Valentine's Cupcakes: Chocolate Peanut Butter

One of my favorite homemade desserts right here! I’m not too much of a cupcake fan, but making these for special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, gets my cupcake fix in for the year. They are chocolate (my favorite) with a peanut butter accent. They’re rich and have the perfect texture that’s not too crumbly. These are the cupcakes that children and adults will both enjoy! 

They are really great for any occasion, just by adding Valentine’s themed cupcake tins and hearts at the top, they are perfect for this holiday of love. You could simply color the frosting or add sprinkles to make them even more festive. This is definitely not a recipe for only two people since it makes 18 cupcakes. We saved some for ourselves and shared with friends and family! 

The original recipe from Baker By Nature calls for a peanut butter frosting-they're definately the Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes! That’s a little too much for me, so I opted for a plain chocolate frosting and added peanut butter cups on top! Num’s the Word had a great Rolo Cupcake recipe, and I loved their frosting, so I decided to try that with these and it was perfect!

Cupcakes 

Ingredients: 

3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp/ baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup hot water
18 peanut butter cups

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. Line 18 cupcake tins with liners and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Set aside for later. 
3. Make sure butter is melted and cooled. Add oil and chocolate chips to butter in bowl and melt. Whisk until it’s smooth and let cool. 
4. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt together in a bowl until completely mixed together. 
5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk together. Add surge and vanilla then beat until smooth. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Slowly add half of the flour mixture and then half of the sour cream, stir, then add the other half of each. Mix until combined, make sure not to over mix. Pour in water and stir until just combined, again not over mixing. 
6. Scoop about 1 Tbsp. of batter into bottom of cupcake tins. Lightly press a peanut butter cup into each tin and top them each off with about 2 Tbsp. of batter ( cups should be about 3/4 full). 
7. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out completely clean. 
8. Let cool before frosting. 

Frosting 

Ingredients: 

1 cup (two sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Beat butter until fluffy with a hand mixer.
2. Add cocoa, 2 Tbsp. milk, and vanilla extract. Beat until mixed thoroughly. 
3. Add in powdered sugar in small increments until it is mixed and at desired consistency, add the last of the milk if needed.
4. When cooled, frost cupcakes. 

I cut the peanut butter cups into fourths and use them as garnish for each cupcake. I also added small hearts taped onto toothpicks to each cupcake. 

Let me know what you think! 

To print this recipe, click on the button and delete the portions that you don't want printed. Easy as that! 

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