Oreo Cookie Cupcakes

OK, so I promised people that I would post the recipe for the Oreo cookie cupcakes I made a few weeks ago and I know it's ages later but I am finally getting around to doing it. I can't remember where I got this recipe from originally but I have a feeling that it may well have been from Shimelle... I apologise to whoever it was if it wasn't Shim!

Oreo Cookie Cupcakes

Ingredients:
180g unsalted butter
400g brown sugar
250g dark chocolate
3 large eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla
200g plain flour
100g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
8 Oreo cookies, smashed to bits (I usually use a whole packet though, sometimes more, depending on how biscuit-y I want them!)
1 3/4 cup milk

• Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside but don’t chill.


• Heat the oven to 180C and line cupcake tin with papers.


• Beat the butter until it is soft, then add sugar and mix until fluffy.


• Stir up the egg yolks, then add them to the butter and sugar.


• Add the vanilla and the chocolate (just make sure it’s not so hot that it cooks the eggs)


• Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, alternating with the milk.


• Stir in the bashed Oreos until evenly distributed.


• In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until peaks form.


• Fold in the egg whites, until no more whites show.


• Scoop into the cupcake liners straight away, filling them 3/4 full.


• Bake for 20 minutes or until chopstick comes out clean.


• Cool on a wire rack before icing.

Now for the frosting the recipe I had originally used a cookies and cream, more traditional type, frosting but recently I have used a homemade marshmallow topping and, I have to say, it is delicious! I've never even thought you could make marshmallow yourself at home so this was really interesting to try.

Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
300g sugar
120ml golden syrup
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mini Oreo cookies (you can buy these in a tub from Sainsbury’s) for decoration

• In a large bowl mix egg whites, sugar, golden syrup & salt until combined.


• Place the bowl over simmering water and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot. This will take about 3 minutes.


• Remove from heat and beat, probably using an electric whisk if, like me, you have weak wrists and don't want them to fall off, for 5-7 minutes until frosting is cool and stiff peaks form.


• Beat in vanilla.


• Spread or pipe onto cupcakes and use mini Oreo cookies to decorate.

It's amazing how this gloopy yellow mixture suddenly turns fluffy and white. The frosting is slightly runny to start with but sets to a real marshmallow-y textures in a couple of hours.