Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

source: http://www.bakerella.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-cupcakes/

Servings: 18 cupcakes

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Ingredients

• CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2/3 cup hot water
• PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 oz. peanut butter chips
• FROSTINGS
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 2 Tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. FOR CUPCAKES: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Fill cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
3. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together with a wire whisk. Add eggs, oil, vanilla and milk and mix until combined. Add hot water and mix. It will be very liquid.
4. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Pour into liner with a large spouted measuring cup for ease.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until done. Cool and make the cookies.
6. FOR COOKIES: Note: You can make these ahead of time.
7. Beat butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes until creamy. Add the peanut butter, egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
8. In another bowl, stir the dry ingredients with a wire whisk and then add to the peanut butter mixture and stir until combined.
9. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into small balls about an inch or so in diameter. Chill again if necessary and then roll in peanut butter chips.
11. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes. Cool.
12. FROSTINGS: For chocolate frosting, beat 1/2 cup butter until creamy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix. Slowly add 2 cups confectioner's sugar and cocoa and mix until combined. Add 1 Tablespoon milk and mix until creamy and smooth. For peanut butter frosting, beat 1/2 cup butter and 2/3 cup peanut butter until creamy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix. Slowly add 2 cups confectioners sugar and mix until combined. Add 1 Tablespoon milk and mix until creamy and smooth. Fill a decorator bag fitted with a 1M tip with chocolate frosting on one half and peanut butter frosting on the other. Squeeze bag to force frosting into the tip and swirl frosting on cupcakes. Top with a little peanut butter cookie.

Source: Bakerella.com

The first thing I unpacked though were my baking pans. A good place to start. Especially since I have a new oven to work. One 18 years newer than my last one. Yikes and Yay! I was actually kind of nervous … like meeting someone new and hoping you’ll be good friends. But you have to hang out together for a while first to find out.

So, I decided to break the ice with a cupcake recipe I make all the time. I thought it would be a good way to see how it compares to my old oven in terms of baking times and such.

So far so good.

Really good!

And I made chocolate and peanut butter frostings to go with it.

And whipped up some peanut butter cookies to go on top of it.

But, that was really just an excuse for me to try out some basic cookies in the oven, too.

So I stuck them on top of the cupcakes.

I rolled chilled cookie dough into small balls and then rolled balls with peanut butter chips in my hand, instead of stirring them into the dough to make sure each little cookie was well covered in chips.

Oh… and the frosting. Peanut butter and chocolate. I’m easy.

Place a decorator bag fitted with a 1M tip into a large glass and spoon even amounts of chocolate and peanut butter frosting on each side.

Fill the bag, twist off the end and squeeze evenly until the frostings fill the tip.

Then pipe pretty swirls.

And put a cookie in it.

And then take it out and eat the cookie.

And then eat the cupcake.

And then keep eating. I mean share with friends.