Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Directions

1. 1Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Make and bake cupcakes according to package directions. Let cool.
2. 2While cupcakes are baking, toast almonds in a skillet for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.
3. 3Place almonds in a heavy-duty food processor and puree scraping the bowl often. Add milk and oil to help keep things moving. Process until almonds start to form a paste.
4. 4Add brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and almond extract.
5. 5Process until smooth. Add more sugar or milk if necessary. Let cool slightly if warm then stir in mini chocolate chips.
6. 6Chill in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes or until firm.
7. 7Once cupcakes are cool, cut a cylinder shape out of each cupcake and stuff with 1-2 Tablespoons of almond butter. Frost with chocolate frosting. I like to put the frosting in a plastic storage bag and snip off a nickel sized hole in one of the corners to pipe the frosting on in a cone shape.
8. 8Garnish with mini chocolate chips and mini chocolate chip cookies (See tip below).
9. 9*To fancy up your cupcakes, garnish with mini chocolate chip cookies. I used 1/4 of a package of refrigerated cookie dough. I placed nickel sized balls of dough on a cookie sheet and baked for 8-9 minutes at 350 degrees.