Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
My moist chocolate cupcakes taste like they came straight from a bakery and have a fun surprise inside. They are topped with decadent peanut frosting and taste like your favorite candy in cupcake form!
If there is a candy dish I am picking out the Reese's cups! I've previously shared recipes like Reese's Cake and peanut butter and jelly cookies. I doctor up boxed cake mix to make it super moist and flavorful and then hide a peanut butter cup inside! Best of all these Reese's Cupcakes are topped off with a rich peanut butter frosting. The frosting contains 1 whole CUP of peanut butter!
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Chocolate Cake Mix: I am partial to Betty Crockers Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix.
- Butter: Replace the oil but butter for a richer flavor and a texture that literally melts in your mouth. Be sure the butter for the frosting is softened. Quickly soften butter by cutting it up into smaller pieces.
- Egg: Add one more egg than the box calls for for a richer cake.
- Milk: Replace water with milk. It adds fat and richness.
- Peanut Butter: Use regular not natural peanut butter which tends to separate. I like Jif.
Krystle's Tips: Steal My Culinary School Secret
- Chill the Candy: Freezing helps them hold their shape so they don’t melt completely
- Don't Overfill: Fill liners only around ¾ full. This way they can rise without overflowing.
- Don't Overbake: Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. If you see raw batter they are underdone, but if the toothpick is clean they are likely overbaked and dry.
More Cupcakes To Try
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes
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📖 Recipe
Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
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Ingredients
- 1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix Replace Oil and Water With Equal Parts Butter and Milk, and add 1 extra egg yolk
- 32 Unwrapped Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups Frozen
- ½ Cup Butter Softened
- 1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 3 Tablespoons Whole Milk
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- Chocolate Syrup If Desired
Instructions
For the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
- Prepare cupcake batter according to the box directions.
- Fill cupcake liners ~¾ of the way full.
- Gently place a Reese's cup into the center of each cupcake.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
- For the Peanut Butter Buttercream
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.
- Gradually add powdered sugar a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Add milk as needed if the frosting gets too thick.
- Pipe or spread frosting onto each cupcake.
- Garnish with 12 remaining peanut butter cups and chocolate syrup if desired.
Nutrition
These Cupcakes are a dream combo. The rich chocolate cake, creamy peanut butter frosting, and bonus peanut butter cups make them a definite crowd-pleaser.
These look so good! Chocolate and peanut butter together in cupcakes is always a winning combo.
You can never go wrong with Peanut Butter cupcakes! Talk about the perfect dessert!
The peanut butter frosting looks so rich and creamy, and that chocolate drizzle is the perfect finishing touch. These would disappear fast at any party.
I can never resist the chocolate peanut butter combo and these cupcakes were no exception!! They were delicious!
yumm, looks good. Healthy and tasty as well. Will give it try for sure. Thanks for sharing at Party Palooza summer desserts.