Handmade by Hoffy: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

If you love chocolate and peanut butter, you're going to love this post...EVERYTHING chocolate. I love peanut butter and chocolate when they are served together...i.e. in candy bars, desserts, cakes, bars or whatever has those two wonderful ingredients. If you are a fan, these cupcakes are delicious. Simple ingredients make these cupcakes a treat for everyone at any time.

I topped these cupcakes with broken up Heath bars and mini chocolate chips to give them a little crunch. I always like a little crunch in most everything I bake. Actually, I like a little crunch in most everything I eat. Maybe I'm a hampster...LOLOL!

I have a few desserts on my website that use the chocolate and peanut butter combination. If you are interested in the desserts below just click on the"Read More" and you will be redirected to these posts.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Trifle

What Cake Recipe To Use...

I have made these cupcakes with the original recipe below and with my recipe for Crazy Cake. Crazy Cake is a cake made with no eggs. I love the texture of the Crazy Cake. It's dense and so moist. Either recipe is delicious. I guess I'm just a little partial to the Crazy Cake recipe. Whether you use this recipe or the Crazy Cake recipe you won't be disappointed. The recipe for Crazy Cake is after the original cupcake recipe below.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe...

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes

1 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tspl. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs (room temp)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup sour creamj
1/2 cup buttermilk (room temp)- Sub 1 tsp. distilled vinegar to 1/2 c. milk and let set for 5 minutes

Cupcake Instructions:

All ingredients should be at room temperature.before making the cupcake batter.
Preheat the oven to 365 degrees and line 2 muffin tins with cupcake iners. You will get 18-20 cupcakes in total
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl - whisk together the oil sugars, eggs and vanilla.
Scrap down the sides of the bowl and stir in the sour cream.
Whisk in about 1/2 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat the porcess with the rest of the flour & buttermilk.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each about 1/2 full.
Bake 1 pan at a time in the middle rack of the preheated oven foer 17-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the muffin pan for at least 10 minutes, then remove and conctine cooling on a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

1 cup butter softened to room temp.
3/4 cup peanut butter (creamy)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-4 T. whipping cream
peanut butter cups, chopped heath bars or mini chocolate chips (for tops of cupcakes)

Peanut Butter Frosting Instructions:

In a large bowl beat the butter until soft.
Then add in the peanut butter and continue beating until evenly combined.
Add the 2 cups powdered sugar, the vanilla extract and salt and carefully beat them in with the mixer on low speed.
Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with the whipping cream until the desired sweetness and thickness is reached.
Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag or with the flat edge of a knife. I frosted mine with a 1M Wilton start tip.

Thank you to Just So Tasty for a great recipe!

Crazy Cake Recipe:

There are a few things to keep in mind when making this recipe.

Only use a glass 9X13 cake pan for a regular cake.
If making cupcakes, make sure you use cupcake wrappers in the cupcake pan.
Do not use any metal utensils and yes, you need to mix by hand

Ingredients:

3 C. flour
2 C. sugar
6 T. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 C. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. vinegar
2 C. water

Cake Instructions:

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Then sift again into the cake pan (do not grease). Then sift again into the bowl and one more time into glass cake pan.
After sifting 4 times, make 3 wells in mixture in cake pan.
Add the vanilla into one of the wells, the vinegar in the second well and the oil in the third well. The oil will spill over and that's just fine.
Pour the water around the edges and mix with rubber spatula until thoroughly mixed like a cake mix.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes or until toothpick
inserted in cake comes out clean.

Cupcake Instructions:

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Then sift again into another bowl.
Repeat this one more time (it should be sifted 4 times)
Make 3 wells in mixture in the final bowl.
Add the vanilla into one of the wells, the vinegar in the second well and the oil in the third well. The oil will spill over and that's just fine.
Pour the water around the edges and mix with a rubber spatula until thoroughly mixed like a cake mix.
Pour mixture into cupake liners in a cupcake pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean.

One Final Thought...

Baking is one of my favorite things to do. Although I have had some not so good results, I usually keep trying until I get the recipe just right. I think that's good advice for the novice or the expert cook alike.. Keep trying and trying until you get the results that you want. Thank goodness for YouTube. Although I have been cooking for more years than I care to admit, I'm still learning more and more techniques every day. It's always good to learn more and more and more...until next time...Enjoy!

Southern Banana Pudding by Nicole McGlaughlin from All Recipes

I've made this pudding several times. Every time I serve it all I hear is ohhs and awws... The pudding is so rich and creamy and with the addition of the vanilla wafers you get a nice crunch and you can't forget those wonderful bananas. This is a great summer treat for the family and company.