Recently, one of my old ad agency friends challenged me with the question “If you could only eat a cookie or a cupcake every day for the rest of your life, which would you choose?” My response was “Do I really have to choose one or the other? Or could it be a cookie stuffed inside a cupcake?” He humored me and said “Sure, it could be a cookie in a cupcake. If there was such a thing. Duh.”

Duh. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

It’s like the inventor of Oreos traveled into the future via flux capacitor, peeked in my kitchen window, then went back in time to shape and size his cookie mold to exactly the same diameter as my cupcake tin knowing I would one day create the world’s most perfect dessert. BOOM.

Of course, with this being the only treat I will eat every day for the rest of my life (hypothetically speaking) I couldn’t just use any old Oreo as a cupcake stuffer. Especially when they have so many delicious flavors to choose from now. Like Peanut Butter Creme.

Mmmmm. Peanut butter & chocolate. Let’s roll with this theme.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookieupcakes

makes 16 cupcakes
16 Oreo cookies (peanut butter creme flavor)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line tins with paper cupcake liners and place one Oreo in each liner.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and peanut butter in a medium sized bowl until creamy. Add sugar and eggs (one at a time) and mix until fluffy and light then add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just moistened. Add buttermilk and continue mixing until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon evenly into tins, covering Oreos and filling 3/4 full.

I had to hold myself back from just getting a spoon and digging in at this point. Directly out of the tin. Thankfully, picky eater reminded me that there were raw eggs in the batter. And that would be ‘so gross to eat.’

With that in mind, place the tins in the preheated oven and bake for 20 – 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Look at this. Seriously. Is it a cookie or a cupcake?

Who cares.

And it only gets better. Because now we’re talking classic chocolate buttercream.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 – 4 tbsp heavy cream

Mix butter until smooth, slowly sift in powdered sugar and cocoa powder and mix to combine. Add in vanilla and heavy cream and mix to desired consistency.

This frosting is amazing. Charley watched me mixing it up, happily gumming on a pretzel rod. Which inspired me to eat the leftovers using said pretzel rod as a vessel for delivery. So. Good.

So, the takeaway from today’s lesson: Don’t let anyone try to force you to make a choice between two great loves. Smash the loves together so you can enjoy them both at the same time.

Actually, scratch that. Now that I think about it, it really only applies to food.

OMFG. SO GOOD.