Easy & Delicious Peanut Butter Cupcakesmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Per your request, I whipped us up a batch of Peanut Butter cupcakes and am so glad I did. Not only are these suckers delicious, they were so freaking easy! The cupcake itself is a great basic chocolate cupcake that I think might become my newest standard chocolate recipe.



As for the peanut butter topping? AH-MA-ZING. Sir Sunderland is sticking pretty strong on our "one cupcake" rule we have here in our house, but he has to go to bed sometime, right?

 

Mini Reese's Peanut Butter CupCakes 
Articles sent to me from my Mom from her Food Network Magazine (Thanks Mom!)

Prep Time:
    1 hr 10 min
Inactive Prep Time:
    15 min
Cook Time:
    20 min
Level:
    Easy
Serves:
    24 servings if mini, 12 if regular sized *Edited to Add* You should definitely make these mini!!! I just ate one regular sized cupcake and it's a total sugar BOMB in the gut. A mini would have eased into the gullet much smoother*

Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces not necessary as you're sticking it in a bowl and microwaving it
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups packed dark brown sugar
 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/3 cup buttermilk
 1 large egg, at room temperature
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Topping:
1/2 cup heavy cream
 1 10-ounce bag peanut butter chips found in Wal*Mart baking section

For the Glaze:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
 6 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped or milk chocolate chips. Once again, you're just going to microwave it.

Directions

Make the cupcakes: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F using the convection setting, if available. Line a 24-cup mini muffin pan with paper liners. Combine the butter, cocoa powder and 1/4 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave until the butter melts, about 2 minutes. Whisk to combine, then whisk in the brown sugar.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the warm cocoa mixture. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and vanilla; stir into the batter until just combined but don't overmix.

Divide the batter among the prepared cups, filling each three-quarters of the way. Bake until the cupcakes spring back when touched, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Make the topping: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, then pour over the peanut butter chips in a bowl and let stand until the chips melt, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until the topping is set, about 10 minutes, then beat with a mixer until fluffy. Transfer to a pastry bag with a 1-inch round tip (I didn't use a tip and cut the point of the pastry bag at 1 inch) and pipe peaks onto each cupcake. Place in the freezer while you make the glaze.
*Edited to add * Piping the peanut butter mixture not only looks a little unappetizing, but puts a little bit too much peanut butter on each cupcake. Next time I am going to try and spread the mixture on top, instead of piping*

Make the glaze: Put the butter, chocolate and 3 tablespoons hot water in a small, deep microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on 50 percent power until the chocolate melts, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Dip  (or drizzle, I lost a couple tops to cupcakes dipping into the chocolate) the frozen peaks of each cupcake into the glaze, letting the excess drip off. Refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.

Printed from FoodNetwork.com on Sun Apr 11 2010

If you make these puppies (which I highly recommend you do, like NOW) be sure to share your link on my Cupcakes Made by You tab.

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