Cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes

HAPPY HAPPY 2013 FRIENDS!!! Hope you all had a wonderful and safe holiday season!
I love this cookies and cream cheesecake cupcake recipe, from Martha Stewart.
This is the second time I’ve made them, and they are actually very simple and easy to make (as cheesecake has always intimidated me!)

Here’s what you need:

• 42 Oreo, cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
•  2 pounds or about 3 2/3 packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup or 8 ounces sour cream
• Pinch of salt

Here’s what you do:
Preheat oven to 275° F.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Place 1 whole Oreo cookie in the bottom of each lined muffin cup.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.  Gradually add the sugar, and beat until combined.  Beat in the vanilla.
Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating to combine and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add in sour cream and salt, beat to combine.  Using a large spatula, fold in the chopped Oreo cookies.
Divide batter evenly among the cookie-filled muffin cups, fill each cup almost to the top.  Bake, rotating muffin tins halfway through, until the filling is set, about 22 to 28 minutes.  Transfer the muffins tins to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate (in the muffin tins) at least 4 hours (or overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

This recipe makes A LOT of cupcakes!