I'm Stuffed

Dinner tonight was delish, if I do say so myself. I made my very first batch of homemade hamburger buns to go with fig-glazed burgers with red onion jam. Sounds a bit different, I know, but together, it was yumm-o! 
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The homemade buns came from Annie's Eats: The Perfect Burger Bun. 

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And the burgers were courtesy of Pink Parsley (as is the picture below): Fig Glazed Burgers with Red Onion Jam. The meat was seasoned with Dijon mustard, fresh thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. The red onion jam wasn't really a jam. It was more like caramelized onions with a little sweet and sour flavor from sugar and red wine vinegar - I was eating these by the fork-full. The burgers were then topped with fig preserves and muenster cheese while cooking the last few minutes. Once everything was compiled, these hamburgers were quite enjoyable.

And one more recipe to share - this one comes straight from yours truly. The other night we had Trevor, Shalice and Adam over for dinner. For our entrée, I made these Honey Lime Enchiladas. I may have even posted about them before. They're always a hit. However, that's not the recipe I really want to share (though it is worth sharing). Rather, it's the dessert from that evening that I want you to have. I combined a couple different recipes and created Chocolate Cookies & Cream Cupcakes. 
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This recipe includes what some call "The Best Chocolate Cake" recipe. However, I just can't feel good about giving my stamp of approval on that exact title. There are just a couple other chocolate cake recipes that take the cake on "best overall." I will, however, give this recipe the "best EASY chocolate cake" title. 
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Cupcakes (The Best Easy Chocolate Cake)
1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1 package Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
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Filling
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
10-12 Oreo cookies, chopped (nothing bigger than a quarter inch)
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Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners' sugar (you may need a little more depending on the consistency you want)
1/3 cup milk (again, you may want a little more depending on the consistency you want)
1 tsp. vanilla
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For the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in pan. Twist Oreos apart and put cream covered side on the bottom of each cupcake holder (cream side up). In a very large bowl, mix together all ingredients for the cupcakes. Batter will be very thick. Scoop batter into each cupcake holder, about 3/4 full. I like using a cookie scoop for this. Use cooking time on the back of the cake mix box. Just be sure not to overbake, so set timer for the minimum amount of time and check with a toothpick before adding more time (18-25 minutes).
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For the filling:
Combine heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until all the sugar is incorporated; increase speed to high and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the chopped cookies.
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For the frosting:
Melt the butter in a medium bowl. Stir in the cocoa until smooth. Alternately add confectioners' sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla.
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Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, scoop out a section of the center down to the cookie. Fill with cookie filling and frost - I recommend using a pastry bag (or zip-lock bag with the corner cut) for both the filling and the frosting process. Much easier and less messy.