Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cookie Frosting

Remember when I said I was making my own birthday cake?  Well, that was before I remembered that I only have one cake pan at my apartment and that I am incapable of actually choosing a cake without hours of deliberation.  That cannoli cake I made for my family took me an entire week to choose, and the final cake ended up coming from two separate recipes.  Instead of putting myself through that again, I settled on cupcakes.

Now, I feel bad saying that I settled for these cupcakes.  These are not settling cupcakes.  These are delicious, impressive, take-eighteen-pictures-of-them-because-they're-so-freaking-beautiful cupcakes.  No settling over here.  I don't think I've ever been so excited to show something I baked to my friends.  I actually put them on a fancy schmancy platter and made my friend take a picture of me with them.

And by fancy schmancy platter I mean the top of the tupperware container that I stored them in.

Anyhoo, you should all make these cupcakes.  They are super impressive for minimal effort and most of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get baking!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cookie Frosting

Ingredients:


For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter chips


For the ganache:
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream


For the peanut butter cookie frosting:
9 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar


Directions:


For the cupcakes:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix together the cocoa powder and coffee in a bowl and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and two sugars.  Add the eggs on at a time.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  


Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the coffee-cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Fold in the peanut butter chips.   Fill the cupcake tins 2/3 of the way.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.


For the ganache:


Bring the heavy cream to a boil.  Pour over the chocolate and let stand for two minutes.  Stir until the chocolate is melted.  


For the peanut butter cookie frosting:


Mix together the peanut butter and butter.  Add the powdered sugar, mixing until a thick frosting forms.  With clean and dry hands form round disks and press the tines of a fork on the top to make it look like a peanut butter cookie.  Place on a piece of parchment paper.

To assemble the cupcakes, use an offset spatula to smear a layer of the ganache on the cupcake.  Press a "peanut butter cookie" on top.

Source: Annie's Eats