Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

It's Tuesday!  Time for another Cupcake Challenge over at Hooiser Homemade!   This week the challenge was to take boxed cake mix and turn it into something special.  I've been seeing a recipes for peanut butter chocolate cupcakes for the last couple of months and have been wanting to make a version of my own.    I decided to try our the boxed chocolate mix in the same style as my favorite vanilla cake mix recipe.    This recipe calls for sour cream and pudding mix which gives the cupcakes a really rich texture and they don't feel like cake mix at all.   In addition I added these wonderful mini peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's that we always have around the house.  Topped with come peanut butter frosting these mini cupcakes were a very rich and delicious treat.   I was glad that I made these in mini form because they were so rich and I would make these again because they were so tasty!   Be careful because this recipe does make a TON of mini cupcakes!

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix

4 eggs

1 package instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sour cream

1 package of Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix all ingredients together.  Mix until well combined on low speed.  Beat on medium speed for 1 - 2 minutes.  Stir in peanut butter cups until well incorporated, reserving a handful for cupcake garnish.    Scoop into paper lined mini cupcake cups and bake 12 - 15 minutes until toothpick entered in the center comes out clean.  Cool completely on wire rack before topping with peanut butter buttercream.

Peanut Butter Frosting

recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. Frost your cupcakes and garnish with a mini peanut butter cup.  

ENJOY!