Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

These chocolate peanut butter cupcakes feature a soft peanut butter cake topped with rich and creamy chocolate peanut butter frosting. They’re a must for peanut butter lovers!

I posted these cupcakes in May of 2018. I’ve changed the recipe slightly to ensure soft and fluffy cupcakes and updated the post to include more information about the recipe.

Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes! I feel like these don’t really need an introduction—I mean, soft and fluffy peanut butter cupcakes topped with chocolatey, peanut butter-y frosting pretty much speak for themselves right?

Does dessert get any better? I can’t even imagine how!

Why you’ll love these chocolate peanut butter cupcakes:

• They come together pretty quickly with simple ingredients
• You don’t need a stand mixer to make them
• They freeze well so you can always have a stash of cupcakes on hand

How to store your cupcakes

Uneaten cupcakes can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can also freeze cupcakes, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.

Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temp, tightly wrapped, for up to about a day.

Can I use natural peanut butter?

I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter in either the cupcakes or the frosting. It’s hard to ensure the consistency of your final product unless you use processed peanut butter.

Can I make plain peanut butter frosting?

Definitely. If you don’t want chocolate frosting, simply replace the cocoa powder with powdered sugar. Super simple and perfect for people love their peanut butter totally unadulterated!

Can I bake these as a layer cake?

YES! I actually adapted this recipe from a layer cake. To make cupcakes, I halved the recipe for the cake layers in this Butterfinger cake.

I’d recommend just following the directions in that recipe rather than trying to double this recipe, then bake it in cake pans. (Unless you really like math.) If you use this cupcake recipe to make cake layers, your layers will turn out very thin.

A few more recipes you might enjoy
Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies
White Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
Snickers Cheesecake

Did you make these chocolate peanut butter cupcakes? Great! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. Then post a pic on IG–tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your delicious creations!

5 from 8 votes

Print

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Cooling time

3 hrs

Total Time

55 mins

 

These chocolate peanut butter cupcakes feature soft peanut butter cake topped with creamy chocolate peanut butter frosting. They're delicious!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter don’t use natural
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup full fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 4 to 6 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste

Instructions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 to 14 muffin cups with paper liners and set pans aside.
2. Combine the water, butter, vegetable oil, and peanut butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat.
3. Cook, stirring often, until peanut butter and butter are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool while you continue with the cupcake batter.
4. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat briefly with an electric mixer to combine.
5. Add the sour cream, milk, egg, and vanilla and beat on low speed until combined.
6. Beat in the cooled peanut butter mixture on low speed until batter is smooth, stopping mixer to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl several times. Batter will be fairly thin.
7. Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups, filling each a little more than half full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the pans comes out clean.
8. Cool in the muffin tins for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1. Once cupcakes are cool, make the frosting.
2. Beat butter and peanut butter together until very smooth, then add 3 cups powdered sugar, the cocoa powder, 4 tablespoons milk, and salt and beat on low to combine.
3. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then turn mixer to medium and beat for a minute or two, until frosting is smooth.
4. Add additional powdered sugar if frosting is too thin and additional milk if frosting is too thick. Frost cupcakes and decorate as desired.
5. Uneaten cupcakes can be stored at room temp, covered, for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
6. They can also be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.
7. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored, tightly wrapped, at room temp for up to a day or so.

Recipe Notes

• Be sure to cool your cupcakes completely before you frost them or the frosting will melt
• If your cocoa powder is lumpy, sift it before mixing it into your frosting
• To make plain peanut butter frosting, replace the cocoa powder with powdered sugar