Cupcakes for Students

My friend Lauren is a high school teacher and I've been using her students as a cupcake focus group. They put together a "wish list" of cupcake flavors for potential new test batches. Because I'm constantly baking new cupcakes so that I can keep this blog updated and (hopefully) interesting, I told Lauren that I would bake four dozen cupcakes for her class's Great Expectations party. Classic British pastries these were not, but I don't think the kids noticed the difference.

Vanilla with sprinkles in a purple liner: my ideal cupcake

Some of the wish list cupcakes made it into this "order"- Oreo and the cookie dough. The cookie dough I have made before, but the Oreo was a new attempt. Actually, the first time I made the cookie dough cupcakes for some friends, I received two marriage proposals (but turned them both down). They are that good. Seriously. And the best part about them is they're relatively easy to make.

Cookie dough, but the best part is inside

To make the cookie dough, you just need a good vanilla batter and those Nestle Tollhouse break and bake cookies. Break the cookie dough into the preassigned pieces and freeze them for at least 20 minutes. You then push them into a liner half-filled with cupcake batter. Then you just bake like normal, and you end up with a soft cookie baked into a cupcake. It really is just amazing.

Chocolate Oreo. a.k.a. Breakfast

All the other flavors turned out pretty great too. Vanilla is just my all-time favorite. It's so simple, but delicious. I had one of the Oreo ones unfortunately for breakfast this morning. I only say unfortunately because that is 8:30 am, and I should be eating something like granola, not cupcakes. They were pretty great though. Way better than granola. I didn't have any of the Sweet & Salty this time (I mean, how many cupcake calories can I really consume in one day??), but they looked good and were made with the leftover salted caramel I had stored in the fridge after I made it the other weekend.

Sweet & Salty and Oreo, all ready to go to school

Lauren said the kids were ecstatic about the cupcakes. I'm pretty sure this cemented her as their favorite teacher ever.