Oreo Cupcakes (aka Proposal Cupcakes)

 HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, FRIENDS!!

We hope your day is filled with lots of love, joy, and tons of empty calories!

Chocolate for breakfast?  Sure, why not?

Dessert with lunch?  If you insist!

Some sweets before bed?  You bet!

So for the LOVE OF CHOCOLATE, eat up!!

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On a holiday like this, The Spatularettes knew there was only one treat that would do the trick.  These Oreo Cupcakes will ROCK YOUR WORLD!  And if you're really lucky, they will live up to their nickname of Proposal Cupcakes, and you will land a ROCK ON YOUR FINGER!

Tall One's roommate is very active in the world of Pinterest.  She has found all sorts of great recipes, styles, quotes, and crafts that she has graciously shared with Tall and Small.  Without a doubt though, her best Pinterest find has been this cupcake recipe from Confessions Of A Cookbook Queen.  We've made them in previous months for co-workers and our inboxes were flooded with emails of praise and gratitude telling us these are "the best f'ing cupcakes I've ever had!"  More impressively though, these babies have resulted in down on one knee marriage proposals and offers to leave one's wife if we promise to bake for the rest of our lives.

So when the 14th of February rolled around this year, The Spatularettes could think of no better way to say I LOVE YOU (and maybe receive some love in return), then with a batch of Proposal Cupcakes!

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcakes:

-1 Box white cake mix
-1 stick unsalted butter, melted
-1 cup water
-3 eggs
-24 whole Oreos

Filling:
-Half a 7.5 oz jar of marshmallow fluff

-2 Tbs salted butter, at room temperature

-Splash of vanilla
-1 Tbs of heavy cream (or milk)

-1/3 cup of powdered sugar

Frosting:

-3 sticks salted butter, at room temperature

-3 Tbs of heavy cream (or milk)

-1 1/2 tsp vanilla

-6 cups powdered sugar

-10-12 Oreos, very finally chopped (we used the food processor)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners and place a whole Oreo in the bottom of each liner.  In honor of Valentine's Day we used fun holiday Oreos with red filling.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cake mix, butter, water and eggs on low speed for 1 minute.  Turn up the speed to medium and beat for another minute or two.  Distribute batter between the 24 tins.  Each should be about 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the toothpick comes out clean.  Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the marshmallow fluff, butter, vanilla, and cream on low speed.  Once well combined add powdered sugar and continue to mix for another minute.  We added a few drops of red food coloring to be extra festive!  Use a small serrated knife to cut a cone out of the top of each cupcake.  Slice off the bottom of the cone and discard, leaving just a little topper.  Spoon a teaspoon of filling into each cupcake and top with the little cupcake hat.

Finally for the best part... the frosting!!  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter, cream and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time and beat on a low speed until well combined.  Crank up speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes.  Add Oreo crumbs and mix until smooth and evenly distributed.

What a Spatularette fridge looks like right before Valentine's Day...

We know, we know, this seems like a lot of work for a cupcake, right?  But these are so much more than cupcakes!  They are perfect for Valentine's Day, but also for any day of the year when you'd like to make an extra special treat.  So whip up a batch, box them up, and distribute to those you love! 

 

We may not be experts on men, but we are definitely experts of food!  With a recipe like this though, you're guaranteed to be lucky in LOVE AND THE KITCHEN this Valentine's Day!

 

XOXO,

Tall and Small