Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Cupcakes
One thing people love almost as much as bacon is peanut butter. This was news to me, as, growing up, I was never a huge fan. Sure an occasional PB& J and BBQ chip sandwich (don’t look at me like that) would cross my lips, but Peanut Butter desserts were out of the question…until recently.
Now, whenever I get the hankering to make a peanut butter-based dessert, I try to think of ways to cram in as much peanut butter as possible without just giving someone a jar and a spoon. And with this recipe, I think I’m on my way: a chocolate peanut butter cup cake filled with a peanut butter truffle, topped with a peanut butter frosting and Reese’s Pieces. Yup, that’ll do.
I snagged bits and pieces of this recipe from different spots: the cake and the frosting are adapted from the Cake Mix Doctor. And most of the peanut butter truffle recipes that I looked through were exactly the same. And the Reese’s Pieces? Well, I just (HEART) them.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Cupcakes (makes 22 to 24 cupcakes)
Truffles
– 12oz white chocolate chips
– 1/2c creamy PB
Cupcakes
– 1 box Devil’s Food cake mix
– 1 1/3c water
– 1/3c creamy PB
– 1/3c oil
– 3 eggs
Frosting
– 1 1/2c creamy PB
– 12T butter, softened
– 3c p sugar, sifted
– 5 to 6T milk
– 3t vanilla
– Reese’s Pieces, crushed (Three of those boxes that you can get for $1 each at the grocery should be more than enough.)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake tins.
2. Melt white choc. chips and PB for the truffles in the microwave. (Start with 1 min on 50% power and go from there). Stir until combined; then, put truffle mixture in fridge to harden.
3. Combine ingredients for cake in electric mixer on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 2 minutes.
4. The usual directions for cupcakes are to fill the liner 2/3 of the way up. So fill each of them only 1/3 of the way for now.
5. Scoop the truffle mix into 24 balls and press lightly into each cupcake. Then fill the cupcakes the rest of the way (the second 1/3).
(Believe me, it’s better to do it this way. I just added the truffle at the end, and, as you can see from the pic, my cupcakes were top-heavy because of it).
6. Bake for 22 to 26 minutes and then cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, cream together the butter and PB for the frosting. Then, add the vanilla.
8. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until combined.
9. Add 5T of milk and beat the frosting until light and creamy (about two minutes on med-high). Add in more milk if necessary.
10. Frost the cooled cupcakes and top with crushed Reese’ Pieces.
The frosting and the cake were good in their own right, but when you bite into that truffle, too? Shut the front door.
Be prepared to have all of your peanut butter-filled dreams come true.
