Mini cupcakes are the cutest little things ever! One-bite dessert treats are perfect for just about any occasion. What’s cool about this recipe is instead of making a huge amount of one flavor, you can make three! How awesome is that? This recipe makes cookies n’ cream, strawberry, and vanilla cupcakes YAY! The buttercream used is our Swiss Meringue buttercream…which taste like ice cream!
The Cupcake Batter
The cupcake batter is very simple and straightforward. Just follow along in our YouTube video or the instructions written below. To know how to make all the individual mini batters just keep on scrolling….
The Originator Vanilla Mini’s
First things first, divide the cupcake batter evenly into (3) separate bowls. With the vanilla cupcake batter you have two options:
- Option 1: Add half a teaspoon more of pure vanilla extract.
- Option 2: Add a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. This option provides a little more flavor to the mini cupcakes.
Strawberry Mini Cupcakes
For the strawberry cupcake batter add the following ingredients: strawberry extract, freeze-dried strawberries, pink food gel, and if available strawberry preserves. When using the freeze-dried strawberries do not forget to crush them using a food processor before adding into the batter. The addition of the strawberry preserves makes the mini strawberry cupcakes more authentic. Also, it helps enhance that strawberry goodness taste.
Cookies n’ Cream mini Cupcakes
Lastly we’ll discuss the cookies n’ cream cupcake batter. Just like the freeze-dried strawberries, in a clean food processor crush up a handful of Oreo’s. Once completed, fold in the crush Oreo’s. The real kicker to these incredible cookies n’ cream cupcakes is the addition of mini Oreo’s. So, before adding the cookies’ n cream batter into the mini cupcake liners, add one mini Oreo to the liner first. Your guest will be so surprised to find a little cookie when they bite into this scrumptious goodie.
Tips for baking the Mini’s
Below are the few tips and tricks to making killer mini’s each time!
- Bake the mini’s all at once. Try using a large mini cupcake pan such as this Wilton cupcake pan. The use of a large pan will allow you to bake all the cupcakes at once. Also make the cleanup process so much easier.
- Use a cookie scoop for the perfect portion of cupcake batter. I recommend the use of a small to medium size steel scoop. By using a cookie scoop the process becomes less messy and less of a hassle.
- Set a timer. Mini cupcakes can easily be overcooked, so to prevent this from occurring set a timer for 9 minutes. After that time insert a tooth-pick into cupcake. If it comes out clean, remove the mini’s from the oven. If that’s not the case, bake for an additional 2-6 minutes. Again, following the same procedure as mentioned.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
So you have beautiful little cuteness known as mini cupcakes. The only thing missing is a show stopper buttercream. A Swiss meringue buttercream is airy, silky smooth, and tasty. It’s texture and taste is completely different for an American buttercream. To make an incredible Swiss meringue buttercream you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Egg whites
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter
- Salt
To make the buttercream, first separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Save the egg yolks for another recipe such as creme brûlée or brioche dinner rolls. Then in the bowl of an electric mixer add in the egg whites and granulated sugar. Whisk together. In a saucepan add water and place over medium heat. During this process, you’ll be creating a double boiler. Place your bowl over the simmering water. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Whisk the egg whites and sugar consistently until the color of the mixture changes. At first it’ll appear transparent and thick but as time goes by the mixture becomes opaque and thinner. Another tip is to rub the mixture between your fingers, if it feels sandy the sugar as not yet dissolved. You should continue to whisk the mixture.
Next, transfer the bowl to the electric mixer. With the balloon attachment begin to whisk the mixture until stiff peaks foam. After this has occurred, reduce the speed on the mixer and add one tablespoon of unsalted butter at a time. Make sure to beat the mixture after every addition. Fold in the salt, vanilla extract, and any other additional flavoring.
Flavored Buttercream
To recreate the cookies n’ cream or strawberry buttercream simply crush these ingredients. For the cookie buttercream crush up a handful of Oreo’s using a food processor. Next, fold in the crushed Oreo’s and boom you’ve just made a cookie buttercream. The same process occurs for the strawberry buttercream. Again using a food processor crush up freeze-dried strawberries and then fold into the buttercream.
Interested in more cupcake goodness? Check out the links below:
Mini Cupcakes: Three Ways
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup All purpose Flour sifted
- 1½ tsp Baking powder
- ½ cup Unsalted butter softened
- 2 Large eggs room temperature
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- ¾ cup Whole milk
- ⅓ cup Sour cream
Vanilla Mini Cupcakes
- 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste
Cookies n' Cream Mini Cupcakes
- ⅓ cup Oreo's crushed
- 16 Mini Oreo's
Strawberry Mini Cupcakes
- ½ tsp Strawberry extract
- 2 tsp Strawberry preserves
- ⅓ tsp Freeze-dried strawberries crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a mini cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Sift into a bowl the all purpose flour, kosher salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the unsalted butter and sugar. Continue to mix until fluffy and pale (approx. 2 minutes). Next add in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are combined.
- In a measuring cup add the whole milk, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Mix well.
- Alternate between adding the dry ingredients and wet ingredients into the bowl of the stand mixer. Continue this process until all ingredients are added. Next divide the cupcake batter evenly into (3) bowls, approximately .58 cups.
For the Vanilla Mini Cupcakes:
- Fold in the vanilla bean paste into the vanilla cupcake batter. Mix well. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full with the vanilla batter. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
For the Strawberry Mini Cupcakes:
- Fold in the strawberry preserves, strawberry extract, and crushed freeze-dried strawberries into the cupcake batter. Mix well. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full with the strawberry batter. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
For the Cookies n' Cream Mini Cupcakes:
- Fold the crushed Oreo's into the cupcake batter. Mix well. Add one minature Oreo into the cupcake liner then fill the paper liner 2/3 full with the cookies n' cream batter. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.