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1
Preheat to 350
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2
Remove the fortune from all the cookies. (I used a pair of clean tweezers, and in some cases, I had to snip off one end of the cookie to get the fortune out) Keep fortunes for later.
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3
For cupcakes, cream together butter & sugar on med-high. Add eggs, 1 at a time, then baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, salt. Beat for 45 seconds to a minute until the mixture is smooth. Add milk & flour, alternating between the two ingredients about a half a cup at a time until batter is creamy & everything is well combined.
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4
Lightly chop mandarin oranges (you can use a fork to break them up a bit in a strainer over a bowl so the excess juice drains away) Then add them to the batter along with sesame seeds & orange extract. Beat for a minute-the batter should be smooth save for specks of sesame seeds.
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5
Spoon heaping tablespoon of batter into paper-lined tins. Press one cookie into each tin. (It's okay if they touch the bottom of the pan, they float) Cover with more batter so cookie is completely hidden & cupcake tin is filled 3/4 of the way maybe a smidge more
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6
Bake for 25 minutes until cake is set & golden brown. The cookies will probably float to the top. Watch closely so they don't burn. If they start to brown much quicker than the rest of the cupcake, cover pan with a sheet of foil & continue cooking until the cucpcakes are done.
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7
Allow cupcakes to completely cool before frosting.
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8
For buttercream, cream together butter & powdered sugar. Add in powdered ginger 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Taste with each addition until frosting is as strong as you'd like
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9
Frost cupcakes & sprinkle some candied ginger on top. You can also toast some more sesame seeds for garnish.
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10
Finally gather up fortunes & stick the top of a toothpick through each fortune & stick one in each cupcake. You can roll them up on the toothpick so people don't see them before picking a cupcake. Or leave them open flying like flags.
