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

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

It has been too long since I've posted a cupcake recipe here.  I used to be all about the cupcake baking, but found myself drawn more toward cookies lately.  A large part of that is cookies' portability.  It's sort of hard to get cupcakes with mounds of buttercream across town on foot.  I don't think you could accidentally drop them and still deliver them unscathed.

I did this with cookies once.  The bag I was carrying them ripped and they tumbled out onto the sidewalk.  Luckily I had the cookies in a separate ziploc bag (I was carrying that bag in a grocery store one) and they were just fine.

I didn't tell the people they were for about the little tumble, though.  If they are reading this, they are probably gagging.  I promise, they were fine!  A little crumbly, but definitely edible.

Anyway, I pretty much only make cupcakes now if I am having people over.  No transport.  No tumble danger.  I had some friends over this past weekend and I made these cupcakes.

They were a crowd pleaser.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

For the cake:


2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/3 cup white sugar
3 egg whites, at room temperature
8 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 cup milk
24 oreo halves
20 oreos, crushed


For the frosting:


8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp heavy cream


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cupcake pan with cupcake sleeves and put an oreo half at the bottom of each, cream side up.  Set aside.


Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the egg whites one at a time, mixing until just incorporated.  Add half of the flour mixture and combine.  Pour in the milk, and mix until just incorporated.  Add the remainder of the flour mixture and combine.  Fold in the crushed oreos.


Divide the batter evenly between the 24 muffin liners.  Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  You may need to leave them in longer depending on your oven.  Mine had to stay in for about 22 minutes.

For the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter.  Add the vanilla extract and combine.  Mix in the powdered sugar, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Next, add the heavy cream and mix until the frosting is light and fluffly, about 4 minutes.


Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.  Garnish with half an oreo cookie.

And eat.

The end.