The Best Chocolate and Cookie Butter Cupcakes

If you’re a fan of cookie butter — that popular spread made from European spice cookies called speculoos — you’re going to love this recipe! I’ve topped super moist, easy-to-make chocolate cupcakes with rich, creamy cookie butter buttercream frosting. And they’re insanely good!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

I’ve been excited to bake with cookie butter ever since I saw this gorgeous cake by Sam from Frosting and Fettuccine. And I am here to report, it does not disappoint. Especially when paired with chocolate!

For these cupcakes, I’ve used a tried-and-true chocolate cupcake recipe. It requires only a few ingredients, including buttermilk, and it produces moist and super fluffy cupcakes.

I’ve then topped with cupcakes with a cookie butter buttercream frosting. It’s super-rich and decadent and so tasty!

Cookie Butter Frosting

If you’re new to cookie butter, this yummy treat is made by crushing up crispy spice cookies, called speculoos, and blending them with a fat (like oil or butter), flour, and sugar to create a nut-free spread that resembles peanut butter.

Speculoos cookies are made with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and lots of butter. And they taste a bit like gingerbread. That’s why they’re a popular winter holiday treat in Europe.

But luckily, this spread (and the cookies) are available in the U.S. all year long! For this recipe, I used Trader Joe’s creamy cookie butter spread (it also comes in chunky) and topped it with some crumbled speculoos cookies, also from Trader Joe’s.

But you can also find both Biscoff cookie butter and cookies at stores like Target and Amazon.

Tips on Making these Cupcakes

Here are a few things to keep in mind when making this recipe:

• Use Room Temperature Eggs, Buttermilk, and Butter (for the frosting): One of the keys to baking moist and fluffy cupcakes is to use room temperature ingredients. It’s a science thing — and it really works!
• Use Natural Cocoa Powder: There are two types of cocoa powder — Dutch-processed and natural. Dutch-processed cocoa is processed to neutralize its acidity. Natural cocoa powder isn’t processed and it is still acidic. And while this might sound like a bad thing, it’s actually necessary for baking. When natural cocoa powder combines with baking soda, the chemical reaction between the two actually helps your baked goods to rise!
• Fill Your Cupcakes Liners Up Half Way: These cupcakes rise (see the two above bullets!). So make sure to give them some room by only filling them up 1/2 way (not 3/4). It might be tempting to top them off, but trust me! Also, I used this medium cookie scoop to help me evenly spoon the batter into the liners.

Tips for Making the Frosting

• Use a Light Touch with the Frosting: Cookie butter is super rich and sweet! So I only used 1/4 cup of the cookie butter in my frosting — just enough to give it that signature taste. If you want more, feel free to adjust the frosting to your liking.
• Frosting and Topping Ideas: Make sure to cool your cupcakes completely before frosting (warm cupcakes = melted frosting!). I used a Wilton 1M tip to pipe the frosting swirls onto these cupcakes. And I topped these with some crispy cookies crumbles. But you could also drizzle with chocolate or sprinkle with some chocolate sprinkles. Or anything you like!
• Make-Ahead and Storing Tips: These cupcakes taste best the day you make them. But you can store unfrosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for a day or so. And you can also freeze them for up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen). You can also make the frostings ahead of time and store (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

• Helpful Baking Gear: Mixing Bowl | Stand Mixer |Cupcake Pan | Frosting Tip

If you love chocolate desserts, try these ones out too!

• Rich and chocolatey shortbread brownie bars
• One-bowl vanilla cake with chocolate drizzle
• 5-ingredient warm chocolate pudding cakes

Just a reminder! This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through one of the links, I may make a small commission — at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

The Best Chocolate and Cookie Butter Frosting Cupcakes

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• Total Time: 60-75 minutes
• Yield: 12–14 cupcakes 1x

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Description

These moist, chocolate cupcakes are topped with creamy, rich cookie butter buttercream frostings. And they are sooooo good!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

For the Cookie Butter Buttercream:

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup smooth or chunky cookie butter
• 3 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1–2 tablespoons cream, half-and-half or whole milk, at room temperature

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Instructions

For the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, both the white and brown sugars, the oil, and the vanilla.
4. Pour half of the egg and sugar mixture into the dry ingredients. Then add half of the buttermilk. Gently whisk and then repeat with the remaining wet ingredients and buttermilk. Stir until just combined being careful not to overmix.
5. Spoon the batter into the liners filling them only 1/2 way. This batter rises so you want to be careful not to overfill! If you have extra batter, don’t top. It’s better to make additional cupcakes.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway to ensure even baking. If you’re not sure if the cupcakes are done, you can stick a toothpick into the center of the cupcake. If it comes out clean, they’re ready.
7. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. 

For the Frosting:

1. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and the cookie butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the cream (or milk or half-and-half). Beat on low speed until some of the sugar is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 minutes.
3. Adjust if necessary. If the frosting is too thick, add more cream (one tablespoon at a time) until you get the desired texture. You can also add more sugar if it’s too thin.
4. Use frosting immediately or cover tightly and store for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. 

 

Notes

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! Make sure to tell me what you think in the comments below. And tag me in your photos on Instagram.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 18-20 minutes