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Do you like chocolate?
How about peanut butter?
Together even!
Me too, oh my…me too.
So does my friend Pam, which is why I made them for her birthday back in May (4 months ago!). Don’t be mad that I have waited to long to share this dynamite recipe with you all, okay? I got sidetracked by my grill and ended up making this and some of these and then the world turned all golden and cool and I had a serious urge to make a few fruit crisps and Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and well…these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes got left behind for a while.
But now, here they are just for you…and I sure hope you are glad, because they are made of peanut butter and chocolate, as I previously touted. A moist chocolate cupcake gets baked right over the top of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Then a silky-smooth, peanut butter and cream cheese frosting is swirled over each cupcake and topped with a mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. They are absolutely divine!
Let me show you how to make them…before another 4 months up and passes us by. 🙂
Let me show you how to make it happen…
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. To make the cupcake batter, place 1 devils food cake mix, 1/3 cup flour and 1 small package of chocolate pudding into your stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Toss the ingredients together to combine.
2. Add 1 1/2 C water, 4 eggs, 1 t vanilla, 1/3 C oil and 1/3 C sour cream. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Scrap the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all of the dry ingredients are getting incorporated. Then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until the batter is nice and glossy. Glossy batter is a beautiful thing to behold. 🙂
3. Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners. Unwrap 36 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and place one in the bottom of each liner.
4. Scoop some batter into each liner, just about half way full, please. You don’t want them to overflow when baking. Pop them into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly tapped.
5. Remove the pans from the oven and let the hot cupcakes rest in the pans for about 5 minutes. Then remove them to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
5. Remove the pans from the oven and let the hot cupcakes rest in the pans for about 5 minutes. Then remove them to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
6. To make the frosting, toss 1 package of softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter into your stand mixer. Beat it until it’s nice and smooth.
7. Add 6 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 5 tablespoons of milk and a dash of salt. Beat until all ingredients are incorporated and the frosting is smooth.
8. Find yourself a pastry bag and a large star tip, 1M is the size I used. (You can buy both of these at Walmart in the cake decorating section. They can also be found at cake decorating supply stores, and most craft stores.) Snip the end off of the pastry bag and drop your tip into it. Spoon the frosting into the bag and swirl the frosting on top of a cupcake.
9. As soon as the frosting has been piped onto the cupcake, add a little mini peanut butter cup. (These can be found on the candy aisle at most grocery stores).
If you frost all of the the cupcakes first, and then try to attatch the little peanut butter cups, the frosting will have dried a bit and they will be hard to fasten into the frosting. Just a little word to the wise, here. 🙂 Only frost one at a time.
Store the cupcakes in the fridge until you are ready to serve. If you need to make them a head of time for a party or gathering, they freeze really well. Just be sure to keep them in an air tight container.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Ingredients
CUPCAKES:
1 box Devils Food Cake Mix
1/3 C flour
1 small (3.4 ounce) box instant chocolate pudding
1 1/2 C water
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/3 C oil
1/3 C sour cream
36 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
FROSTING:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 C creamy peanut butter
6 C powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
dash salt
5 T milk
1 (8 ounce) bag mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. To make the cupcake batter, place 1 devils food cake mix, 1/3 cup flour and 1 small package of chocolate pudding into your stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Toss the ingredients together to combine.
2. Add 1 1/2 C water, 4 eggs, 1 t vanilla, 1/3 C oil and 1/3 C sour cream. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Scrap the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all of the dry ingredients are getting incorporated. Then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until the batter is nice and glossy. Glossy batter is a beautiful thing to behold. 🙂
3. Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners. Unwrap 36 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and place one in the bottom of each liner.
4. Scoop some batter into each liner, just about half way full, please. You don't want them to overflow when baking. Pop them into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly tapped.
5. Remove the pans from the oven and let the hot cupcakes rest in the pans for about 5 minutes. Then remove them to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
6. To make the frosting, toss 1 package of softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter into your stand mixer. Beat it until it's nice and smooth.
7. Add 6 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 5 tablespoons of milk and a dash of salt. Beat until all ingredients are incorporated and the frosting is smooth.
8. Find yourself a pastry bag and a large star tip, 1M is the size I used. (You can buy both of these at Walmart in the cake decorating section. They can also be found at cake decorating supply stores, and most craft stores.) Snip the end off of the pastry bag and drop your tip into it. Spoon the frosting into the bag and swirl the frosting on top of a cupcake.
9. As soon as the frosting has been piped onto the cupcake, add a little mini peanut butter cup. (These can be found on the candy aisle at most grocery stores). If you frost all of the the cupcakes first, and then try to attach the little peanut butter cups, the frosting will have dried a bit and they will be hard to fasten into the frosting. Just a little word to the wise, here. 🙂 Only frost one at a time. Store the cupcakes in the fridge until you are ready to serve. If you need to make them a head of time for a party or gathering, they freeze really well. Just be sure to keep them in an air tight container.
Enjoy!
https://jamiecooksitup.net/2012/09/chocolate-peanut-butter-cupcakes/Recipe from www.jamiecooksitup.net
Recipe for the cake portion from Cindi Schut, Frosting recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!
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I seriously read this whole post with my mouth open haha. I’m a peanut butter lover and these make my heart go pitter patter. Too bad I’m the only one in our house that loves it this much.
Oh, so tempting. No combination of foods in this world can beat peanut butter and chocolate! So glad I am too busy to make these anytime soon.
Are the peanut butter cups full size? Where do you find 36 of them that doesn’t cost a fortune? These look wonderful!
Hey GJ,
I found some great peanut butter cups that come 8 to a package for $1 at Walmart. I think they may be just slightly smaller than a regular cup. I would imagine they are the same as the “fun size” bars. Good luck! Hope you love them.
~Jamie
YUMMY! I just made some of these and instead of the big peanut butter cups, I just pushed in a miniature one after they came out of the oven. Delicious!
I cannot wait to try this recipe!!!! One question though…does the peanut butter cup stick to the wrapper when you peel the wrapper off?
Joan,
Once the cupcakes have cooled, the chocolate sets up nicely. I didn’t have a problem with them sticking. Good luck!
~Jamie
When you call for pudding, is is premade or a mix, instant or cook n serve?
I can’t wait to try these!
Hi Valerie,
Thanks for your question, you need instant pudding (it’s a powdery mix).
Thanks,
~Jamie
Peanut butter & chocolate! Great idea! Now, do they actually freeze well – frosted and decorated??? Wow this is definitely a recipe I will try!!
Betty,
Yes, you can freeze them decorated, frosted and all. Good luck!
~Jamie
It would be very hard for me to not eat all those cookies mylesf. I love blimp sightings. I’m sure I can count on one hand all of them my entire life.
What do you use to put your frosting on? They look so perfect!