Peanut butter-filled chocolate cupcakes

I know we're all enjoying color right now and craving fresh berries and fruit.  That's true for me as well but that said, chocolate and peanut butter are always in season. They are staples that get me through the year, no matter the weather.

I was browsing through my copy of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes the other day.  How often do you look over your collection of cookbooks?  Sometimes I'll take a look at some of mine and it's amazing by how many good-looking recipes are in there - recipes I'll likely never get to because there's just so much out there and so little time!

Well...when I was looking through the cupcake book, I spotted a recipe for peanut butter-filled chocolate cupcakes and I wondered how I'd missed it and hadn't tagged it in some way.  It's a very easy stir-together kind of recipe and I had everything on hand so I made half batch for no reason other than to celebrate the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

You don't need frosting for these cupcakes.  There's a good tablespoon of peanut butter filling in the center, with a brownie-like cake surrounding it.  Layering the brownie-cake batter with the peanut butter filling and giving the batter a little swirl on top makes the marble pattern that lets everyone know what to expect when they take a bite.

I really like eating these cupcakes warm so I pop them in the microwave for 10-12 seconds before eating.  That way, the filling is warm and there's just a greater intensity of flavor.  

I'm glad I revisited one of my cookbooks and it resulted in these little treats.  The classic flavor works for me and I'd almost make them just for the aroma-therapy alone.  The smell of melted chocolate and peanut butter in the air is a heady thing.


These cupcakes are really easy to make.  Both the chocolate cupcake batter and the peanut butter filling are done by a simple hand-mixing process.  The chocolate cake portion is very much like brownie batter.  The peanut butter filling is mainly a simple stirring together of creamy peanut butter, confectioners' sugar and butter. 

These two bowls made the kitchen smell very good!

Once your batter and filling are done, assemble the cupcakes by first putting down about 2 tablespoons of the chocolate batter.  Then, add a tablespoon of the peanut butter filling on top.

Cover that with another tablespoon of chocolate batter (or basically, evenly distribute the remaining batter).  Finally, you should have enough peanut butter filling to add another teaspoon of it on top of each cupcake.  Take a toothpick and give the top a swirl.

They bake at 325 for about 35-40 minutes.  Keep an eye on them because you want them to set but for a cake tester to come out with a bit of moist crumbs attached to it.

Let the cupcakes cool completely in the muffin tin, on a cooling rack, before removing. The peanut butter portion of the tops are rather soft when they come out of the oven so it would be messy trying to remove them right away.  Once cooled, the cupcakes will be easy to remove and are actually quite hearty.

One of these will definitely satisfy that chocolate-peanut butter craving!


Recipe:

Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
From Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

- For 12 cupcakes - 

For chocolate batter:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For peanut butter filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.  

Prepare peanut butter filling: Place melted butter in a medium bowl and sift confectioners' sugar on top.  Add peanut butter, salt, and vanilla, and stir together until smooth.  Set nearby.

Make chocolate batter: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.  Place butter, chocolates, and espresso powder (if using) into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of just simmering water.  Stir until melted.  Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.  

Whisk sugar into the cooled chocolate mixture.  Add eggs and whisk until smooth. Stir in vanilla.  Add flour and stir until well incorporated.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of chocolate batter into each lined muffin cup, followed by 1 tablespoon peanut butter filling.  Repeat with another tablespoon of batter and top with 1 teaspoon of filling.  Use a toothpick or wooden skewer to swirl the top of each cupcake.

Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until cake tester inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs, about 35-40 minutes.  Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes.  Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container.  I like to microwave the cupcakes for about 10 seconds or so to warm them up before eating.