cookies and cupcakes, oh my!

by Linda Hopkins

Yesterday in class we made the Samoa cookies, today we are using those cookies to make some seriously out-of-the-world cupcakes. I would say, “Hey, don’t let the 7 1/2 sticks of butter (nearly 2 pounds!) between the recipe for the cookies and this recipe for the cupcakes scare you off”… but I would be lying, it totally scares me! According to my math (and my math is iffy at best since I married a CPA and I rarely use that part of my brain), that is about 2 tablespoons of butter per cupcake! So let’s just agree that one cupcake would serve as your dessert for several days and not buy into the guilt. They taste delicious and I recently got some tips for storing frosted cupcakes so I’m hoping they’ll last for a while. That’s if we don’t eat them all first!

Speaking of guilt, I’m going to add a little “Linda’s Psych 101” into today’s post. This is what I feel about “guilt”… it is a wasted emotion. I’ve heard it said that “The Jewish people invented guilt, and that the Roman Catholics perfected it.” I would have to agree, and here is one Roman Catholic who wants to abolish it!

The thing is, guilt is about being attached to judgment and that judgment comes from the outside, which means one is relying on others to define oneself… this is not good. Reasonable people already know right from wrong, smart from stupid and good from evil, so if you shouldn’t be doing a specific thing, then you already know you shouldn’t, and you go from there. That has nothing to do with guilt, that’s just dealing with the situation as it comes up. Worrying about judgment is what brings about guilt. End of today’s “Linda’s Psych 101”.

Bottom line: Eat one cupcake; then give the rest away, freeze them and have one every now and then for the next 3 or 4 months, or bring them to the office and let your cohorts feel however they are going to feel once they’ve each eaten 3 or 4, it’s up to you! Just make them and enjoy!

“Samoa” Cupcakes

Cupcakes
2 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 cup coconut milk, divided
1 cup sweetened coconut
14 Samoa cookies*, broken into pieces
Caramel Coconut Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1 pound powdered sugar, divided
Topping
12 Samoa cookies*, cut in half

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line cupcake pans with 24 liners.

Cupcakes: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to beat well after each egg. Add the coconut extract and mix until blended.

Beat one-fourth of the flour mixture into the butter mixture followed by 1/3 of the coconut milk. Repeat with flour, then coconut milk two more times, then end my mixing in the last of the flour, just until combined. Fold in the coconut and the broken cookie pieces.

Fill cupcake liners with batter about 3/4 full. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate pans and bake another 9 minutes or until cupcakes are golden brown. Insert a toothpick into the center of one of the cupcakes to be sure it comes out clean.

Do NOT make the frosting until the cupcakes have been removed from the oven.

Frosting: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in 1/3 cup of coconut milk. Slowly add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved about 2 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil. Remove the pan from heat, stir in the coconut extract, then pour the mixture into the bowl of a standing mixer.

Add half of the powdered sugar and mix to combine well. Mix in the remaining powdered sugar, scraping the sides of the bowl often.

If necessary, add 1 more tablespoon of coconut milk to create the consistency of frosting you want. Mix on high for about 2 minutes, scraping sides making sure all the sugar is incorporated.

Frost cupcakes with caramel coconut frosting, working quickly; the frosting hardens as it cools and is then difficult to work with. Top each with a Samoa cookie half.

Makes 24

*these may be either Girl Scout Samoa cookies or Keebler Coconut Dreams cookies or homemade Samoa cookies