Happy Monday, everyone! I have some seriously mouthwatering goodness to share with y’all today. These cupcakes are off-the-hook, and the frosting was really what sealed the deal on these little beauties…

I’m a huge fan of cookies & cream flavors. You know those little Hershey’s Cookies & Cream bars? I can inhale one of those from check stand to steering wheel in just a blink. I was making some cupcakes for my son’s third birthday pirate party (to come THIS WEEK – for those who have been asking!), and I thought we needed to have something new frosting-wise. My Almond Cream Cheese Frosting is definitely in my top 5 favorite homemade frosting recipes, and I knew if I used it as a base, I could build my favorite cookies & cream flavors right on top of it. It was an instant success – everyone loved them, and I couldn’t stay away from the (surprising) leftovers! 
The cupcake base I used was from one of my favorite cupcake blogs of all time, and I snuck an oreo in the bottom of each cup. The cupcakes were so light and fluffy (and very moist). The slight crunch of the oreos in the bottom were the perfect surprise. OH, but that frosting… 
But seriously, the frosting was the star of the cupcake, and had just the right balance of the cream cheese and Oreo flavors. I piped the frosting using the 1A round Wilton tip. All I could think was the Michelin Man when I was done, but hey with all that incredible flavor, you’ve gotta pile that cookies & cream flavor high as the sky! When it comes to frostings for cupcakes, nothing on the planet from the store-bought-tube tastes and looks like it was from scratch. Plus, if you go with store-bought, you can’t get that pretty pile-it-high perfect frosting look quite as well. It’s just too thin and you just don’t have as much control with consistency. 

I’m sorry if this makes me sound like a frosting snob! I just know the extra 5 minutes it takes to make it from scratch makes all the difference! I promise. Make this frosting. Then buy some store-bought cookies & cream frosting from the tube. The difference is incredible. You won’t ever go back 🙂 
Cookies & Cream Cheese Frosting
double the batch for tall-frosted 2 dozen medium-sized cupcakes
ingredients:
10 regular sized Oreos (not minis, stuffed, or whatever)
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
pinch of table salt
1/2 C heavy cream
1-2 lbs powdered sugar (depends on your desired consistency)
milk for thinning (depends on your desired consistency)
method:
1. Place oreos and filling in a food processor and blend until a fine powder forms. Set aside. 
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese until uniform throughout and neither leave small pockets of butter or cream cheese. Add extracts and pinch of salt. Mix again. Scrape down the sides. 
3. Add heavy cream (turn speed down so you don’t have liquid fly everywhere). Add in oreo crumble and mix until oreo crumbs are evenly dispersed throughout. 
4. Slowly, with some kind of a shield over the mixer if you have one, mix in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. If it gets too thick, add in a teeny bit of milk (a little goes a long way). Repeat until all the sugar (about a pound at least) is added, and your desired consistency is reached. 
Baking with Blondie original