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Strawberry cupcake with white icing and strawberry cookie crunch crumble on top.
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5 from 5 votes

Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes

These Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes are a fun twist on the classic ice cream bar! If you grew up on Good Humor strawberry shortcake bars, you will be blown away by how much these strawberry cupcakes taste like them--starts with a box cake mix, but tastes like they are straight from the bakery!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Calories: 374kcal
Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Cupcakes:

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 c whole milk
  • ½ c canola oil
  • 1 box strawberry Jell-O 3 oz. package
  • ¾ c sour cream
  • white cake mix box 15.25 oz.

For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

  • 1 c salted butter (2 sticks) softened (unsalted will work)
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 ½ c powdered sugar
  • 2-3 T heavy cream or milk

Strawberry Crunch Topping:

  • 12 Golden Oreos
  • ¾ c freeze dried strawberries
  • 2 T butter melted

Instructions

  • Prepare the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, Whisk together the eggs and milk until incorporated. Add the sour cream, oil and Jell-O and whisk until smooth. Add the cake mix and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain.
  • Spoon the cupcake batter into 2 lined cupcake or muffin pans (or bake in batches if you only have one) filling approximately ⅔ of the way. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
  • Make the Vanilla Buttercream: Using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and beat to incorporate. Begin adding the powdered sugar slowly, about ¾ cup at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, add the milk or cream a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. **Double the frosting recipe to pipe your cupcakes versus spreading the frosting.
  • Make the strawberry crunch topping: Combine the freeze dried strawberries and Golden Oreos in a food processor. Process until broken down into crumbs. Add in the butter and pulse several times to incorporate into the mixture.
  • Frost the cupcakes: Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost them as desired and sprinkle a generous amount of the strawberry crunch over top of the frosting. Enjoy immediately or store them in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerated for 4-5 days.

Notes

  • You can make and store the cupcakes for up to 2 days before frosting. If you need to do some of the work ahead of time, you can make the strawberry cupcakes within 2 days of icing. Store in the refrigerator, in an air tight container until you frost them.
  • To save time, use a container of frosting instead. If you don't have time, grab a tub of frosting. This will cut down on the work and still give you the fun of these strawberry crunch cupcakes.
  • If you plan to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes, double the frosting recipe. If you are like me, it's the frosting that wins. If you want to pipe these cupcakes with a sky high frosting top, then just make sure to make 2 batches of the frosting so you have plenty!
Storage Instructions:
  • Room temperature: You can store these strawberry crunch cupcakes at room temperature up to 2 days in an air tight sealed container.
  • Refrigerator: for best results, refrigerate these cupcakes up to about 5 days in the refrigerator, also sealed air tight. They will be best within 2-3 days, but still amazing on day 5, just a slight dryer. Allow the cupcakes to sit out for 10 minutes before serving.
  • Freezer: these cupcakes can be frozen. You can freeze the unfrosted cupcakes after fully cooling in a single layer using a freezer safe, air tight container. They will freeze for up to 3 months. Frosted cupcakes can also be frozen. It's ideal to partially freeze them before wrapping them so the icing doesn't get smashed. Place them on a plate or sheet pan and allow them to freeze fully before transferring to a container or ziplock bag.
If you don't have a food processor: you can place the ingredients into a plastic bag and crush them with a large wooden spoon or a rolling pin. Then transfer to a bowl and stir the butter in.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 358IU | Vitamin C: 90mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg