Recipe - Lemon Sunshine Cupcakes

I got this recipe from a competition show on a cooking channel.  My family and friends love them.

Ingredients
For crust and topping:

1 1/3 cups shortbread cookie crumbs (Lorna Doone Shortbreak Cookies)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Batter
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 small box (3.4 ounce) instant lemon pudding
1 (18.25 ounce) box lemon cake mix (recommended: Betty Crocker Super Moist)
1/3 cup lemon curd

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 standard muffin pans with foil cupcake liners.

Place shortbread cookie crumbs, sugar, melted butter in medium bowl; stir until well combined

Use the paddle attachment on your mixer to mix together cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, mix until combined.  Add vegetable oil, water and box of pudding.  Mix until combined.  Add cake mix and beat on medium speed for two to three minutes.  Batter will be on the thick side.

Place a heaping tablespoon of cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner.  Pack the crumbs into the bottom of the cupcake liner.  Reserve remaining mixture for topping.

Scoop batter into each muffin cup.

Make a depression in the center of each cupcake using your finger or the end of a wooden spoon.  Fill the indentation with up to 1 teaspoon lemon curd.  The recipe recommends piping it in but I just spoon it in with a long narrow ice tea spoon.

Sprinkle the cupcakes with the remaining shortbread cookie crumb. 

Bake for 20 - 23 minutes, rotating the pans half way through baking until cupcake edges are lightly golden brown.

Serve cupcakes warm or at room temperature.

They are incredible warm.  Still very good at room temperature.