I know ... I'm a liar. Will Cookie Dough Cupcakes help?

I know, I know! I said I'd be posting more and then I'm all like, nevermind. But I'm trying! Life, man.

Anyway! I made these crazy-good cupcakes tonight. Now, to be fair, I only ate the cake part because the frosting? Totally not my thing. So why did I make them and how do I know they're good?

Because I made them for my kiddos. And they ate them happily -- they may have even eaten the frosting from a tube, directly into their mouths.

Because these dark chocolate caramel fudge cupcakes are topped with cookie dough. Oh yeah. I said it. COOKIE DOUGH. Best part? EGGLESS cookie dough. So it's totally safe to eat for anyone who's actually into that sort of thing.

But I mean, come on. I hate cookie dough and all ... but even these look appetizing to me. A little. If I squint.

But they loved them. And really, isn't that what a Valentine's Day gift is for -- making the ones you love happy?

Want to make these yummies? Of course you do. Click-arino.

Cupcaaaaakes!

For a while, I had a side business making sweets -- cakes, cupcakes, cake truffles, etc. I love making sweets and I'm not a huge fan of the stuff, so I was never tempted to eat the treats. What I realized, however, was that I like baking a lot more as gifts than as income.

One of my favorite "cheats" now is to use preboxed cake mix and dress it up. Let's face it -- sometimes it's just easier to use a mix. I'm no snob. If it's good, eat it.

photo by: bekah mercer photography

Strawberry Cheesecake Cuppies
These strawberry cupcakes really hit the spot when you want something sweet and sinful like cheesecake but don’t have the time to wait! Really moist. Really good.


Ingredients:
1 box (18.25 Oz. Box) Strawberry Cake Mix
1 package (3.4 Oz. Box) Instant Cheesecake Pudding Mix
2 cups Sour Cream
3 whole Eggs (large)
⅓ cups Vegetable Oil
½ cups Water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees then line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
Beat all ingredients until well blended. Note that the batter will be very thick and glossy (that’s the pudding!). Fill cupcakes 2/3 to the top and bake for 14-16 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely then frost with my favorite buttercream.

There's no way you're not going to like these. The flavor of the cheesecake pudding gives the cupcakes a very mild tang, like a cheesecake, but mainly works by keeping the cupcakes INCREDIBLY moist. These are some of the most delicious strawberry cupcakes I've had.

And the frosting I linked? It's the simplest, smoothest, most wonderful Swiss meringue buttercream recipe I've ever used. It's my gold standard. You'll love it. Promise.