Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 2 eggs OR two 1/4 cups of vanilla yogurt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, room temperature​

• 1 cup of cane sugar

• 1/2 cup milk of choice (we used almond milk)

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon oil, sunflower, canola, or olive

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 1 package of chocolate chips, 2 chips per cupcake

• 1 package of your favorite chocolate chip cookies, or homemade chocolate chip cookies

Food Allergy Friendly Cookie Options:

• Try Partake chocolate chip cookies! Shop here!

• Try Enjoy Life chocolate chip cookies! Shop on Amazon!

Frosting

• Click here for a homemade corn-free version

OR

• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

PLUS

• Blue food coloring - for natural food coloring, add 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries to a food processor and strain the liquid into a cup or bowl. Add the blue liquid to the divided frosting mixture and whip until combined

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 12-cupcake pan with cupcake papers.

2. In a medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, lightly beat the egg, butter, and sugar together until light and fluffy.

3. Add milk, flour, vanilla, oil, and baking soda. Beat with the mixer for about 2 minutes, until light, creamy, and fully combined.

4. Add the cocoa powder into the mixture and stir to combine.

5. Divide the batter among the 12-liners in your prepared pan, filling each cup 3/4 of the way.

6. Bake for 22 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test (insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean). Remove from the oven and allow cooling for a few minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack. Let the cupcakes cool fully before decorating!

Decorating

1. Follow the frosting recipe as normal: if using the recipe above, just add all ingredients into a stand mixer or bowl, and whip until light and fluffy.

2. In a small bowl, add un-dyed vanilla frosting for eyes and set aside.

3. Dye the remaining frosting blue.

4. Place the frosting into a 16oz frosting bag, or your favorite frosting tool, fixed with a Wilton 2D decorating tip. Pipe frosting evenly over cupcakes.

5. To make the eyes, in a clean bag or frosting tool, fixed with a Wilton Round #1A decorating tip fill with the un-dyed vanilla frosting. Add two separate dollops at the top of the cupcake and place a chocolate chip in the center of the whites; I place the chocolate chips upside down so that the flat bottom is facing upwards.

6. For the mouth, press a cookie into the front of the frosting. If the cookies are too big, cut in half.