cookies & cream cupcakes from VCTOW.

as far as desserts go, i really do think these little treats take the cake. so much so that i'm not even going to apologize for that weak pun. cupcakes are incredibly portable, already is in a controlled portion and you don't even need to dirty forks or plates to enjoy them. no complaining there. another birthday has come around and my eyes definitely lit up when the request was for cookies & cream, a long time personal favorite of mine. there was no need for me to look up a recipe to veganize or try to create my own for this one! isa moskowitz & terry romero have done the work for me via the brilliantly done and always crowd pleasing cookbook, vegan cupcakes takeover the world. so for any of you that might have been hiding under a rock when the vegan cupcakes took over, give this recipe a go and good luck trying not to eat them all. :]

basic chocolate cupcake base:
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

instructions:
1.) preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
2.) whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
3.) pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

fluffy buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening, such as spectrum
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, such as earth balance
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer
1/2 cup finely mashed vegan cream-filled sandwich cookies
6 vegan cream-filled sandwich cookies, cut in half

instructions:
1.) beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.
2.) add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.
3.) stir in the finely mashed cookies, frost the cupcakes generously and top each with half of a sandwich cookie.

makes: 12 cupcakes.