Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes With Milk Chocolate Glaze

These decadently-rich candied delights are so sickeningly rich I could not even eat one. That's right, even with my infamous sweet tooth, I DID NOT FINISH A CUPCAKE!!!! The moral of the story is so not go overboard, if you give them as a gift be sure to enclose a disclaimer, and whatever you do, refrain from nibbling on the batter. Oh-so-difficult a task, as the batter is so creamy and dense it tastes exactly like Peanut Butter Fudge!!!!!

Consider yourselves forewarned. Now onward with the details of this self-made creation!!!

The recipe begins with basic Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Yield 12
350* for 22 minutes

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick) at room temperature
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large cage-free egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk - here I substituted Heavy Whipping Cream - let the decadence begin posthaste!!!!

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar until blended and creamy. Add the egg and beat. Add the vanilla and beat. On low speed, add the flour mixture and the milk (substitute heavy whipping cream for fudge consistency!!!!) alternately, ending with the flour, until batter is smooth.
Use paper cupcake liners, and bake on 350 for 22 minutes - OR!!!!!! - I baked for 15 minutes, pulled the cupcake pan out of the oven, and added a whole Reese's Peanut Butter cup to a couple of my cupcakes, pushing it gently into the batter so it rested just on top, then continued baking for the remaining 7 minutes.
OHHHHHHH SWEETNESSSS, the taste of those 1/2 melted peanut butter cups!!!!

Insert a toothpick to test doneness. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove cupcakes to a wire rack to continue cooling.

While your cupcakes are cooling, make the glaze -

Milk Chocolate Glaze
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup milk chocolate chips (I used Nestle mini's)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

On low heat, heat the cream and butter until hot and the butter has melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the milk chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minute until chocolate begins to melt, add vanilla and whisk until chocolate has melted completely and the glaze is smooth. It's okay to return to heat if needed for full melting to take place, just whisk constantly. Glaze should be thick enough in consistency to spread thinly on top of each cupcake. I am sure these are incredibly yummy with the milk chocolate glaze alone, and may be enough for some cupcake lovers, to be sure, but not for me!!!! I adore excessiveness!!!!!!!  :-) And to that end, I added a whole Reese's Peanut Butter cup to the top of each cupcake after glazing - the cupcakes and glaze were still warm, so the peanut butter cup became a smidge melty and added to the deliciousness factor!!!

Please eat with plenty of water (mmmmmm, or milk if you want to revisit your childhood) so you remain standing!!!!!!! :-)