Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

My daughter's birthday was yesterday, and even though she's grown (21!) and lives 2 hours away, we still celebrated her birthday without her. :)  My son picked the flavor--peanut butter (he's a peanut butter cup fanatic), and it was fitting to top it with chocolate frosting.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup apple sauce
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Chocolate Frosting

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 21 paper baking cups in cupcake pans. Place cake mix, water, peanut butter, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla in bowl of a stand mixer (or mixing bowl). Beat with mixer on low for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat an additional 2 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Divide batter equally between baking cups and place in the oven.

Bake 18-20 minutes, or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Cool completely. Frost with chocolate frosting.

Mmmm...S'Mores

I was completely inspired by Eating Suburbia's S'More Cupcakes. It really got me to thinking about the flavors of chocolate and marshmallow together, which is really a great flavor combination (remember the chocolate marshmallow cupcakes?). The basics of a S'more are graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows.

Ingredients
Graham Base:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or about 15 crushed crackers)
1/2 cup butter, melted

Cake:
Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cupcake batter

Marshmallows:
Marshmallow Fluff

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin pan with paper baking cups.
   
2. Mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Place about 1 tablespoon crust mix in bottom of baking cups. Smoosh to a crust-like consistency.
3. Mix up Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cupcake batter. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Top with another tablespoon of graham cracker crust mix.
4. Place in oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched. Remove from muffin pan and cool completely.
   
5. Place Marshmallow Fluff in a piping bag. Pipe onto the top of cupcakes. Using a brulee torch, toast the tops of the marshmallow for that awesome campfire look. If you don't have a brulee torch, place under a broiler until golden and toasty looking. Yum!
   

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cupcakes

These are really incredible little cakes. Just the perfect amount of chocolate. And also perfect for those S'More cupcakes as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 30 muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill cups 2/3 full with batter.

3. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.


"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Easy Chocolate Frosting

Quick and easy--just what the baker called for. And don't forget yummy...this frosting is definitely yummy...

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 6 tbsp baking cocoa
• 3-4 tbsp milk

With a mixer, combine all ingredients until smooth. Frost your cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in a cupcake? I am so there. Who can resist the mix of peanut butter and chocolate?? Not very many of us, that's for sure!

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp milk

Batter

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/2 cup baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. For filling: in a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and milk until smooth.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Place paper baking cups into 24 muffin cups.
   
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, water, milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened (batter will be runny)
4. Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full with batter. Drop 1 tsp of peanut butter filling into the center of each; cover with remaining batter.
5. Bake 18-22 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Remove from pans. Cool completely.
6. Frost with Easy Chocolate Frosting.
   

Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

This is a great frosting that tastes great, transports well (yea!), and has a nice marshmallow-y flavor, which is awesome for adding a touch of sweetness to your "plain" cupcakes, and adds a nice marshmallow-y punch when paired with marshmallow cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup marshmallow fluff
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup (whole) milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Sift the sugar and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl.
   


2. Place marshmallow fluff, butter, and milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until the butter and marshmallow fluff have melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in the sugar cocoa mixture and vanilla. Stir until the frosting is smooth and satiny.


3. Frost your cupcakes.
   

~This frosting is courtesy of the Cake Mix Doctor.