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Incredible Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes: moist & tender rich chocolate cupcakes topped with creamy peanut butter frosting. These chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes taste like peanut butter cups in cupcake form!
Why These Cupcakes Are Irresistible
- Tastes like peanut butter cups: Creamy peanut butter frosting with a touch of salt tastes amazing with moist chocolate cupcakes!
- Customizable: Top with your favorite candy, cookies and more (Toppings suggestions below).
- Perfect for Easter or Spring, just like pineapple fluff, Easter dip, and carrot cake cupcakes.
Craveable Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cups
Tender and moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with smooth and creamy peanut butter frosting that slaps! Yup, slaps. I’ve been dreaming about these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cups since I made them. Beautiful, fun to decorate and instantly craveable, this peanut butter cup-inspired treat is a favorite among the kiddos and adults alike.
If you’re new to Beaming Baker, you might not know that we’re kinda experts here on All Thing Chocolate & Peanut Butter. See: haystack cookies, monster cookies, and peanut butter blondies. It’s our love language, and peanut butter cups are our love signals (did that work??).
From this recipe, you can expect simple and easy to make rich chocolate cupcakes, 3 ingredient peanut butter frosting that has the most incredible PB flavor, and way too much decorating! This chocolate peanut butter cupcake recipe is a total crowd-pleaser that folks will not stop talking about!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes Ingredient Notes
- Peanut Butter Frosting – this truly incredible frosting is not too sweet with a touch of salt for yummy peanut butter flavor!
- Flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Espresso Powder – coffee always makes chocolate better! In this case, it brings out the notes of cocoa to deepen these cupcakes flavor
- Eggs – set eggs out on the counter for 30-60 minutes, or place in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes for room temperature eggs.
- Sugar
- The usuals – oil, baking powder, baking soda, salt
- Buttermilk – for a truly moist and tender crumb
- Candy – I tucked one mini peanut butter cup into the peanut butter frosting on each chocolate cupcake, but you can use your fave candy.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cupcake pans with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk until well mixed.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine, only until no flour patches remain.
- Fill cupcake liners halfway with batter. Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- Frost with peanut butter frosting using this piping tip for smooth mounds and this piping tip for ridged swirls.
Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe For Chocolate Cupcakes
Wondering which frosting to use for these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cups? I love making this peanut butter frosting. You can also use cream cheese frosting, chocolate frosting, vegan chocolate frosting, or lemon cream cheese frosting.
Suggested Toppers
The only thing that can make these chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter icing even better? Adding delicious, complementary toppings!
- Peanuts: crushed, salted, honey, chocolate-covered—all go well on top of these cupcakes!
- Candy: I like to make mine with mini peanut butter cups or buckeye balls, but you can use chocolate sprinkles or peanut butter chips
- Chocolate Goodness: chocolate syrup, muddy buddies, bunny bait
- Cookies: chop up cookies like chocolate peanut butter Ritz cookies, peanut butter blondies, chocolate birds nests … and more!
For more delicious recipe ideas like chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter frosting, follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. If you’ve tried this recipe, take a pic and tag us on Instagram using #beamingbaker. We can’t wait to see it! Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
More Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cupcake Recipes
Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso, or espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- Peanut butter frosting, , mini peanut butter cups, chocolate syrup for topping.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with 16 total liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk until well mixed.
- Pour wet mixture into dry mixture bowl. Whisk together until just combined and no flour patches remain, being careful not to overmix.
- Fill cupcake liners about halfway with batter, any more than that and it will overflow. I divided the batter into 16 cupcakes. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Mine took 20 minutes.
- Cool cupcakes in pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Once cool, frost with Peanut Butter Frosting. Here’s the piping tip I used for these photos. Tuck a mini peanut butter cup into the frosting and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Enjoy!
- ★ Last Step: If you made this recipe, leave a comment and review. It truly helps our small business keep running and it helps readers like you!
Notes
- Storing Instructions: Store chocolate peanut butter cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Best when frosted right before serving, but ok when done in advance.
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze frosted cupcakes in a freezer-friendly, airtight container for 1-2 months. Allow to thaw for about 20 minutes at room temperature before enjoying.
