Cupcake Wars Part 3: The Final Countdown

Dear Employees of my Awesome Boyfriend's Kick-Ass Company,

I have to say a huge thank you to all of your support and participation as test subjects for my many baking endeavors. I know it must be hard on all of you when Evan brings in boxes of cupcakes for your approval and commentary, but I appreciate you persevering for the benefit of my culinary skills. Today's feat was particularly challenging and I know that asking you to decide between the epic Cookie Dough Cupcake and the tasty Chocolate Guinness Extra Stout/Irish Cream Cupcake was not going to be a simple one, but I knew you were up for the challenge. You did not disappoint. For that, I applaud you! I will remember you for future baking challenges and hope that you will continue to entertain my need for approval by devouring my delightful treats and offering comments and suggestions.

You are truly heroic.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Shelly

Ah, now that we've got that out of the way...

It is time for the results of the epic Cupcake War: Cookie Dough vs. Chocolate Stout/Irish Cream. Evan so kindly hauled 5 boxes of cupcakes into his company's kitchen today. I had them all laid out on plates and they looked so very pretty, but that just wasn't practical. I mean, there was no way that they would survive such a very dreary, drizzly day and a ride in Evan's car, so we packed them into their tupperware boxes and he delivered them in 36 beautiful pieces.

I had my thoughts about which cupcake would reign supreme, of course. I assumed that, since everyone loves cookie dough and not everyone is as wild about beer as my dear boyfriend, the Cookie Dough Cupcake would come out on top.

At first, the reviews were mixed.

I received word from my dear friend, Casey (who happens to work at Evan's company), that they were a big hit. In fact, her exact words were: Loved your cupcakes this am!! Guinness/Bailey's Cupcakes=Breakfast of champions!!!

One of the other employees said: The cookie dough was completely amazing! I didn't try the stout but the cookie dough rocked!

Once I talked to Evan, however, there was a clear favorite. The Chocolate Stout/Irish Cream cupcake flew out of the kitchen while the Cookie Dough cupcake was slow and steady throughout the morning. I hesitate to call either on the "winner" but, if we're going by initial interest alone, The Chocolate Stout came out on top. I think curiosity killed the cookie dough.

I tried to get "artsy" here and give you a shot
of the Chocolate Stout in front and the
Cookie Dough in back, but it didn't turn out like I expected.
But you get it, right?

I look forward to hosting more of these challenges in the future and hope to have more conclusive results for you all. I have to say that I feel like it was a win-win situation for both cupcakes though because they taught me something new and made me think out of my Betty Crocker box. Thanks, rainy days and boredom, for inspiring me to do something I've never done before.

Cupcake Wars Part 1

Picture it: Labor Day weekend, 2011...it's Sunday and it's drizzling and dreary outside. Evan and I were invited to a friend's house for a beer tasting (all of these homebrew guys getting together to geek out about some very special beers...oh joy!) and I felt it necessary to bring something. After all, every well-mannered Southern girl knows it's rude to show up to a party without something in hand.

Of course, I decided to make cupcakes. But not normal cupcakes...Oh no. I really wanted to make a beer-centered cupcake but Evan wasn't prepared to part with any of his precious beers and, seeing as how we live in Georgia, we couldn't go out and buy any. So, I set aside my dreams of chocolate stout cupcakes for another day and focused on something I could make with just a quick trip to the grocery store.

I stumbled upon this delightful website: http://www.cupcakeproject.com/

It's like something out of a dream! She's done all this work and come up with some fantastically creative cupcake ideas! :)

I searched through her files and found this delicious recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.

I altered it a little bit because I was short on time. I used a plain yellow cake mix and prepared according to the directions. While they were cooking, I sat down and followed the recipe for this yummy raw cookie dough that's safe to eat. No eggs. Delicious and safe? Count me in!!!

All you have to do is mix everything together in a big bowl. No muss, no fuss.

• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 3/4 C unsalted butter, melted
• 1 C packed brown sugar
• 1/2 C white sugar
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 4 T milk
  
• Mini chocolate chips (you can really use anything you want, but I chose this)

I actually doubled the recipe so that I could use some part of it to make the frosting for the cupcakes. I separated out 1 1/2 cups before I put the chocolate chips in it.

Anyway, once the cupcakes were cooled, I cut out a cone shaped portion so that I could then stuff some cookie dough balls in there.

Once that was finished, I mixed the separated portion of the cookie dough with a cup or so of heavy cream and spread it out on top of the cupcakes.

Cookie Dough Icing? Yes, please!

Finally, as they looked a tad plain, I topped them off with a tiny ball of cookie dough. They turned out so cute, didn't they?

I absolutely LOVE cookie dough, so these were superb in my mind. :) It was definitely a successful Sunday.

However...the Chocolate Stout cupcakes were still on my mind...stay tuned for Cupcake Wars Part 2 to see how that turns out.