Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

Did you know there are zero Trader Joe's in Hawaii. I KNOW. It's a travesty. Now you feel maybe just a little bit sorry for us in so-called "paradise." Anyway, before we left California, we stocked up on some of our favorite Trader Joe's food to bring with us. It ended up being a massive box of wine, crackers, dried fruit, snacks, and one of our very favorite items, cookie butter. We're probably good for 6 months. After that, I may put out an emergency call to my mainland friends to send us TJ care packages.

I decided to turn some of the cookie butter into frosting for cupcakes for Alex's birthday party this past weekend. Even with over-baked cupcakes (as I learn the temperament of our new oven), the frosting made these really good. I took a standard peanut butter frosting recipe, and basically swapped in cookie butter instead. It was creamy and light, and paired perfectly with the rich chocolate cake. 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting
Cupcakes adapted from Ina Garten

print this recipe

Cupcakes:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. 

In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 

Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake cups to about 3/4 full and bake for 17-19 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Cookie Butter Frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup Speculoos cookie butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Splash of milk

Cream together the butter and cookie butter. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until thick. Add a small splash of milk and mix on high until smooth and creamy. Spread or pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.