Half-Baked Cupcakes

Half-Baked Cupcakes are vanilla cupcakes with brownie batter chunks baked into them, topped with a cookie dough frosting that tastes just like eating raw cookie dough (minus the eggs!). Based on the popular Ben & Jerry’s Half-Baked ice cream flavor.

Sometimes you just have a stroke of brilliance you can’t let go of. It keeps nagging you in the back of your mind.  You’ll never forget about it and even if it doesn’t work out you know you will forever regret not making it.

Luckily, I made these Half-Baked Cupcakes and they were wonderful and I do not regret them.

When we were living in Germany, the ice cream section was dominated by Ben and Jerry’s. Sure, there were other brands, but they’ll just made the same basic flavors. And Ben and Jerry’s only had a fraction of their flavors, but they were the most interesting. So, naturally, we tried almost all their flavors there. But my favorite? Half Baked. It combines chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and cookie dough and brownie batter. It get rid of all the hard “cookie dough or brownie?” “Chocolate or vanilla?” decisions that confront you whilst choosing ice creams. Also, how often do you get brownie batter in an ice cream? Not often.

And how often do you get brownie batter in a cupcake? Not often. That’s partially why I was so excited for these. I loved the ide of brownie batter in a cupcake. Not just brownie chunks or anything. Brownie batter. It still retains it’s batter-ness. And it totally worked out. I wish I had put more in these Half-Baked Cupcakes.

And the vanilla cupcake itself? I was astounded. I normally overlook vanilla cupcakes because they are like the boring, drab sister to the glamorous movie star that is chocolate. But these make you stop and look at drab-sister-vanilla and do a double take. Like the drab sister who got her braces off and got contacts all in one day and comes to school all dressed up one day. You can’t help but notice her. Just like the vanilla in these cupcakes.

They are buttery and moist and the perfect vehicle for the brownie chunks and frosting, while not just only being a vehicle. The bites with no brownie batter chunks were certainly not lacking. 

And the cookie dough frosting is literally just slightly more spreadable cookie dough. There wasn’t even powdered sugar in the recipe to make it frosting. It was just a cookie dough recipe with less flour and no egg. Perfect.

And altogether, they combine wonderfully. Half-Baked Cupcakes aren’t exactly like half-baked ice cream, because the cupcakes don’t have chocolate (you could easily do a chocolate-vanilla swirl cupcake though) and the cookie dough dominates. But that doesn’t mean the flavors weren’t perfect together. If you don’t hold back on the brownie batter, the ratios will probably be much better. 

I imagine these Half-Baked Cupcakes would serve really well with Half-Baked ice cream. 

-Audrey

Half-Baked Cupcakes

• Author: Molly
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours (including cooling time)
• Yield: 24 cupcakes 1x

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Ingredients

Brownie Batter Chunks

• 1 box of brownie mix
• Water called for on box
• Melted butter equivalent to the oil needed

Vanilla Cupcakes

• 1 sticks (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup + a little over ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
• 1 + a little over ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Cookie Dough Frosting

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temp
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

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Instructions

Make the brownie chunks:

1. In a large bowl, mix brownie mix with water and melted butter (batter will be thick).
2. Roll batter/dough into 1 inch balls and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
3. Freeze for about an hour.

Make the cupcakes:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds.  Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  This may take 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.  If the batter begins to looks a bit curdled, that’s alright.
5. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the vanilla milk mixture in three batches, starting and ending with the flour. When the batter is almost combined, stop the mixer and finish mixing the batter with a spatula, making sure that any flour bits at the bottom of the bowl are well incorporated.
6. Add brownie chunks to the batter and stir to combine.
7. Divide batter evenly between lined cupcake tins and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting:

1. With an electric or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar at medium speed. Add the vanilla and beat well.
2. Stir in the flour and salt until doughy. Stir in the milk and beat until fluffy. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
3. Frost cooled cupcakes.

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Notes

Cupcakes recipe from Joy the Baker, frosting from Sally’s Baking Addiction.