Friday, June 28, 2013

chocolate pb cupcakes

I love these cupcakes!
You don't get a much more beautiful & intuitive flavor combination than chocolate & peanut butter and these fulfill that flavor craving every time!
 
Not to mention, this is my favorite basic chocolate cupcake recipe - so light and fluffy!
{cupcake recipe from the cookbook "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" by Jill O'Connor}
 
One more thing... these cupcakes keep really well, in fact, I think they taste better on day 2 or 3 compared to fresh out of the oven! I love recipes like that!
 
 
 
 
It's always so hard to stop at just one!
 
 
 
 
Chocolate Cupcakes w/ PB Buttercream
 
Chocolate Cupcakes
 
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa {I like Hershey Dark}
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mayonnaise {not low fat}
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup boiling water
 
Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda & salt. In mixing bowl combine sugar & eggs and beat on medium/high until light and fluffy. Beat in the mayo and vanilla just until combined. Reduce speed to medium and beat in half of the flour mixture just until combined, scraping down the sides. Add half of the boiling water and beat on low until the batter is smooth. Add remaining flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the sides. Add remaining boiling water and beat on low until the batter is smooth again. Batter will be pretty thin. Pour batter into cupcake tins prepared with liners. Fill 3/4 full. Makes 24+ cupcakes. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Cupcake is done when you touch the middle of the cupcake with your finger and it springs back and when it no longer looks "wet". Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
 
 
Peanut Butter Buttercream
 
1/2 cup butter, softened (real - not margarine!)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
 
{for more pb flavor add up to 1 cup pb.
I generally add a generous 1/2 cup for a delicate pb flavor}
 
Beat butter & peanut butter together. Slowly beat in milk and then powered sugar.
Add a little more milk if needed to reach desired consistency.
 
I iced these cupcakes with Wilton tip 1M and garnished with a mini Reese's cup
 

 
 
The worst part about posting recipes is then all I can think about is eating what I'm posting about and then I have to turn around and make it again!
{cause I never get posts up before we've devoured every last bite!}