Reese’s Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Rainy Sunday’s are sometimes the best and most needed days. We’ve spent the day watching Game of Thrones (we’re only on Season 2 so no spoilers!) and working on some things around the apartment. Yesterday we stopped by my favorite store in all of Harrisburg, Home Goods, and picked up a ‘vision board’ for the bedroom. Zack is hoping that it will help keep us motivated toward our bucket list & house-saving goals.

No matter what you managed to get accomplished, rainy days are the perfect time for trying new recipes! When I first started getting into baking, I made a 2-layer peanut butter cake with the giant Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups baked into each layer. Remember these? They were a *little* heavy for the cake, but it was still fun. The results weren’t as great as I had dreamt up, but it still took the cake to a whole new level!

Unlike the larger cake, the mini Reese’s Cups inside these little cupcakes are a delicious addition. I love working with peanut butter recipes, but as Zack hates peanut butter desserts (crazy, right?) I tend to avoid it unless he’s asked me to stop making him treats (also crazy). I took advantage of a client meeting at work to dip the spatula into the peanut butter jar and whip up this recipe to share.

Chocolate and peanut butter always go hand in hand and this recipe is a good one to keep in your collection for rainy days like today.

Print

Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate and peanut butter always go hand in hand and this recipe is a good one to keep in your collection for rainy days like today.

Servings 18 Cupcakes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs room temperature
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream room temperature
• 24 mini Reese’s Cups unwrapped

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter room temperature
• 3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp. heavy cream
• 1 cup chocolate chips if desired
• 9 Reese Cups if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Put butter and sugar in a large saucepan and stir until melted and combined. Pour into the mixing bowl of an electric mixer and let cool for 5 minutes.
4. In the meantime, boil water in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside.
5. Add in the eggs one at a time. Add in the vanilla and cocoa mixture. With speed on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure it’s well mixed.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. Gently press 1 mini Reese’s Cup into the center of each cupcake.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside to let cool.
8. Once the cupcakes are cool, beat peanut butter and butter together until creamy. Add in 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Add in vanilla and salt. Add remaining powdered sugar and heavy cream as necessary until creamy and smooth.
9. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes – I used Wilton Tip 1A for this style! If you want, melt the chocolate chips with ~2 tbsp. of veggie oil in 30-second intervals. Drizzle the chocolate onto the top of each cupcake and then press 1/2 of a Reese’s Cup into the top of each cupcake. Dig it open and enjoy!