Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes (brown butter chocolate frosting)

These Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes are some serious cupcakes, y’all.

But that’s kind of a lie. They’re not really cupcakes. They’re cookies. Giant chocolate chip cookies. With brown butter chocolate frosting. And a cookie garnish.

Like I said…serious with a capital OMG.

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You guys. Before we start talking about these chocolate chip cookie cupcakes that are really the best chocolate chip cookie masquerading as a cupcake, let’s talk about babies.

I love babies. Other peoples’, that is. And you know what? It’s raining babies around blog land! A few weeks ago some friends and I threw Lisa a baby shower. Now, it’s Cathy’s turn!

Cathy is the amazing mom and blogger behind Lemon Tree Dwelling. If you’ve never visited her blog, go. Run. Her food is amazing! She posts things like S’mores Cheesecake Cups and Lemon Bar Muddy Buddies. And she posts real food too, like dinners and salads and stuff which is great because then there’s room for more quick bread.

Anyway, today a bunch of us bloggers are celebrating Cathy because she’s having a baby girl to join the other three sweet girls in her family. {Oh, her poor husband…}

I’m bringing cookie cupcakes to her shower, because I needed an excuse to make these Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes.

Scratch that. I don’t need an excuse to make them, I need an excuse to eat 6.

Now, if you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’ll have seen (and maybe pinned?) my XL Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I think it’s one of my absolute favorite recipes on this site, and I’ve always gotten amazing reviews on it. One reader actually tweeted me awhile back and said they liked it as much as they liked Alton Brown’s recipe, which made me laugh, blush, and spit coffee across the room.

Anyway.

I wanted to make cupcakes but I wasn’t in the mood for cake. I also wasn’t in the mood for waiting – and that chocolate chip cookie recipe requires overnight chilling. These do not. Oh, they require chilling, but it doesn’t have to be overnight (the flavors will be bolder if you do wait, but you don’t have to).

When I made these cookie cupcakes, I was expecting the cookie to be the star. It’s not.

The frosting is the star of these Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes.

The frosting is the best chocolate frosting I’ve ever had.

Both the cookies and the frosting start with something amazing: brown butter. Now, if you’re not a foodie and don’t read a lot of blogs, you might not know what that is or how to do it.

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Here is your step-by-step photo tutorial for how to brown butter:

It’s really way easier than it sounds.

Brown (or browned) butter is basically butter that’s been melted and cooked. When you cook butter at a consistent heat for a period of time, it changes from it’s regular color to a deep, dark brown. And the color isn’t the only thing that changes: the flavor is unbelievable.

Brown butter has a nuttier, more rich butter flavor. It’s hard to describe, so you’ll just have to believe me, but adding brown butter in place of regular melted butter adds a depth to your recipe that you wouldn’t believe.

All you have to do is add your butter to a pan (I like to slice it up first, so that it melts faster and more evenly) and cook it over medium-low heat. You don’t have to stir it constantly, just occasionally. You don’t have to stare at it constantly, but don’t leave the kitchen.

The butter will melt, then it will foam. Then the foam will reduce, then it will foam again. Then it will start to brown. Like when you’re making pudding or some thickening sauce, once it starts to brown it browns fast. At that point you want to be watching it. Too brown makes it burned. Burned butter is not good.

Once it’s browned, you use it as directed in whatever recipe you’re making. (Like say…chocolate chip cookies…or frosting.) There will be some sediment on the bottom of your pan; that’s normal.

What makes this brown butter chocolate frosting the best frosting ever? The fact that I browned the butter, then chilled it until it solidified (but was still soft enough to mix). This amps up the flavor of the frosting x1000. Then I added chocolate.

And I died and went to heaven.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes are made with browned butter too, as well as a combination of vanilla and almond extract. You don’t have to use the almond extract, but you’ll be amazed at the flavor it adds.

I use mini chocolate chips in this recipe because I think it spreads the chocolate more evenly throughout the cookie. You can use regular chocolate chips, but I’m in love with the minis. I use them in almost everything these days! Nestle is the most common maker of the mini chocolate chips, but I’ve also seen them by Guittard.

I wanted to make a cookie garnish for the top of these, but you can skip that and make an extra cookie cupcake or two, your choice. Each of these cookies uses 1/4 cup of dough – so I wasn’t exaggerating when I said they’re a serious cupcake. If you’re worried about how big they are, you could make these in a mini muffin pan instead, just watch the baking time.

Whatever you do, don’t skip the frosting on these Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes. I want to make the frosting again just so I can eat it with a spoon. Seriously – best frosting ever.

These Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes are perfect for any party. Or because you’re so craving chocolate chip cookies!

*Drooling*

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes {brown butter chocolate frosting}

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Yield 15 cookie cupcakes

Serving Size 1 cupcake

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Ingredients

 

Cookie Cupcakes

• ▢ 2 sticks butter we’re going to brown it!
• ▢ 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 cup light brown sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon almond extract optional
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting

• ▢ 1/2 cup butter
• ▢ 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or special dark cocoa powder
• ▢ 2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 6-7 tablespoons heavy whipping cream depending on desired consistency

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Instructions

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, about 6 minutes, until it becomes brown in color. It will foam, reduce, then foam again.
• Once it’s done cooking the foam is a light brown and it will dissipate after you remove it from the heat. Once it starts to brown, keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. Let sit for about 5 minutes to cool.
• Pour into an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. While still hot, add both sugars and mix on low until combined. Let sit to cool for a few minutes.
• While butter mixture is cooling, combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir and set aside.
• Turn mixer (with butter mixture bowl attached) on low. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing completely. Mix in vanilla extract and almond extract (optional, but it adds great flavor). Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Line cupcake pans with 15 liners and one baking sheet with parchment or a silpat baking mat.
• Scoop out 15 balls of cookie dough that are about 1/4 cup each (I use an ice cream scoop for this). Place one ball in each cupcake liner.
• Divide the remaining dough into 1/2 tablespoon sized balls.
• Chill both the cookie dough cupcakes and little cookie balls for at least 2 hours (or more).
• Before baking cookies, start the frosting (see below).
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake mini cookies for about 7-8 minutes. Bake the cupcakes for about 15-18 minutes. In both cases, the outside will start to turn a rich golden color. You don't want to over bake these, they taste best when they're a little under done in the middle. Cool the cupcakes for 15 minutes in the pan before removing to a rack to cool completely. Frost once cool.

To make the frosting:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, just a few minutes until it becomes brown in color. Place in a large mixing bowl and sit until set. (You want it set, as in not melted, but you want it soft enough to be able to mix. So make sure it's the consistency of room temperature butter when you start mixing in the powdered sugar.)
• Once butter has set, mix in the powdered sugar and cocoa with a hand mixer until crumbly. Add vanilla and 2 tablespoons cream. Mix. Add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you’ve reached your desired spreading consistency.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 941mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Author Dorothy Kern

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Check out all the other baby shower food – don’t you wish you were really at her shower??!!

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Other recipes you might like:

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Thanks for reading!