Peanut Butter Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
- Cooking Time: 18-20 minutes
- Servings: 24-30
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes
- Cupcake Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 2/3 c. vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 c. buttermilk
- 2 c. flour
- 1 3/4 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. cocoa (use the dark version, if preferred)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. baking soda
- 1 c. hot coffee
- Filling Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 4 tbsp. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp. milk
- Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:
- 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 c. heavy cream
- 15 dark chocolate mini peanut butter cups, halved, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners (about 30).
- Combine egg, oil, vanilla and buttermilk. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Combine the egg mixture and the flour mixture, mixing well. Slowly mix in hot coffee. Batter will be thin.
- Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched
- For the filling, beat together the butter, cream cheese and peanut butter in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the powder sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating after each addition. Add the milk and beat until creamy.
- Fit a pastry bag with a long narrow tip and fill with peanut butter filling. Insert tip about 1/2 inch deep into the top of each cupcake and fill cupcake with frosting. Set aside unused filling.
- Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat the heavy cream over low/med heat until it just starts to simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit for 2 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir the chocolate chips and the cream until well-blended.
- Swirl the top of each cupcake into chocolate glaze, coating the top of each cake. Let the glaze harden for a few minutes (you can chill them, if desired), then, using leftover filling, pipe a swirl of buttercream on top of each cupcake. Garnish each cupcake with 1/2 mini peanut butter cup.