The Bake-Off is Coming: Chocolate Cherry Soufflé Cupcakes

CakeSpy Note: OMG! The 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off is coming! Since I so deeply loved attending the 45th Bake-Off, I thought I would get you excited early by sharing some of the finalists' recipes. Do I need to tell you that the winner will receive one million dollars? My posting is on hyperdrive since the event is less than a week a day--check back often, because I will be posting three recipes a day until the big event! You can follow them by clicking the bakeoff tag below the post to see which ones have been posted so far. Enjoy! 

Chocolate Cherry Soufflé Cupcakes! They're already awesome, but they get even better when you consider this: they're made with sugar cookie dough! Thank you thank you to Brenda Watts of Gaffney, South Carolina for sharing it with all of the world.

Chocolate Cherry Soufflé Cupcakes

Prep Time: 25 Min Total Time: 1 Hr 30 Min Makes: 18 servings

Ingredients

• 1 roll Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Flavored Hazelnut Spread
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 3/4 cup Red Tart Cherry Preserves
• 1can Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Milk Chocolate Frosting
• 18 maraschino cherries with stems

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 18 regular-size muffin cups. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften.
2. In medium bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer on medium-high speed 1 minute or until soft peaks form.
3. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Add chocolate hazelnut spread, half-and-half and egg yolks. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed 1 minute or until well blended. Fold beaten egg whites into cookie mixture just until blended. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.
4. Bake 22 to 26 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 3 minutes.
5. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 25 minutes. Remove small 1-inch-deep circle from top center of each cupcake. Spoon about 2 teaspoons preserves in each cavity.
6. Pipe or spread frosting over top of each cupcake. Top each with maraschino cherry.