Cookie Dough Cupcakes
These Cookie Dough Cupcakes are made with a melt-in-your-mouth moist and soft chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake, topped with cookie dough frosting (made with heat-treated flour) and decorated with an edible cookie dough ball!
I am a big cookie dough lover! This cookie dough cupcakes recipe is inspired by and adapted from my Cookie Dough Cake! It was so delicious, I knew I needed it in cupcake form! Other cookie dough recipes include our homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream which is incredibly smooth, creamy, and packed with Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough Bites. My Crumbl Cookie Dough Cookies recipe is inspired by cookie dough ice cream!
Why This Recipe Works
- Made with cookie dough ingredients. The reason these chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes taste so much like cookie dough is that a lot of the building block ingredients from cookies are used in this cupcakes recipe: light brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract, eggs, baking soda, and mini chocolate chips! With a few additional ingredients, these turn into cupcakes but taste so much like cookie dough!
- Safe-to-eat cookie dough. Each element of this recipe is completely safe to eat! There aren’t any raw eggs in the frosting or in the cookie dough balls. We even use heat-treated flour to make it even safer to enjoy!
- Moist cookie dough cupcakes. I sent this recipe to my sister because she and her husband are also big cookie dough fans. She couldn’t stop talking about how crazy moist these cupcakes are! She said they were the best cupcakes she has ever had — and I completely agree! Not only do they have the perfect cookie dough flavor, but they are so moist everything will just melt in your mouth!
Ingredient Notes
- Light Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar is a staple in chocolate chip cookies! So it will be the main sugar used in these cupcakes.
- Unsalted Butter: Since butter is one of the building blocks of cookies, we’ll use more butter than oil in this cookie dough cupcake recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour: Regular all purpose flour will work great for the cupcakes! We’ll also use some heat treated flour for the cookie dough buttercream and heat-treated flour for the edible cookie dough.
- Buttermilk: Use room temperature buttermilk. The buttermilk will make these the ultimate cookie dough cupcakes that are soft and ultra moist!
- Mini Chocolate Chips: The mini chocolate chips are the perfect size to disperse in the cupcakes making them taste and look like chocolate chip cookies!
- Powdered Sugar: Measure the powdered sugar and then sift it. The addition of the heat treated flour in the frosting will not only make it taste more like cookie dough, but it also balances with the powdered sugar so the frosting doesn’t taste overly sweet.
- 1 Batch of my Ben and Jerry’s Edible Cookie Dough Recipe: You’ll need to make 1 batch of my homemade cookie dough bites! Follow the instructions on that recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Cookie Dough Cupcakes
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Cream the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the egg and extra egg yolk. Mix until uniform.
- Alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk. While mixing on low, add half the flour mixture, then all of the buttermilk, then the remaining flour mixture. Mix until almost combined. Stop mixing and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake. To a cupcake pan lined with cupcake liners, place 2 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough cupcake batter into each cupcake liner. Bake at 325° F for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the center cupcake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. Remove and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn the cupcakes out to cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the Cookie Dough Frosting
- Melt the cream and brown sugar. Add the brown sugar and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Once the sugar has dissolved, set aside to cool.
- Heat treat the flour. In a microwave-safe bowl, add the flour. Heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each. Continue heating in the microwave until the flour reaches 165°F on an instant read thermometer (about 45 seconds).
- Beat the butter. Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add a pinch of salt. Beat on medium high speed until light in color and texture. Add the cooled brown sugar/cream mixture. Beat until well combined. While mixing on low speed, add the powdered sugar and heat-treated flour. Add heavy cream 1 T at a time, beating well after each addition, to keep the mixture spreadable. Place in a piping bag.
Make the Edible Cookie Dough Balls
- Heat treat the flour. Follow the instructions from Make the Cookie Dough Frosting step 3 on heat-treating flour. Flour should reach an internal temperature of 165°F on an instant read thermometer.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add the butter and sugar to a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment. Cream until light and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the heat-treated flour and mix until the dough just forms. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Roll into balls. Roll into balls to use to decorate each cupcake. Set aside.
Decorate the Cupcakes
- Frost and decorate the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes. Once the cupcakes are cooled to room temperature, pipe a swirl of cookie dough frosting on top of each cupcake or smear a large portion on top.
- Top with cookie dough balls. Place a ball of the edible chocolate chip cookie dough on top of the frosting. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
These cookie dough cupcakes don’t have a filling, but if you want to add a type of filling, I recommend rolling the edible cookie dough into a few small balls. Once the cupcakes come out of the oven, gently press one of the small edible cookie dough balls into the center of each cupcake. This will make them a little melty and will make for a delicious surprise when you bite in! You’ll pipe the frosting on top and can still add a cookie dough ball on top!
You can also add mini chocolate chips to the frosting instead of sprinkling them on top of the cupcakes. If you’d like this option, gently fold them in once the frosting is made.
When heat-treating flour, you’ll notice it gathers some moisture and will cause some flour to stick to the bottom of the bowl. That’s normal. Don’t worry about scraping it all off. You’ll still have enough flour and if you try scraping it all out of the bowl, you’ll notice small clumps of flour in the mixture.
Use a whisk to stir your flour as you heat treat it to reduce clumping. Let the flour sit before adding it to the mixture so you don’t risk melting anything.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing
You can make the edible cookie dough balls ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. At that point, I would make the cupcakes and serve them!
Leftover cookie dough frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freeze for up to 2 months. Remove and let thaw in the fridge overnight. Then let come to room temperature and beat to return to a fluffy texture.
Store the cookie dough cupcakes covered or in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can store the unfrosted cupcakes at room temperature in a container or ziplock bag.
You can also freeze cookie dough cupcakes. Flash freeze in the freezer until the frosting is firm. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a ziplock bag or airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remove and let thaw in the fridge while wrapped or at room temperature unwrapped. Enjoy!
My How to Store and Freeze Cakes guide goes into more detail about freezing cakes (same applies for cupcakes!)
Recipe FAQs
If you think about it, typically everything made with flour is baked or cooked: bread, cakes, cookies, pasta, etc. Raw flour, meaning flour that isn’t cooked or baked can contain bacteria. Heat-treating flour is important when making something that won’t be baked, like edible cookie dough! It’s important to heat-treat the flour so you get rid of any lingering bacteria.
If cookie dough contains raw eggs or flour that hasn’t been heat-treated, then there is a risk for bacteria that can potentially cause any food-borne illnesses. In order to be sure cookie dough is safe to eat, you want to remove the eggs and heat treat the flour.
Yes! This edible cookie dough recipe uses heavy cream instead of eggs and heat-treated flour to ensure it is completely safe to eat and enjoy!
Yes you can! If you want to use a larger bowl and heat treat all the flour for the cookie dough frosting and the edible cookie dough, you definitely can. It may take a bit longer since you are heating a larger amount of flour.
More Cupcake Recipes
- Best Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
- German Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
- Black Velvet Cupcakes
- Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes
- Mini Cupcakes Recipe
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Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cookie Dough Cupcakes
- 1 cup light brown sugar - packed
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter - softened
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg - room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk - at room temperature
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Cookie Dough Frosting
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar - packed
- 1/4 cup heavy cream - plus more if needed
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter - softened to room temperature but still slightly cold
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Edible Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter - softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar - packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Cookie Dough cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the oil and vanilla and mix. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix to combine.
- With the mixture on low speed, add half of the flour mixture, all of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until partially combined, then fold in the chocolate chips but don’t overmix.
- Fill the cupcake cavities half to 2/3's full, using approximately 2 ½ – 3 T of batter in each compartment.
- Bake for 17-20 min, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle come out clean or with a couple crumbs stuck to it.
- Remove from oven, let cool in pan for 5 mins then turn out to cool on a wire rack until room temperature.
Cookie Dough Frosting
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, mix together brown sugar and heavy cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved into the cream. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Mix. Set aside to cool.
- Heat treat the flour. Place the flour in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval. Continue heating until flour reads 165°F on an instant read thermometer. This will take about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
- In the bowl of a stand fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the slightly softened butter and a pinch of salt on medium high speed until it’s smooth and light in texture and color. Add the brown sugar/cream mixture and beat well. With the mixer on low speed slowly add the powdered sugar and flour. If the frosting is too stiff or hard to mix, add heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition until a spreadable texture has been achieved.
- This frosting can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Let the frosting sit out at room temperature for about 3 hours and then beat it until it’s smooth again before using. If it is at room temperature and seems too thick to spread, add heavy cream, a tablespoon at a time until it becomes spreadable.
Edible Cookie Dough
- Place the flour in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval. Continue heating until flour reads 165°F on an instant read thermometer. This will take about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer (Fitted with paddle attachment) cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, cream, and salt. Beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the heated flour and mix to combine.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Roll the edible cookie dough into large balls, that you can then place on top of each cupcake.
Assembly
- Smear or pipe a generous dose of cookie dough frosting on top of each cupcake. Top with an edible cookie dough ball. Enjoy!
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5 Comments on “Cookie Dough Cupcakes”
There is vanilla in the ingredients list for the frosting, but the directions never say to add it. Should the vanilla be added to the frosting and at what point? Thanks!
Thanks for pointing that out Cara! I’ve fixed that in the recipe card. The vanilla should be added to the cream and brown sugar mixture after removing it from the stove.
Fabulous recipe! I had a request for cookie dough cupcakes and after looking at different versions decided on this recipe. They LOVED it, and so did my hubby😍 Will be making it again soon!
So glad you love these! Thanks for the 5-star rating!
These were so fun to make. So creative. I didn’t taste them myself but I brought them into work and all but 1 were gone for the day. People loved them, but not as much as an Oreo one but more than the salt and baker red velvet ones. Personally I think it’s because cookie dough is so tasty that people can’t pass it down compared to red velvet. I totally am making these again. I think it could be good with a lil gnache in the middle of the cupcake before frosting to get more chocolate in the cupcake. So I may test that out next time. Thanks for such a great recipe!