Who doesn’t love cupcakes?
And who can resist chocolate cupcakes crowned with chocolate chip cookie dough frosting?
If that doesn’t sound tempting, this isn’t the recipe for you.
These cupcakes are seriously delicious. My husband jokes that whoever gets one is the luckiest person alive—high praise for a simple treat.
I don’t claim to be a pastry chef, so I usually start with a boxed cake mix and “doctor” it up to taste more homemade. Adding instant pudding and sour cream gives extra moisture and a richer texture. But the real star here is the cookie dough frosting. It’s egg-free, so it’s safe to enjoy raw, and it’s so good you might be tempted to eat it straight from the bowl. While these cupcakes are chocolate, this frosting works beautifully on vanilla or any other flavor, so feel free to adapt.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting
15 minutes
20 minutes
35 minutes
Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting — a cookie-dough lover’s dream. These start with a doctored boxed cake mix and finish with a creamy, egg-free cookie dough frosting studded with mini chocolate chips.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 box devil’s food cake mix
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Milk (about 2–3 tbsp to thin, add as needed)
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, milk, instant pudding mix, and vanilla. Mix until combined but avoid overmixing.
- Line a muffin tin with liners and fill each about ¾ full. Bake 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- Beat the softened butter with the brown and granulated sugars until creamy using a hand or stand mixer.
- Add the vanilla, flour, and salt. Mix until incorporated, then fold in the mini chocolate chips. If the frosting is too stiff, add milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency.
- Spoon or pipe the frosting onto each cooled cupcake and smooth with a knife or spatula.
Notes
I prefer slightly larger cupcakes and got about 18 from this batch. If you make smaller cupcakes, you may want extra frosting to cover them all.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24
Serving Size:
1 cupcake (out of 24)
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 301
Total Fat: 15g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Trans Fat: 0g
Unsaturated Fat: 10g
Cholesterol: 40mg
Sodium: 212mg
Carbohydrates: 38g
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 21g
Protein: 4g
