peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting …

so … yesterday i had a craving for reese’s peanut butter cups.

i mean like a SERIOUS craving, the kind where your eyes sort of glaze over and you actually start salivating … but i also wanted cake. trying desperately to hang on to this weight loss thing, i knew i couldn’t have both, and after a little calculating i figured i would be better off with cupcakes since the portion size is basically controlled by the size of the cupcake (… that is, if you don’t scarf down 3-4 at a time!).

i ignored the reese’s peanut butter cups in the fridge (i know, i know … cold changes the texture of chocolate blah, blah, blah … but YOU try keeping chocolate from melting to a gooey slimy mess in 105 degree temperatures at the edge of a desert) and made peanut butter cupcakes instead.

i used about half the batter for mini cupcakes (24) and about half for regular sized cupcakes (12). i prefer the minis since they’re about one bite and i’m not tempted to overdo it if i have to keep peeling those little papers off (there’s some powerful shame in knowing others can hear cupcake papers crinkling as you stand over the trash and shovel in the cake … don’t judge me).

i managed to get a full pan of minis and a full pan of regular cupcakes out of this batter, which is MORE than enough cake and frosting to keep two people sugar-buzzed for the duration of the week.

disclaimer: yes, i know the frosting looks “lumpy” and uneven and even
a little grainy in this photo. i didn’t use a pastry bag to frost these …
just a kitchen butter knife so don’t flip out. the texture of the frosting
was really really smooth even though it doesn’t appear to be in this
photo. oh! and the paper cups i used on the big ones were
leftovers from christmas baking …

peanut butter cupcakes

1/3 cup butter-flavored crisco (yes, i know … i’m going to hell …)
1/3 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky … your choice)
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup vanilla soy milk (you can use regular milk … your choice)

preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. put your cupcake papers in a muffin/cupcake pan (i used one regular pan and one mini pan).

cream the crisco and peanut butter in a stand mixer on medium for about 3-5 minutes, or until it is smooth and growing in volume. slowly add in the brown sugar and cream together on medium until the sugar is well incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy. turn the mixer down to medium low and add in the eggs and the vanilla. once they are incorporated, turn the mixer speed to medium high and beat for about 3 more minutes.

mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl, turn the mixer speed to medium, and add in the dry ingredients alternating with the milk (i add six tablespoons of dry ingredients, then a few ounces of milk, and alternate until all is mixed in). beat for another minute.

let the batter rest for a few minutes, then dish the batter into the cupcake papers (i used a small ice cream scoop – the same one i use for drop cookies – and used one scoop for minis and two scoops for regular). if you’re doing the cupcakes in split batches, bake the large ones first for 22-23 minutes, then the minis for about 11-12 minutes. your oven may vary so keep an eye on them and turn the pans about halfway through. check doneness with a toothpick (naturally). let the pans cool about 5 minutes before you remove the cupcakes, then cool them for another hour or so on wire racks.

chocolate buttercream frosting

1/2 cup butter-flavored crisco (yes, i know … hell …)
4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
6 tablespoons of vanilla soy milk (you can use regular milk … your choice)

using your stand mixer, cream the crisco on medium high speed until it is light and fluffy. lower the speed to medium and gradually add in the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. add the vanilla and gradually add in the milk in stages, beating well after each addition of liquid and checking the consistency. either transfer the frosting to a piping bag or just lay it on with a knife (which is what i did … pastry bags make me nervous and they waste a LOT of frosting …).