertips.

   Suggested time: about 4 minutes.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Add 100 g eggs one at a time, then add 60 g sour cream and 5 g vanilla extract to the butter, beating well after each addition. Sour cream makes the crumb moister and adds a gentle tang to balance the sweet cookies. The mixture is ready when it is smooth, thick like cream and not curdled.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Sift 180 g all-purpose flour and 6 g baking powder into the bowl, fold them in alternately with 80 g whole milk, and finally fold in the cookie crumbs with a light hand. Adding the cookies last keeps the crumbs from breaking down and turning the whole batter gray. The batter is ready when it is ivory white with clear dark specks.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Spoon batter over the cookie in each cup until about three-quarters full, and bake at 175 degrees Celsius for about 20 to 23 minutes. You use a little more batter than for regular cupcakes because the cookie base already takes up space at the bottom. The cupcakes are done when the tops are pale golden, spring back when pressed and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

   Bake at 175°C for about 20 to 23 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Take the cupcakes out of the pan after five minutes and set them on a rack to cool completely for about forty minutes. The buttercream needs a cool surface to hold its piped swirls. The cupcakes are ready when they no longer feel warm when you pick one up.

   Suggested time: about 40 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Beat 170 g unsalted butter until fluffy, sift in 280 g powdered sugar, add 30 g heavy cream and 3 g vanilla extract and beat for about three minutes, then mix in the fine cookie powder at the end. Adding the cookie powder last keeps the frosting fluffy. The frosting is ready when it is a speckled pale gray and still holds its shape when scooped.

   Suggested time: about 3 minutes.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Pipe a tall swirl of frosting onto each cupcake using a large star tip, then stand 66 g halved chocolate sandwich cookies on top. A large tip keeps cookie crumbs from clogging the bag. The cupcakes are finished when the swirls are even and each cookie half stands straight and secure.

    Mark step 10 as done