Raspberry Almond Sprinkle Cupcakes

La Bonbonniere is my favorite bakery in New Jersey annd I can’t get enough of their acorn cookies. They’re made with two cookies that have an almond flavor, sweet raspberry filling, and chocolate coating, and rainbow sprinkles. Inspired by these AMAZING flavors, I’ve created Raspberry Almond Sprinkle Cupcakes. This recipe brings all of these flavors together. There’s the rich, nutty taste of almond cake, the bright sweetness of raspberry preserves, and the indulgence of chocolate frosting—all finished with a generous sprinkle of rainbow fun. These cupcakes are my take on one of the best cookies of all time!

SPRINKLE OF CREATIVITY!

These cookies often have apricot in the center, so apricot preserves would be amazing!

Raspberry Almond Sprinkle Cupcakes

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• Author: Taryn Camp

Ingredients

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For the frosting 

• 2 sticks of butter
• 4 c powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5–7 tbsp heavy cream
• Rainbow sprinkles 

For the cupcakes 

• One box of almond cake mix
• 1 c buttermilk
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• For the filling
• Seedless raspberry preserves
• Rainbow sprinkles

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Instructions

** note, to get a darker chocolate frosting, but sure to make it the night before to let the cocoa settle in

1. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix. Add in the rest of the sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, and heavy cream. Mix until fully combined. Let it sit overnight so it’s super chocolatey in color! If you prefer, you can always stick it in the fridge and pull it out and hour or so before using. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. I love the pans that hold 24 liners. This should make a little less, around 22 cupcakes.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the cake mix, buttermilk, oil, and eggs. Using a cookie scoop, put equal amounts of cake batter in each liner. Bake according to the package directions and let them cool completely. 
4. Once cool, move them to the fridge, it’ll be easier to remove the inside to fill them. 
5. After about a half hour, use a cupcake corer or apple corer and remove the inside of each cupcake. Be sure not to go all the way to the bottom so that the feeling doesn’t seep out. Place the part you removed to the side but don’t toss it out! 
6. Fill each cupcake with the preserves. Either use a spoon or a piping bag. I prefer a piping bag personally but either will work. Add the filling until it reaches the top of the cupcake, then press the part of the cupcake you removed back in. Repeat with all of the cupcakes. 
7. Add the chocolate frosting to a piping bag with a 1M tip. Pipe a swirl of frosting on each cupcake and top GENEROUSLY with rainbow sprinkles. Repeat with the rest and enjoy!
8. If you don’t want to use a piping bag, just spread the frosting on with a knife. It’ll taste just as good 😉

Growing up, I didn’t realize how lucky I was to have tasted some of the best cookies on the planet. My mom and grandma were always bringing treats from La Bonbonniere which is located where I grew up in New Jersey. Now there were tons of amazing cookies and desserts but what has always stood out were the acorn cookies. Why? Because they’re dipped and chocolate and rainbow sprinkles of course. These cookies known for their delicate almond flavor, a sweet raspberry center (or apricot), and a satisfying bite of rainbow sprinkles. Inspired by these legendary cookies, I decided to create a cupcake based on their glory. Yes I love them that much. I called them Raspberry Almond Sprinkle Cupcakes, and they’re absolutely amazing.

The base of these cupcakes starts with an almond cake mix, chosen to mimic the subtle nutty flavor that makes those acorn cookies so crazy good. By swapping out water for buttermilk, the cupcakes take on a richer, creamier texture, while the vegetable oil and eggs keep them moist and tender. After mixing the ingredients together, I like to use a cookie scoop to ensure each cupcake is evenly portioned before baking. Once they’re out of the oven and cooled, the real fun begins—filling them with sweet raspberry preserves.

The addition of raspberry preserves in these cupcakes is a nod to the classic acorn cookie filling. After the cupcakes have cooled, I use a cupcake corer or an apple corer to remove a small portion from the center of each cupcake, being careful not to go all the way to the bottom. This creates the perfect little well for the raspberry preserves. Make sure to save the bits of cupcake you’ve removed—you’ll be using them again.

Once the cupcakes are filled with raspberry goodness, it’s time to frost them. The frosting is a rich, chocolate buttercream made from butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and unsweetened cocoa powder. For an extra dark and intense chocolate flavor, I recommend making the frosting the night before, allowing the cocoa to fully develop its color and taste. When you’re ready to decorate, simply pipe or spread the frosting onto each cupcake, then top generously with rainbow sprinkles. The sprinkles add a pop of color and listen, I’ll add rainbow sprinkles to anything I can. But it helps that the cookies are covered in them too 😉

Let me tell you, these Raspberry Almond Sprinkle Cupcakes are the real deal. They taste super close to the bakery acorn cookies! The combo of almond, raspberry, and chocolate is a classic one, even if you haven’t tried these cookies. Plus, the sprinkles add a touch of that will get anyone on board.

Soooo if you’re not heading to NJ anytime soon, I hope these cupcakes bring a little bit of that bakery magic straight to your kitchen. They’re simple to make and an insanely good treat.