Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

"Icing on the cake" is a bonus, right?  Well, "filling in the cupcake" takes a cupcake to a whole new level.

This is a very decadent cupcake.  The cupcake tastes like a brownie with peanut butter filling. We could stop right there and call it a day, or we could keep going.  Let's keep going.

The cupcake is then frosted with peanut butter frosting, and the entire cupcake is then dipped into a chocolate ganache.  It's peanut butter and chocolate inside and out.

Yes, I concede: this cupcake is more complicated because it involves making cupcakes, a filling, a frosting, and a ganache.  But, I promise you, once you take a taste, you'll realize that it was worth it!

My cupcake corer came in very handy for adding a filling to the cupcake.  Essentially, it hollows out a perfect hole in the center of the cupcake, and you can then add a filling in.  I added the peanut butter filling in with a pastry bag, but you could use a spoon to get the filling in there.  As I mention below, instead of making the filling, you could even just substitute a mini peanut butter cup, too.

Enjoy these dangerous, yet delicious, cupcakes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
(Yields 12 cupcakes)

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the peanut butter filling:*

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the peanut butter frosting:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup milk or half-and-half

For the chocolate ganache:

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325ºF.  Line a muffin tin with paper liners.  Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.  Put butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl over (not in) a pan of simmering water, and stir until melted.  Remove from heat, and lead cool slightly.  Whisk granulated sugar into cooled chocolate mixture.  Add eggs, and whisk until mixture becomes smooth.  Stir in vanilla.  Add flour mixture, stir until well incorporated.  Spoon 1/4 cup of batter into each lined cup.  Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in center comes out with only a few moist crumbs, about 40 minutes.  Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before inserting peanut-butter filling.

To make the filling, stir together all ingredients until smooth. Use preferred method to fill cupcakes.  Method Suggestions: (1) Use a small paring knife to cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake.  Add filling to the cupcake.  (2) Use cupcake corer to add filling.

To make the frosting, mix the confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, salt, and milk in a stand-mixer.  Once combined and creamy, transfer frosting to a pastry bag.  Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.  Chill cupcakes in fridge until frosting is completely firm, about 1 hour.

After cupcakes have chilled, make the chocolate ganache.  Place the chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl over (not in) a pan of simmering water.  Whisk until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.  Transfer to a large mug.

Holding the cupcake by the bottom, carefully dip in chocolate to submerge all of the frosting.  Pull up and allow the excess chocolate to drop off for a few seconds before turning the cupcake right side up.  Transfer to cooling rack and repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Allow chocolate to set and buttercream to soften before serving.

* You can skip the filling.  As an alternative, you could also use a peanut butter cup, too!

Source: Cupcake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes; Peanut butter filling slightly adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes; Peanut butter frosting recipe slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour; Chocolate ganache recipe adapted from Serious Eats.