Samoas Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream

For the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk in the egg, milk, oil and vanilla, whisk vigorously for 2 minutes. Stir in the boiling water.

The batter will be very thin, but don’t worry it will be perfect. Pour batter into a 12 count cupcake tin that you’ve lined with cupcake liners (fill each about 3/4 full) . Bake 14-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and set it on a rack. Let the cupcakes cool completely in the tin and then remove and place them on a wire rack.

For the coconut buttercream:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and softened. If the butter is still chilled,this may take a minute or two. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and continue to beat until smooth. Add in one cup of sugar at a time, mixing in between additions. Once the sugar is completely incorporated, mix in the vanilla and coconut extract. Mix in salt if desired. Turn off the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Restart the mixer and turn the speed up to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes. The frosting will look too thin, but then it will thicken—don’t worry. The air will increase the volume of the frosting and it will thicken.

Spoon frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star frosting tip and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Top with chopped Samoas cookies for garnish.

Cupcake recipe adapted from ManicMother. Buttercream adapted from Trophy Cupcakes’ Coconut Buttercream recipe.