Oreo Owl Cupcakes (Printer-friendly)

Playful chocolate cupcakes decorated with Oreo eyes and candy features for an irresistible owl design.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Cupcakes

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 1 tsp baking powder
04 - 1/2 tsp baking soda
05 - 1/4 tsp salt
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1/2 cup milk
09 - 1/3 cup vegetable oil
10 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ For the Frosting

11 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
12 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
13 - 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
14 - 2-3 tbsp milk
15 - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

→ For Decoration

16 - 24 Oreo cookies, double-stuffed preferred
17 - 24 brown chocolate candies for pupils
18 - 12 orange or yellow chocolate candies for beaks

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
02 - In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract; blend until combined.
04 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, stirring until just incorporated.
05 - Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
06 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually mix in powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add vanilla and 2 tbsp milk; beat until fluffy, adding more milk if needed for spreading consistency.
07 - Frost cooled cupcakes generously.
08 - Carefully twist Oreos apart, keeping cream on one side. Place two halves cream-side up on each cupcake.
09 - Press a brown candy on each eye for pupils. Position an orange or yellow candy below the eyes as the beak. Optionally, use Oreo halves without cream on top corners as owl eyebrows.
10 - Serve and enjoy your whimsical owl cupcakes.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Theyre surprisingly simple despite looking like you spent hours on them
  • The combination of rich chocolate cake and creamy frosting is seriously addictive
02 -
  • Cold cupcakes will melt your frosting so let them cool completely before decorating
  • Twist Oreos slowly so the cream stays on one side instead of cracking
03 -
  • Set aside any Oreos that break while twisting for crushing over ice cream later
  • Use kitchen shears to snip candies in half if you need smaller pieces