Reese's Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

I'm sitting here writing and noticing that I have powdered sugar on my toes... yep, my toes!  How says you?  Keep reading...

I'm not the most perfect baker, I think that baking just has too many precise rules.  I like things...well, a bit more flexible and free flowing, shall I say? Anyways, this recipe combination was inspired by watching a program for Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes on "Cookin' with the Neely's", but that didn't really speak to me.  The frosting looked awesome though, so I kept thinking about it. I saw a blog once where all they did was bake things INTO cupcakes.  I like that... so I kept going with it.

So I googled recipes for Chocolate cupcakes, I know I could of used a mix, but that so seems like cheating, and has yucky manufactured things you can't pronounce in it anyways.  This recipe was called Mom's Best Chocolate Cupcakes, jeez, how could I not make that one?  Weird thing is, there are no eggs in it. I thought it was very weird and I double, I mean triple, checked to make sure.  Sure enough- no eggs!  The cupcakes were moist, good, and easy, and OH, can I say it?  Vegan friendly, just in case you have some rabid Vegans floating about your house.

Back to that powder sugar on my toe, well, I did the right thing and sifted my powdered sugar before adding to the frosting.  Sometimes I don't and it always makes me so mad to have those lumps in the frosting!  I sifted it onto a flexible plastic cutting board and carefully added to my stand mixer, just like I saw Alton Brown do on TV.  Silly thing is, I didn't expect the plastic to buckle and then flip back into place throwing powdered sugar everywhere.  All over my sweater, my jeans, my face, my feet and my floor.  I just love to be sticky... don't you?

Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients:
Makes about 18 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup oil

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon vinegar, white or Cider
1 bag Reese's Peanut Butter Cups- Miniature Size (about 42)

Preheat oven at 350. Mix together all dry ingredients, then the water, oil and extract, then add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until uniformly moistened.  This batter was a bit more liquid than most batters, but it cooks up nice and moist! Line your muffin tin with papers and fill each one about 1/4 full, add an unwrapped miniature Reese's Peanut Butter cup into each tin. 

Add more batter to cover, filling each to about 2/3 - 3/4 of the way to the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Let cool completely... and I mean completely, or your frosting is going to melt right off!

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature

4 Tbsp butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup creamy peanut butter 

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and butter. Beat until well combined, then add the vanilla and peanut butter and beat until well mixed. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and beat until well incorporated.

Using a pastry bag and a large star-shaped icing tip, frost the cupcakes!  If you don't have a pastry bag, or a tip, you could use the ole' Ziploc bag method and fill the bag with frosting, and cut a SMALL portion of the tip off, using that to squeeze the frosting onto the cupcakes in a cute little swirl. Top with a half a Reese's Peanut Butter cup, chopped peanuts, or chocolate sprinkles.

Enjoy...