Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes – moist chocolate cupcakes stuffed with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, frosted with delicious Peanut Butter Buttercream and topped with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Minis.

Is there anything better than the smell of chocolate cake baking? It’s wonderful. I love the scent of cinnamon wafting through the air too. Mmm, and banana bread, that has a delicious aroma that I love having in my bake studio. Ooh, and peanut butter, peanut butter has such a distinct smell.

OK, so there are a lot of really good scents when it comes to baking. How can you really choose just one?

I do love the smell of chocolate cake baking though. Baking the chocolate cupcakes for these Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes left my bake studio and condo smelling positively divine. It made me want to eat chocolate cupcakes. Mmm…chocolate cupcakes.

This week I am sharing Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes. I maybe should have called them, “You Better Love Peanut Butter Cupcakes” or “Death by Peanut Butter Cupcakes” or Peanut Butter Lovers Cupcakes”. The point being, there is a lot of peanut butter in these cupcakes.

And what goes perfectly with peanut butter? Chocolate! I knew you’d agree.

The base of these Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes is a chocolate cupcake. I used my favorite boxed cake mix, Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge. It’s ridiculously chocolaty and then she {Betty Crocker} throws in mini chocolate chips just for good measure. Plus, it’s really a rich and moist boxed cake mix. I’ve had people swear it was ‘made from scratch’ chocolate cake. It’s that GOOD!

You don’t need to use boxed cake mix for these Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes to rock your world. You can use your favorite scratch chocolate cake recipe. I opted for boxed cake mix because the two most popular cupcake recipes on my blog, Snickerdoodle Cupcakes and Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes are doctored cake mix recipes. You seem to love them AND I am a people pleaser. 😉

So, we’ve got our delectably moist and rich chocolaty chocolate cupcakes. Now it’s time for the first dose of peanut butter, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Miniature stuffed into the chocolate cupcake.

If you’ve read some of my blog posts, particularly Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Truffles, you know I love all things Reese’s. I’ve basically been dying to stuff a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Miniature into a cupcake. It just seems like the right thing to do.

The trick to stuffing a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup into your cupcakes is to freeze them for about an hour. This prevents the peanut butter cups from completely melting during the baking process. Fill your cupcake liners with your delicious chocolate cake batter a scant ⅔’s full. I used my trusty #24 disher. Then you’ll want to gently press your Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Miniature into the batter. You don’t want it touching the bottom, but you also don’t want it sitting directly on top of the batter. There’s no need to fully submerge or cover the candy. It will become one with the cupcake all on its own.

The second round of peanut butter comes with the delicious Peanut Butter Buttercream. The Peanut Butter Buttercream is VERY peanut butter flavorful because it’s flavored with creamy peanut butter. Peanut Butter Buttercream is everything you love about buttercream AND it tastes like peanut butter. WIN-WIN.

To pipe the swirl onto the cupcakes I used Disposable Pastry Bags and a Wilton #2A Decorating Tip. If you don’t have pastry bags you can also use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, an offset spatula, or a knife.

The final round of peanut butter comes in the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Minis garnish. This is not the same Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Miniature you stuffed inside the cupcake. This is an even smaller version, which it turns out is perfect for baking and decorating cupcakes.

These Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes are oh-so-peanut-buttery. They're the perfect cupcake for your love affair with peanut butter.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Moist chocolate cupcakes stuffed with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, frosted with delicious Peanut Butter Buttercream and topped with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Minis.

Servings 2 dozen cupcakes

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 chocolate boxed cake mix *
• 1 and ¼ cups water
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 24 Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures

Peanut Butter Buttercream

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 24 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Minis

Instructions

 

For Chocolate Cupcakes

• Freeze Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
• Make chocolate cake batter per boxed cake mix instructions.*
• Scoop batter into cupcake liners, no more than a scant ⅔ full. Press a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Miniature down slightly into the batter; no need to cover up candy.
• Bake cupcakes as directed on the back of the boxed cake mix. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow cupcakes to cool in cupcake pan for 3 minutes; transfer to wire rack and cool completely. Cupcakes should be cooled completely before frosting.

For Peanut Butter Buttercream

• In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter and peanut butter until creamy and smooth. Add vanilla extract and salt; mix until combined.
• Slowly add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time; beating well after each addition. Scrape down bowl as necessary.
• Once all powdered sugar has been mixed in, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time and mix. Continue to add and mix until desired consistency is achieved.
• Frost using a decorating tip or spatula onto cooled cupcakes. Top with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Minis. Eat & Enjoy!

Notes

* Follow cupcake ingredients and baking instructions per boxed cake mix.

Store Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes in an airtight container; will keep for 3+ days.

Store Peanut Butter Buttercream in airtight container in refrigerator for 1 week. When you are ready to use, bring to room temperature and re-whip.

DID YOU BAKE THIS RECIPE? I'D LOVE TO SEE IT!Mention @sarahsbakestudio or tag #sarahsbakestudio!