Cookie Monster cupcakes

I can't get over the sheer cuteness of these little guys! 

Ingredients:-

For the cupcakes:-

6oz self raising flour

6oz caster sugar

6oz butter

3 medium eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs milk

All room temperature.

(I generally use grams when baking however, this a tried and tested sponge recipe and super easy to remember as 666! If you want to convert it I think it works out at 170g but just check to make sure.)

For the frosting:-

Blue food colouring (I use Wilton gel in Royal Blue)

Wilton large candy eyeballs (link here)

Wilton 233 grass tip (link here)

Disposable piping bag

1 pack of Maryland cookies

250g unsalted butter

500g icing sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

Method:-

Line a 12 pan muffin tin with muffin/cupcake cases.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

Cream the butter and caster sugar together using a stand mixer, for a good 5 minutes. You want the mixture to become quite light and fluffy.

Next add 1 of the eggs, followed by a spoonful of flour, mixing until combined. Continue adding each egg with a spoonful of flour after each addition until everything is fully combined.

This is where I add some vanilla extract and a tablespoon of milk, just to loosen the mixture ever so slightly.

Then using an ice cream scoop, add the batter to the cupcake cases and bake in a preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for a few minutes, then add about 1/3 of the icing sugar (merely to prevent an icing sugar cloud in the kitchen!) and beat until combined, continue to add the rest of the icing sugar in stages and then add the vanilla extract. You want your frosting silky, light and whipped so really go for it with mixing this, Then add enough blue food colouring to get your desired Cookie Monster hue.

When your cupcakes are fully cooled, load up your piping bag with grass tip already in place and start piping Cookie Monster's fur on all of your cupcakes.

Next place Cookie Monster's eyeballs and cut your Maryland cookies in half and stick them in the frosting to make his mouth (it's worth noting here that the Maryland cookies go soft very quickly so it might be best to do the mouths just before you're about to serve the cupcakes).

Enjoy!