Take a Megabite

Mini Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I like minis. For example: my skirt could probably be considered a mini today, since it’s a shortie and my Elliot is just a little guy (14 lbs) and I order big beers at sushi restaurants because they are served in mini glasses and I always opt for mini burgers over full-size.

These cupcakes just reinforce the mini-love. What do you like best? Regular-sized cupcakes or the perfect 2-biter?

I also really like cookie dough … but who doesn’t? Remember these truffles? And that story about eating cookie dough since I was a teensy baby? Well, this recipe is just another reason for me to get cookie dough out of your dreams and into your belly.

And isn’t it true that there can’t be too much of a good thing? That is why these little brown sugar cupcakes have cookie dough filling + frosting.

Mini Cookie Dough Cupcakes {makes 4-ish dozen minis}
Recipe adapted from Annies Eats

Ingredients:

brown sugar cupcakes -

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 T), at room temperature
• 3/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t bakingsoda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 t vanilla extract

filling -

• 2 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 T light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup + 1 T all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 oz. sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 t vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

frosting -

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 T), at room temperature
• 6T light brown sugar, packed
• 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• heaping 1/4 t salt
• 1 1/2 T milk
• 1 1/4 t vanilla extract
• mini semisweet chocolate chips to top

Directions:

1. Make cupcakes. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line mini cupcake tins with liners. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla.
3. Divide batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake bounces back lightly when touched. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (I stored mine in the fridge between all the steps. They just couldn’t take the heat.)
4. Make cookie dough filling. Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour, condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture firms up a bit.
5. Fill cupcakes. Cut a small cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the cookie dough mixture.
6. Make frosting. Beat together the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Mix in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla until smooth and well blended.
7. Frost the cupcakes generously, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips.

I made Jake a trifle with the middle bits, leftover frosting and table chips.

A Megabite Birthday + Chocolate Cupcakes

It’s been a good weekend so far … full of dinner crepes, root beer floats and late night chit chat. And to top it all off, today is my blog’s birthday!

One year ago today I posted my first recipe on here. So there you go!

Thursday night I drove a couple hours west and sang along to my favorite bands that I loved in high school (and maybe still do). Nobody was there to judge me when I messed up the words. I might’ve judged myself a smidgen with a shrug in the rearview mirror, but what do I care what I think?

I went to Grand Rapids to hang out with one of my most favorite ladies ever. Since her birthday recently passed, I made her raspberry almond tartlettes and tried not to get too upset when the raspberries let me down and got moldy. Jerks! Don’t worry though, we kept it real and were able to enjoy most of them anyhow.

And tonight I made cupcakes and decorated them all willy-nilly to celebrate one year of megabites. I’m pretty excited about it. Come over for a cupcake, already!

Hummingbird Bakery’s Chocolate Cupcakes {makes 12}
Cake and frosting recipes adapted from the dreamy Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup + 2 T all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 T unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch process.)
• scant 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 t vanilla extract
• 1 quantity chocolate frosting (recipe below)
• sprinkles, coconut, sanding sugar, hopes, dreams

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven 325ºF.
2. Put the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric mixer) and beat on low speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.
3. Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla together in a pitcher. Slowly pour about half into the flour mixture. Beat to combine. Pour in the remaining milk mixture and turn mixer up to high and mix just until all combined and no lumps remain.
4. Divide batter between 12 paper lined muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cake bounces back when touched and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When the cupcakes are cool, frost!

I get out all of my sprinkles when there’s a birthday happening.

Hummingbird Bakery Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 6 1/2 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1/2 t espresso powder (optional)
• 2 T milk

Directions:

1. Beat confectioners’ sugar, butter, cocoa and espresso powder (if using) together using an electric mixer until the mixture comes together and is mixed. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed and add the milk a couple teaspoons at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed. Continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

The cupcakes weren’t the only things covered with sprinkles and coconut.

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

All I know is that at my friend’s wedding last weekend I had a strawberry cheesecake cupcake. I think that cupcake memory is why these hit the spot as the perfect girls night treat.

These guys have it all. Graham cracker goodness, strawberries and cake with a cheesecake center.

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes {makes 12}
Recipe adapted from my childhood + The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients:

cake -

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• scant 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• scant 1 cup diced strawberries

cheesecake center -

• 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 egg white
• 3 T sugar
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t vanilla
• 1 t strawberry jam

crust + sprinkling

• 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs + more for sprinkling

{cream cheese frosting recipe below}

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix up cake batter. In a medium bowl beat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter with an electric mixer until crumbly and sandy-looking. Pour in milk and vanilla and beat on medium until well mixed. Add egg and beat  for a few minutes or until everything is incorporated. Stir in strawberries. Set aside.
2. Make cheesecake center. In a small bowl beat together cream cheese, egg white, sugar, salt and vanilla. When smooth, stir in the strawberry jam. Set aside.
3. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Place 1 teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of all of the liners. Add a tablespoon of cake batter over the crumbs. Divide cheesecake mixture between all of the cupcakes. Top with remaining cake batter.
   
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cake is set and a cake tester comes out mostly clean … or as clean as it can when a cheesecake center is involved. Place on a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool in muffin tin for at least 10 minutes before removing. Cool completely before frosting. (Don’t bother worrying if the centers of the cupcakes sink a teeny bit. Mine might’ve, but the frosting masks it.) Store in the refrigerator after frosting, until time to eat them!

Here are the naked cupcakes. See the cheesecake peaking out?
They just want that cream cheese frosting outfit, already.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 3 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 1/3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until mixed completely. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, until it’s all blended in and is lookin’ smooth
2. Pipe cupcakes generously. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Eat seven. Store in the fridge, for the cheesecake’s sake!

In other news…

I have an oven light!

Jake says that I look like an angry teenager in this picture. Maybe my excitement is hidden by my nap hair, but I really am digging having an oven light in my life.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

I saw a guy eating nachos over the weekend. Then I saw that same guy dunking tortilla chips in ketchup instead of nacho cheese. Ketchup people? That’s just gross.

These cupcakes, on the other hand, are the opposite of gross. Even people who think bananas are gross, love these. At least one lovely banana-hater that I know, sure loved her cupcake despite the whole banana-hating thing.

So it turns out the art director I’ve been working with is moving on, and her last day of work was yesterday. She’s the kind of girl who loves banana everything … banana cream pie, banana boats, a pancake loving nannerpuss and roasted banana cupcakes. So there you go… So just for her, I made these cupcakes!

These cupcakes have a way of disappearing. You’ll take one bite, thinking you’re going to save the rest for later, but you’ll find yourself sitting there with a crumb covered cupcake paper and a sheepish face. It’ll happen… Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes
Recipes for both cupcakes and frosting from: Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 t pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place 3 whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. The peels will darken (like below). Remove from oven and allow to cool before peeling. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
   
2. Line a regular muffin tin or two with 16 paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add roasted bananas, and beat to combine. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream. Beat until just combined after each. Beat in vanilla.
3. In another mixing bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites to soft peaks; fold one-third whites into batter to lighten. Gently fold in remaining whites in two batches.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 T honey
• 1/4 t ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature and beat until smooth.
2. Pipe frosting onto your cooled roasted banana cupcakes!

Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Hey neighbor of mine,
Why are you grilling in the snow with a flashlight? Why is that a good idea? And while we’re chit-chatting, why are your dogs barking curse words at me really loudly when I’m trying super hard to sleep? Don’t they know that they are the kind of dogs that should never use their outside voices? I just don’t get it.

I do, however, understand why peanut butter and chocolate have been neighbors in so many recipes. Neither of these guys would think of grilling in the winter, and I’m pretty sure that if either of them had dogs, they would have manners. So that’s that.

Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcake Cookbook

Ingredients:

cupcake-

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into  small pieces
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or use chips)
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 t pure vanilla extract

peanut butter filling-

• 4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 t pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard (12 cup) muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Make cupcakes. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water; stir until melted together. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.Whisk granulated sugar into cooled chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.
3. Make peanut butter filling. In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter, salt and vanilla.
4. Spoon 2 tablespoons chocolate batter into each lined cup, followed by 1 tablespoon peanut butter filling. Repeat with another tablespoon of batter and top with 1 teaspoon filling. Swirl top of cupcake batter and filling with a toothpick or cake tester.
5. Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in center comes out with only a few moist crumbs are attached, about 30-40 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes. (The tops of mine were crinkling a bit, but don’t fret, their deliciousness makes up for it.) Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container, but I doubt they’ll last that long.

P.S. Elliot loves peanut butter more than just about anything.

12 Vanilla Cupcakes, 1 Stick of Butter and 1 ad up on Joy the Baker

Last night when I got home from work I found that my internet and cable had left on a vacation! They didn’t even leave a note, but instead just took off like the free spirits they are. So I gathered up my Sex & the City dvds, one stick of butter and my dinosaur sprinkles to make these cupcakes for the holiday known as Friday.

AND my mom gave me some pretty polka dotted cupcake liners, which were dying to be used. What fashionable cupcakes!

12 Vanilla Cupcakes, 1 Stick of Butter
Recipe found on Joy the Baker + originally adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• a scant 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 3 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 t vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and butter in a large bowl. Using a hand held mixer beat on a slow speed until the mixture is a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
3. Whisk the egg, vanilla and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated. Scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side or the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Continue mixing until the batter is smooth. For just a few minutes. Don’t bother overmixing.
4. Spoon the batter into paper lined muffin tins, dividing evenly between 12 cups. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating half way through or until lightly golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan, then cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream
Recipe found on Joy the Baker + originally adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 T milk
• 1/4 t vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Beat the powdered sugar together in a medium sized bowl with an electric mixer on medium low speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer to low. Combine milk and the vanilla extract and slowly stream it into the butter and sugar mixture. Once incorporated, turn the mixer to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes. When you reach the desired consistency, frost the cooled cupcakes, and sprinkle them with dinosaurs or whatever other sprinkles you happen to have and love.

P. S. I put an ad in the Friends of Joy section on Joy the Baker’s website!
It’ll be up for a week, starting yesterday!

Then on Twitter I got this little surprise which made me blush at my computer, for real.

So there you go. That’s what’s up. I’m feeling good. How are YOU doing?

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

I bet you think this should be a recipe for strawberry TALLcake based on the height on these guys.

There are a couple things I crave when summer happens:

1. Hot dogs
(It is baseball season after all…I don’t know why it happens. Don’t judge me.)
2. Strawberry shortcake

And it is summer after all…and this recipe is just biscuit-y enough and just sweet enough that you might want to eat 11 out of the 12 it makes.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes (makes 12 cupcakes)
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

• 2 (1 lb / 16 oz) containers of strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and quartered
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 t baking powder
• 3/4 t salt
• 12 T cold (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into Tablespoons
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 7 oz whip cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss strawberries with 1/4 cup sugar; let sit to bring out their juices. Put in the fridge until time to assemble.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, and the salt until combined. Add butter, and using a pastry blender or fork incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal but with some pea-size bits of butter remaining.
3. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together 1/2 cup milk and the eggs; pour over flour mixture, and stir until some large clumps begin to form.
4. Using a floured 1/4 cup measuring cup, gently pack dough, invert, and then tap out into muffin tin. Repeat to form 12 cupcakes. Bake until lightly golden, about 17 minutes rotating half way through. Remove from oven when tops are golden. Allow to cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 15 minutes.
5. Slice cupcakes in half horizontally. Spoon strawberries and their liquid over bottom halves.  Swirl whipped cream on strawberries, and replace top halves of biscuits. Top with another swirl of whip cream and a strawberry or 2. Assemble these just before serving. Otherwise the shortcake will get soggy.

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting

These cupcakes are like a fun-size candy bar that would be a complete mess to toss in a bowl for people to grab and eat in one bite…but they are a good combination of candy bar, Nutella, and cake.

I’m going to be honest here. These cupcakes aren’t super moist, but this texture combined with with the rich mousse-like frosting was just right. And wouldn’t you agree that chocolate goes really good with chocolate? Trust me, on these guys it’s far from matchy-matchy.

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12 regular size cupcakes or about 31 little guys
Recipe adapted from 125 Best Cupcakes by: Julie Hasson

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 T Nutella ( chocolate hazelnut spread)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix together dry ingredients. (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt)
2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions with the flour mixture and two with the buttermilk. Finally add two tablespoons of Nutella to the mix, and beat with electric mixer until smooth.
3. Scoop batter into mini cupcake tins, with small cookie scoop, that have been sprayed with pam or lined with cupcake liners. Bake in preheated oven for 7-8 minutes for the mini cupcakes or 22-27 minutes for regular sized cupcakes. If the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched they are done! Let cool in pans for 5-10 minutes and carefully remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting
Recipe adapted from 125 Best Cupcakes by: Julie Hasson

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
• 3 T whipping cream

Toppings: 1/2 of a chocolate hazelnut candy bar roughly chopped

Directions

1. In a bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat in confectioner’s sugar in two additions so that the sugar doesn’t fly all over the place. Add cocoa powder and salt and beat until smooth. Add Nutella and whipping cream and beat until light and fluffy.
2. Roughly chop a chocolate hazelnut candy bar and place in a small bowl or ramekin. Pipe or spread frosting on the cupcakes and swirl the top gently through the chopped candy bar.

Mini Strawberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pink cupcakes remind me of the days when I wanted to grow up to be a ballerina, and how I was the only girl in my gymnastics class wearing a tutu. If I could mail these to someone I’d definitely mail them to my niece Amelia who is pretty much the coolest girl ever. She is the one who I think would embrace these cupcakes in the way only a 6 year old girl who likes pink can.

Southern Style Strawberry Cake
This recipe is from Joy the Baker.

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25 oz) box white cake mix
• 1 (3 oz) package strawberry jello
• 1 T self rising flour or 2t flour + 1/8t baking powder + pinch of salt)
• 4 t granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup fresh strawberries, finely diced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine all dry ingredients (flour, jello, flour & sugar). Add oil and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Finally add water and strawberries and mix well.
3. Put about 1 t in each greased mini muffin cup or fill half way. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the muffin tin half way through. Place on the cooling rack until cool enough to frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 0z) block cream cheese softened to room temperature
• 1 stick of butter softened to room temperature as well
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 t vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine the butter and cream cheese until no lumps remain. Add vanilla and half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add the rest of the sugar and mix until he perfect frosting.

Decor:

Top with a sliced strawberry and pink sprinkles or tint coconut to a light pink to add a little something. I grated pink chocolate to add a bit of a party to the top of mine.

Mini Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Here it is! My first serving of food loving thoughts for you! My mum is so nice to keep me rich in cookbooks and this recipe was adapted from my most recent cookbook from her: 125 Best Cupcake Recipes which can be purchased on Amazon.com.

I find that people tend to want little bites of things so that they can eat 10 instead of one big something. They feel less guilty or something. With that in mind I made these mini cupcakes. Trader Joe’s made the decorating easy by having mini peanut butter cups for snacking on, putting in cookies instead of chocolate chips or being the perfect size for decorating these mini cupakes!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 2/3 cup milk

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together granulated and brown sugars with butter until well combined. Add peanut butter, beating until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, beating well. Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of milk, beating until smooth.
3. Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until toothpick  comes out clean and the cakes spring lightly when touched. Cool on cooling rack and make the frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 T milk
• 1 t vanilla

Directions:

1. Put everything except the milk and vanilla in a bowl and mix slowly with an electric mixer until the powdered sugar isn’t flying everywhere. Add the vanilla and slowly add the milk until it reaches the consistency you desire.
2. Put this on those delicious little cupcakes. Top with a mini peanut butter cup and eat them like you mean it.

Imagine all the possibilities with a delicately flavored peanut butter cupcake. How amazing would these be with Maple Buttercream? Or maybe if you’re crazy about peanut butter, some Peanut Butter frosting topped with a peanut butter chip.