These Small-batch Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes are moist and decadent chocolate cupcakes smothered with a creamy, dreamy homemade cookie dough frosting. If you’re looking for something to liven up a boring week, these cupcakes are just what you’re looking for.
Hey you, yes you. How has your week been going? It’s Thursday, so that means you’ve probably been working hard and getting things done all week. Been responsible and reasonable and totally respectable. And isn’t it all kind of awful? Is it starting to get to you, like an itch under your skin?
Friend, I have just the antidote for that sort of mundane: Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes.
Tell me those words don’t send a tiny shiver of delight down your spine.
(No, don’t tell me. If it didn’t, I don’t want to know that there’s no joy left in you.)
This tiny batch (makes just four) of these ridiculous, delightful little cupcakes is exactly the sort of thing you need at the end of a long work week. They’re decadently delicious, just on the right side of impractical, and shockingly easy to make.
They’re made with my favorite small-batch chocolate cupcake base, a base which is so soft and moist and incredibly chocolatey that you could happily eat it plain right out of the oven, but don’t because you need something to put this cookie dough frosting on.
And this frosting, OMG THIS FROSTING, it tastes like you made a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough , magically added a bit of creaminess to it and piled it on a cupcake. It’s the dream frosting for those of us who spent our childhoods begging to lick the cookie dough bowl.
Together with the rich chocolate cake, it’s A LOT. Like, pour yourself a glass of milk or coffee and settle in for a good time, a lot, because it’s a cupcake to eat slowly, savor, and lick the frosting from your fingers when it’s gone.
Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes Recipe Tips
- Not feeling the chocolate cupcake base? You could make vanilla cookie dough cupcakes using this frosting on my Small-batch Vanilla Cupcakes recipe (maybe throw some chocolate chips in the batter too).
- This frosting contains flour. If you’re concerned about using raw flour in your frosting, I give instructions in the recipe for cooking it first, but this does change the flavor of the frosting slightly as part of the taste of cookie dough is the raw flour taste.
- Properly softened butter is a MUST for the frosting recipe. If your butter is not soft enough, the ingredients will not mix completely and you will end up with little flour lumps in your frosting. You want butter that is not melted but soft enough to easily squish with a finger. This shouldn’t be a problem during the summer, but in cold kitchens during the winter, you may need to cut the butter into cubes and place somewhere warm for a couple minutes.
- Finally, I recommend using a handheld electric mixer for the frosting. Small-batch frostings can usually be made by hand in a pinch, but I suspect you’ll have a hard time getting the flour to mix completely in this recipe if doing it by hand.
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ 4 cupcake liners
- ▢ Handheld electric mixer
- ▢ Fine mesh strainer or sifter
Chocolate Cupcakes
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 1oz ) unsalted butter
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 21g ) chopped semi-sweet chocolate
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 30g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 11g ) cocoa powder sifted if lumpy
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 50g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 2 tablespoons milk any percentage
- ▢ 2 tablespoons hot coffee or hot water
Cookie Dough Frosting
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 60g ) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 2oz ) unsalted butter softened (very soft but not melted)
- ▢ 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons ( 75g ) brown sugar
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 2 tablespoons milk plus more to taste
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 42g ) semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with 4 liners.
- To a small, microwave-safe bowl, add butter, chopped chocolate, and vegetable oil. Microwave for 15 seconds and stir until smooth, microwaving for an additional 15 seconds if necessary. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
- To a medium bowl, add sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla, and whisk until well-combined. Pour in slightly cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until uniform in color. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour in milk and hot coffee (or hot water) and whisk until smooth. The batter will be thin.
- Divide the batter between prepared cupcake cups, filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 16 to 19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
- Cool cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting, 15 to 20 minutes.
Cookie Dough Frosting
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread flour out over parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to cream well-softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla and beat until well-combined.
- Sift flour over the top of the butter and sugar mixture and add salt. With the mixer on medium, mix until flour is completely incorporated, at least 1 minute. Frosting will look like crumbs.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and beat, starting on low working up to high until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
- If frosting is too stiff, add milk by the teaspoon until frosting reaches your desired consistency.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Cover cupcakes using rounded spoonfuls of frosting. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Frosting Adapted From I Am Baker
Keto Chicken in Cream Sauce: quick-cooking chicken breasts cooked on the stove top with a killer basil and parmesan cream sauce and served over cauliflower rice.
Hey, keto friends, I have an easy keto dinner for you today: Keto Chicken in Cream Sauce. Quick-cooking chicken breasts cooked on the stove top with a killer basil and parmesan cream sauce and served over cauliflower rice.
This is one of my favorite keto recipes for weeknights because it’s easy, quick, and super creamy and satisfying. Like my Keto Chicken Soup , it’s also very non-keto-eater friendly. So you can make it for anyone, and they’re going to love it.
How to Make Keto Chicken in Cream Sauce
This recipe starts by slicing a large chicken breast horizontally into two thinner pieces so it’s easier and quicker to cook on the stove. If you only have small chicken breasts on hand, not a problem.
Just use two breasts instead of one, but still slice them into thinner pieces so they’re easy to cook.
Once cut, the chicken gets sprinkled with Italian seasoning , salt, and pepper, and then pan-fried. Since the chicken is thin, it’ll only take about 10 minutes to cook. And once the chicken is done, it’s time to make your cream sauce.
The cream sauce is super simple. Just simmer chicken broth and cream for a minute, add parmesan, basil, and pimientos with a little salt and pepper, and that’s it. There’s your sauce.
It seems way too simple, but I promise, it’s SO good.
Serve everything over a bed of cauliflower rice, with a side of green beans or oven-roasted broccoli , and enjoy. From start to finish, this recipe should take you less than 30 minutes.
A Note on Pimientos (What are Pimientos???!)
If you’ve never cooked with pimientos before, they’re diced cherry peppers, very mild and slightly sweet. You can usually find them at the grocery store in clear 2 or 4-ounce jars (at least here in California) near the olives.
If you can’t find pimientos, you can also substitute with 1/4 cup of finely diced red bell pepper cooked in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until softened.
Keto Chicken Recipe Notes
- As written, the recipe makes 2 servings but it scales easily with no preparation changes needed
- For more keto recipes, try Keto Fried Rice and Bacon and Feta Chicken Breasts .
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Instant-read thermometer
Chicken
- ▢ 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
- ▢ Italian seasoning *
- ▢ Salt and pepper
Basil Cream Sauce
- ▢ 1/4 cup chicken broth
- ▢ 1/2 cup heavy cream
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 1oz ) shredded Parmesan cheese
- ▢ 1 2-ounce jar diced pimientos drained
- ▢ 2 tablespoons loosely packed chopped fresh basil OR 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
Serve Over
- ▢ 1 1/2 cups cooked cauliflower rice
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breast in half horizontally by placing one hand on top of the breast and slicing the top and bottom into two thin, even pieces. Sprinkle both sides of each piece with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Grease with cooking spray or a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, add chicken and cook for 4-6 minutes per side (longer for very large breasts), until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat reads 165°F.
- Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Return pan to stove and add chicken broth and cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Turn heat down to low and add cheese, drained pimientos, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice chicken breast and serve over cauliflower rice. Top with cream sauce and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Adapted From Chicken in Cream Sauce
This easy shepherd’s pie with ground beef is a perfect cozy dinner for two or three people. The ground beef filling, made completely from scratch, is rich and a little tangy, with a hint of sweetness from the carrots and the onions. It’s so good that you’ll want to eat it with a spoon before it even goes into the oven.
One of the perks of running a food blog is that my job makes it super easy to score bonus points with friends and family since I am constantly feeding them the food I make to the site. People love good food, and they love you a little more if you’re the one giving it to them. 😉
And I hit the mother lode of bonus points with my dad for today’s recipe, easy shepherd’s pie with ground beef.
My dad loves Shepherd’s Pie so leftovers from my test version went straight to him, and that single 7×5-inch dish of food immediately catapulted me to #1-favorite-daughter status.
Some Really Excellent Shepherd’s Pie
I totally earned that position because this is some really excellent shepherd’s pie I’m sharing with you today.
The ground beef filling, which is made completely from scratch, is rich and a little tangy, with a hint of sweetness from the carrots and the onions. It’s so good that you’ll want to eat it with a spoon before it even goes into the oven.
And the potato topping is buttery and creamy and glorious.
My dad has already requested this for Father’s Day (replacing his traditional feast of Chicken Curry ), and I don’t know what better recommendation there is for this dish than that.
And before I get a million messages about this, I want to pause and say, I know that this pie is technically a Cottage Pie.
Shepherds Pie vs Cottage Pie
For those who don’t know the difference, both shepherd’s and cottage pies are made with meat, gravy, and usually vegetables, and covered with potatoes. Generally, shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, cottage pie with beef. Though the term “cottage pie” was used as a blanket term for all meat/potato pies for about 100 years before people started calling the version with lamb “shepherd’s pie.”
That said, in my experience, most people don’t make that distinction here in America. Every shepherd’s pie I’ve ever been served, except those I’ve had in the UK, have been made with beef, and when I was doing research for this post, no one I asked had any idea what cottage pie was.
Since I’d like the people in the US who enjoy shepherd’s pie to be able to find this “shepherd’s pie,” that’s what I’m going with. (Sorry, fellow grammar pedants. It hurts my heart too.)
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: As mentioned above, traditional shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb. Feel free to substitute it here instead of beef. I used 80% ground beef in this recipe, but any ground beef will work because you’ll be draining off the fat anyway.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste adds a bit of depth of flavor to the filling. If you don’t have any handy, you can use the same amount of ketchup. If you have leftover tomato paste, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste for storage tips and recipes to use up the leftovers.
- Peas: If you’re not a fan of peas, you can replace them with corn or just add corn along with the peas if you’re a fan of corn in your shepherd’s pie.
- An egg yolk: An egg yolk in the potato topping helps with browning and adds just a little extra richness. If you’re out of eggs, feel free to skip it, but don’t expect the same golden color you see in the photos. For ideas on how to use the leftover egg white, check out my What to Do With Leftover Egg Whites post.
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie is actually an incredibly easy dinner to make, and if you cook your potatoes and filling simultaneously, the active cooking time is only about 20 minutes before the whole thing goes into the oven. The potato topping is just your standard easy mashed potatoes with an egg yolk whisked in at the end (the yolk helps with browning and gives the topping a little extra richness).
And the filling comes together quickly. While your potatoes are cooking, you brown a bit of hamburger and then cook some onions, carrots, and garlic in the same pan. Stir in some ketchup or tomato paste, which adds a great depth of flavor, and flour to thicken the mixture, along with broth and Worcestershire sauce. That simmers for a couple minutes to thicken, and then you just stir together your meat and gravy and peas, layer your pie and bake.
Dinner’s done when the top is a lovely golden brown, which will take about 25 minutes, just enough time to clean up and pour yourself a glass of wine.
More Easy Beef Recipes
- American Goulash
- Oven-roasted Tri-tip
- Easy Chili Recipe
- Quick Beef Teriyaki
- Easy Lasagna
Recipe Notes
- This recipe makes two huge servings or three more reasonable ones. If you’d like to double the recipe, it doubles with no preparation changes and can be made in an 8×8-inch baking dish.
- You can omit the peas completely if you don’t like them or replace them with corn. You can also add corn to the peas if you just really like corn.
- To make a true Shepherd’s Pie, ground lamb can be substituted for the ground beef.
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ 7x5-inch Baking Dish
Potato Topping
- ▢ 1 large russet potato* chopped
- ▢ Salt and pepper
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 1oz ) butter
- ▢ 1 tablespoon milk or cream
- ▢ 1 large egg yolk
Ground Beef Filling
- ▢ 1/2 pound ground beef
- ▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ▢ 1/2 medium onion diced (about 1/2 cup)
- ▢ 1 medium carrot diced
- ▢ 1 garlic clove pressed or minced
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 8g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 2 teaspoons ketchup or tomato paste
- ▢ 3/4 cup chicken broth
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ▢ 1/4 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 7x5-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Start Your Potatoes
- Place chopped potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring potatoes to a simmer and cook until fork-tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, cover, and set aside.
Make the Filling
- While your potatoes cook, in a medium skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef until well-browned, breaking up the meat as you go. Drain fat and transfer hamburger to a plate.
- Return the pan to the stove and heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and carrot and cook until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in flour and ketchup/tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in hamburger and peas. Transfer the mixture into your prepared baking dish, smooth into an even layer, and set aside.
Finish Potatoes
- Use a fork or potato masher to mash potatoes until smooth. Add butter and stir until butter is completely incorporated. Repeat with the milk/cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Finally, add the egg yolk and stir until well-combined. Spoon potatoes over your meat mixture and spread evenly over the top. If your dish is very full, place it on a baking sheet to catch any drips while it cooks.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are lightly golden. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving, and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Adapted From The Best One-Dish Suppers
Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes (Small-batch)
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- 4 cupcake liners
- Handheld electric mixer
- Fine mesh strainer or sifter
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 tablespoons ( 1oz ) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons ( 21g ) chopped semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup ( 30g ) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ( 11g ) cocoa powder sifted if lumpy
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup ( 50g ) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk any percentage
- 2 tablespoons hot coffee or hot water
Cookie Dough Frosting
- 1/2 cup ( 60g ) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
- 1/4 cup ( 2oz ) unsalted butter softened (very soft but not melted)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons ( 75g ) brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons milk plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup ( 42g ) semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with 4 liners.
- To a small, microwave-safe bowl, add butter, chopped chocolate, and vegetable oil. Microwave for 15 seconds and stir until smooth, microwaving for an additional 15 seconds if necessary. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
- To a medium bowl, add sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla, and whisk until well-combined. Pour in slightly cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until uniform in color. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour in milk and hot coffee (or hot water) and whisk until smooth. The batter will be thin.
- Divide the batter between prepared cupcake cups, filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 16 to 19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
- Cool cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting, 15 to 20 minutes.
Cookie Dough Frosting
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread flour out over parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to cream well-softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla and beat until well-combined.
- Sift flour over the top of the butter and sugar mixture and add salt. With the mixer on medium, mix until flour is completely incorporated, at least 1 minute. Frosting will look like crumbs.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and beat, starting on low working up to high until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
- If frosting is too stiff, add milk by the teaspoon until frosting reaches your desired consistency.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Cover cupcakes using rounded spoonfuls of frosting. Serve and enjoy!
