Dairy-free, egg-free Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Landon’s 3rd birthday is today! We had his birthday party over the weekend, and I made these vegan cookies and cream cupcakes. I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, with added crushed Oreos (yes, they are dairy and egg-free!). I also added crushed Oreos to my go-to vanilla buttercream recipe. So simple, and so delicious!

To add to the birthday goodness, I bought Jake and the Neverland Pirates cupcake toppers from Etsy. Landon loves Jake and the Pirates, and he got two of the same Jake and Pirates t-shirts as gifts to prove it…which were also the exact same t-shirt he was wearing at the party! Yes, it was a gift opening that we will always remember!

Jake and the Neverland Pirates cupcake toppers from Etsy.com

Landon doesn’t have food allergies, but I always make every effort to make treats that everyone can enjoy, and believe me, nobody knows the difference. I keep a stash of cupcakes on hand in the freezer in case we have a gluten-free guest, which is quite often! All of my cupcakes freeze quite nicely for 2-3 months, and it is always appreciated when we have a guest with a modified diet. Freeze cupcakes without the frosting. When you are ready to serve, you can frost the cupcake straight out of the freezer. Allow the cupcake to thaw for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Happy Birthday Landon! And Happy Baking to all of my readers!

Adapted from chefchloe.com.

VEGAN COOKIES AND CREAM CUPCAKES

Makes 24 Cupcakes, plus a 4-inch mini-cake (or 26-28 cupcakes)

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s)
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups coconut milk or other non-dairy milk
1 cup canola oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, optional (intensifies the chocolate flavor)
1 cup crushed Oreos (about 1o cookies)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners. Spray with allergen-free baking spray. Also prepare a mini-pan, sprayed with baking spray, for the extra batter if desired.
2. Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and flour into a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the non-dairy milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and espresso powder until smooth.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a whisk.
5. Fold in crushed Oreos until evenly distributed.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool in pans ten minutes. Remove from pans to cool completely.

Cookies and Cream Buttercream
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup allergen-free margarine (recommended: Earth Balance Soy-Free Non-Hydrogenated Buttery Spread)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
5 Oreos, crushed
24 mini-Oreos, for garnish

Procedure

1. Combine the confectioners’ sugar, margarine, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Beat on medium-high speed until combined.
3. With the mixer running, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until the desired buttercream consistency.
4. Add crushed Oreos and mix well.
5. You may need to add more water, as the Oreos may dry out the buttercream slightly. Adjust you to your liking.

Assembly

Generously pipe frosting on top of cupcakes, using a piping tip with a very large hole, or use a freezer bag with a large hole cut at the corner to allow large chunks of Oreos to pipe. Garnish each cupcake with one mini Oreo.

Sheila’s notes: For Landon’s birthday cupcakes, I used these exact recipes and proportions. You can see in the photo that I generously piped the frosting but didn’t cover the entire top surface on each cupcake. By doing so, I used up all of the icing. If you like to be even more generous with your icing, I would recommend preparing 1.5 – 2 recipes of buttercream.

Also, with this recipe, because I add cookies to the batter, you will have more than 24 cupcakes. Typically if I have extra batter, I will just make a few more cupcakes, or one mini-cake in a 4-inch springform pan (mine is by Wilton). The mini-cake takes a few minutes longer to bake.

Design variation for Cookies and Cream cupcakes for our neighbor Ava’s 6th birthday.

About Sheila Ray

I've been a full-time creative communications professional since college, and my work includes art direction, graphic design, writing and photography. I run a freelance creative marketing strategy business from my home office. I'm also a mom of two children, one of which has life-threatening food allergies. I experience, learn, and discover more about myself and God's plan for me everyday. As I share my stories, I share my faith. I hope you find my blog informational and inspirational.

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