Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

This recipe combines the best of both worlds - it's a cake and a cookie in one! Moist vanilla cupcakes filled with edible chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with creamy brown sugar frosting and chocolate chips! The perfect cupcake for cookie lovers!

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Below you will find tips, tricks and helpful hints for making this recipe including step by step instructions with pictures. If you would like to go directly to the recipe, scroll down to the recipe card or tap "Jump to Recipe" at the top of the page.

Why You'll Love This Cookie Dough Cupcakes Recipe

Get ready to satisfy your sweet tooth with these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes! Imagine a soft, fluffy cupcake with a hidden surprise of edible cookie dough in the middle. Topped with a swirl of creamy frosting and more mini chocolate chips, it’s like enjoying two treats in one!

These cupcakes, with their edible cookie dough centers, are the perfect blend of classic chocolate chip cookies and decadent cupcakes, making them a crowd-pleaser for any occasion. Whether you're baking for a party or just because, these little indulgences are sure to be a hit!

Edible Cookie Dough Cupcake Ingredients

*Ingredient amounts are located in the recipe card at the end of this post.

• Cake mix– For these cupcakes, you can use any neutral flavored cake mix like yellow cake, white cake, or vanilla cake.
• Eggs- I always use large eggs in a cake recipe. Smaller or jumbo eggs will not work the same way and your batter might not rise properly.
• Vegetable Oil or Melted Butter- I prefer to use vegetable oil when baking cupcakes because it enhances the flavor of the ingredients without leaving a greasy taste in my mouth. You can substitute melted butter if you want a buttery taste.
• Milk- I used whole milk in this recipe, but you can use any type of milk that you have on hand. You can also substitute water if desired.
• Vanilla Extract- Use high quality vanilla extract because it will make your cupcakes taste amazing! I usually find the best deal for this at Costco. If you don’t have any on hand you can substitute imitation vanilla.
• Butter- This will be used to make the cookie dough filling as well as the brown sugar frosting. I usually use salted butter in this recipe because it enhances the flavor of the cookie dough, but unsalted will work as well. Make sure your butter has been softened to room temperature.
• brown sugar- the molasses in brown sugar adds a richness to the cookie dough that can’t be replaced. It will also be used in the brown sugar frosting. I have used both light brown sugar and dark brown sugar interchangeably when making this recipe, so you can pick whatever kind of brown sugar you have on hand or prefer.
• White Sugar- White sugar gives the dough that sweet flavor that is characteristic of traditional cookie dough. You can use granulated, fine, or superfine sugar interchangeably.
• Milk- Milk is essential to this recipe because it moistens the dough so there are no worries about eating raw eggs! It also enhances the overall flavor of the cookie dough. It will also be used to help you reach the right consistency with your frosting. You can use any type of milk that you have on hand.
• Vanilla Extract- Vanilla extract is a must in this recipe! I like to use pure vanilla extract but imitation will work just fine.
• Mini Chocolate Chips- Mini chocolate chips work best for this recipe. Because the chocolate chips are so small, each ball of dough will contain more chocolate chips than if you used standard size.
• All-Purpose Flour- Standard all-purpose flour is what I use in this recipe.
• Powdered Sugar- For this recipe you want to use powdered sugar, also known as confectioners' sugar, to give the frosting its firmness.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

[Step 1] Cupcakes: Place the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer or mixing bowl and beat the eggs lightly with a paddle attachment. Add the cake mix, oil, vanilla extract and milk. Beat on low for one minute, then on medium or high for 2 minutes.

[Step 2] Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and fill each liner with about 3 Tablespoons of cupcake batter. Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Keep an eye on the baking time, because times will vary with different ovens. Remove and allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

[Step 3] Cookie Dough: Add the softened butter, brown sugar and white sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and milk, followed by the flour. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.

[Step 4] Brown Sugar Frosting: Beat the softened butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing in between. Mix in 2-4 tablespoons of milk or heavy cream until the frosting reaches your desired consistency, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

[Step 5] Cupcake Assembly: Remove the center of the unfrosted cupcakes with a knife or a cupcake corer. Discard the cupcake middle.

[Step 6] Use a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop to add an edible cookie dough ball to the middle of each cupcake.

[Step 7] Add the frosting to a piping bag with a large star tip. Swirl the frosting on top of the cupcakes and sprinkle with remaining mini chocolate chips, if desired.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

• Stand Mixer
• Hand Mixer
• Mixing Bowls
• Measuring Cups
• Cupcake Pan
• Cupcake Liners
• Cookie Scoop
• Cooling Rack
• Cupcake Corer
• Piping Bags
• Large Star Tip

How to Store Cupcakes

To store your Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes, simply place them in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay fresh for up to 3 days. If you want to keep them longer, you can store them in the fridge for up to a week. Just be sure to let them come to room temperature before enjoying so the frosting stays nice and soft.

For even longer storage, these cupcakes can also be frozen—just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and they’ll stay good for about a month.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why use a cake mix to make cupcakes? Using a box mix might seem like “cheating” when making cupcakes, but I promise you it will save you time and effort! In fact, there are many bakery’s that use baking mixes for their cakes and cupcakes. Cake mixes cut out a few steps by having the dry ingredients pre-measured and ready for you to get baking!
• How can you to make cake mix cupcakes taste like bakery cupcakes? Before I started my website, I ran a small cupcake business and used cake mixes all of the time. But, I didn’t necessarily follow the directions on the box. There are a couple of tricks that you can use to make your cakes taste just like they came from a local bakery. Try adding an extra egg, melted butter instead of oil, and milk instead of water. Prepare to be amazed!
• What temperature do you bake cupcakes? When I am planning to fill and decorate cupcakes, I prefer to have the tops be flat instead of having a dome. The way that I achieve this is to bake the cupcakes at 325 degrees, instead of 350 degrees, like it instructs on the box.

More Cupcake Recipes

• Dole Whip Cupcakes
• Death by OREO Cupcakes
• Disney's Peanut Butter Crunch Cupcakes
• Harry Potter Butterbeer Cupcakes
• Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes
• Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

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