peanut butter cup cupcakes
Stuffed with peanut butter. A Reese's lover's dream dessert, outside of an actual Reese's.
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup black cocoa powder (or more regular cocoa)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- mini peanut butter cups, for garnish
peanut butter buttercream
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 1/2-5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with parchment liners.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil, brown sugar, and sugar for 2-3 minutes until combined. Whip in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and yogurt. Add the flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running, stream in the buttermilk until the batter is just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fill each cupcake tin 2/3 of the way with batter. Depending on what your heart says 2/3 of the way full is, you will get 22-24 cupcakes. Bake for 25-30 minutes until an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then transfer the cupcakes to wire racks. Cool completely.
- Scoop out about 1 teaspoon of the center of each cupcake. Dollop about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter into each.
- Make the frosting. Whip the butter, peanut butter, and vanilla until combined, then add 5 cups of the powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of cream. Crank the mixer to high, and beat until very light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. You may need an extra tablespoon of two of cream to achieve the desired texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as needed, to properly incorporate all the ingredients.
- Pipe or frost each cupcake with the buttercream. Garnish with a few mini peanut butter cups. How cute!
Notes
*To store: Baked, unfrosted cupcakes will keep up to 3 days in the fridge, after which I would decorate and serve within 2 days. Finished cupcakes, then, will keep for up to 5 days.
*Peanut butter: I suggest buying a non-natural peanut butter for the best texture in the cupcake filling and the buttercream. Or, if you do get the natural type, the kind that still contains palm oil or similar and doesn't separate. I like Jif the best.