Cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes

 I've only made cheesecake bars and mini cheesecakes. Not an actual real big cheesecake. #projectforsummer 



These are perfect to bring for parties, and so much fun to make! What makes it real fun the bottom of the cupcake, which is a whole Oreo, which acts like a base. I'd normally put an Oreo crust, by actually crushing the Oreos with some butter and digestive biscuits, but this time I decided to put an Oreo instead.

I just can't get enough of Oreos!

Have you met anyone who does not like Oreo cheesecake? I sure haven't. The weird thing is, my dad will not eat any other cheesecake besides my mum's Oreo cheesecake. What is your favourite cheesecake? 

These are so easy to make, the hardest part is waiting for it to sit in the refrigerator for 4 hours. What helps, is when you bake at night! Bake at night, wait for it to cool, refrigerate and go to bed. 

Oreo Cheesecake cupcakes 
Recipe from Martha Stewart via Handle the heat 

*Makes 30 (I only made half) 

Ingredients

42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds (4 8-oz packages) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 275°F (135 degrees Celsius). Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

*I mixed by hand. I've become a little bit lazy to take out the mixer. 

Oreo cupcakes

As you can tell by now, I love Oreos. I have some Oreo truffle balls to share soon. Mmm.

Baking cupcakes are always so much fun! Especially frosting. I obviously still have some work to do on my frosting skills (I've only recently started using icing nozzles. I used to just spread frosting on a cupcake like there was no tomorrow.).

This is my all time favourite vanilla cupcake recipe. You can't go wrong with this recipe. It's not too sweet, even my dad likes it (without the frosting)! It also has a distinct taste of vanilla. It uses vanilla bean paste, instead of the normal vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste just enhances the vanilla flavour, and tastes so great! I chose an Oreo cream cheese recipe, as I'd happily pick cream cheese over buttercream for cupcakes.

Vanilla cupcakes

Adapted from Taste

*Makes 24 cupcakes

200 g butter, softened

1 3/4 cups (370 g) caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) 

4 eggs

2 3/4 cups (405 g) self-raising flour

1 cup (250 ml) milk

  

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350 F). Line 24 1/3 cup (80ml) muffin pans with patty cases
2. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste with an electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined. Add the flour and milk in alternate batches and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
3.  Spoon mixture evenly among the patty cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Once cooled completely, frost with an icing bag attached with a nozzle (I used Wilton 1M) or spread with a spatula or knife.

Oreo cream cheese frosting

Adapted from the Cupcake project

8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter (57 grams), room temperature

3-4 cups powdered sugar (use more or less depending on how stiff you want the frosting to be) *

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3/4 cup crushed Oreos 

1. Whip cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.

2. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

3. Add vanilla extract.

4. Gently stir in crushed Oreos.

* For the powdered sugar, I only used 2 cups. 

* I did about 1 cup and a bit more of oreos. Though, I will still consider putting even more so that you can taste more of the oreo flavour.

Cookies and cream cookies

This is not your average, typical cookie. It's a cookie, IN A COOKIE. 

 Cookies and cream; one of my favourite ice cream flavours. I am also obsessed with anything cookies and cream flavoured. I love my oreos alright! 

 These cookies give off the best aroma. Every bite is full of oreo chunks; perfect for any oreo lover. 

I adapted this recipe from Kirbie cravings 

*I made this with about 1 and 1/4 cup sugar, but next time I'll reduce it under 1 cup, but not too much, otherwise there could be a drastic change in the texture.

Cookies and cream cookies
Yields: 2 dozen

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar *see note
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
14 oreos (or more. I put about 18) 

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 degrees Celsius with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients until dough is formed. Add oreos directly into batter and beat on medium high speed until oreos are crushed and blended into dough, Roll dough into balls about 1 inch to 1/12 inch (2.5 cm to 4 cm) in diameter and place onto ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake about 11-12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden around the edges. Cookies will be initially puffy when taken out from oven, but will flatten after they cool