OREO Cookie Football Cupcakes

Decrease cookies to 18; chop all cookies. Remove 1/2 cup chopped cookies, then finely chop them; reserve for later use. Prepare cake batter, then blend in sour cream and larger chopped cookies as directed. Spoon batter into 60 paper-lined mini muffin pan cups, using about 1 Tbsp. batter for each. Bake 10 to 12 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. (Note: If you have only one or two mini muffin pans and the recipe calls for more cupcakes than your pan will accommodate, cover and refrigerate the remaining batter while baking the first batch of mini cupcakes. Before spooning the remaining batter into the lined muffin pan cups, stir the batter. Add 1 or 2 min. to the baking time if necessary.) Combine frosting and whipped topping; use to frost mini cupcakes. Sprinkle with reserved finely chopped cookies and sprinkles. Makes 30 servings, 2 mini cupcakes each.

These fun cupcakes can be prepared ahead of time. Store frosted cupcakes in refrigerator up to 2 days. Roll edges of frosted cupcakes in reserved finely chopped cookies, then top with sprinkles and OREO footballs just before serving. Or for longer storage, the cooled unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2 weeks. When ready to serve, thaw cupcakes at room temperature, then frost and roll edges of cupcakes in reserved finely chopped cookies. Top with sprinkles and OREO footballs.

Decorate each half of the frosted cupcakes with a different color of sprinkles to represent the colors of the two teams that are playing in the game.