Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

I stopped by the store the other day on my way home from work for something I can't remember. Maybe chocolate ice cream? Milk? Those are generally the only things that warrant a special trip to the store. All of this is besides the point though because that trip to the store turned out being very successful for one reason: Better Home and Gardens Special Interest Productions Cupcake Edition - Second Printing. That is the long way of saying that I found a magazine completely dedicated to cupcakes. 

Basically it is cupcake heaven. There are different sections dedicated to different types of cupcakes and it includes special ways to decorate. I. Am. In. Love. 

I decided that these Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes would be the first of many to be made out of recipes found in that book.

Side note: this was the first time I have ever swirled frosting. With a little help from Hunter, it was very successful in my book! 

Enjoy some chocolaty peanut butter goodness!

Recipe:

Yield: 34-36 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

3 eggs, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup milk

4 oz chocolate, melted

Frosting:
8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar
Milk, up to 3 tbsp
4 oz chocolate, melted

Peanut butter cups for decoration (optional)

Line muffin pans with paper baking cups. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add peanut butter and beat until combined. Gradually add brown sugar and sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, until combined and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beating on low speed after each addition.

Place half of the batter in a separate mixing bowl and add the melted chocolate. Mix on low speed until combined.

Fill the prepared muffin cups by alternating spoonfuls of peanut butter batter and chocolate batter, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Use a butter knife to swirl the batter in each cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely.

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Add milk, 1 tsp at a time, until frosting reaches piping consistency. Divide frosting into two portions and add melted chocolate to one half. If necessary, add in additional milk or powdered sugar to reach desired consistency.

To frost, spoon peanut butter frosting into one side of the piping bag and chocolate into the other so the two frosting's are side by side. Pipe frosting's in swirls onto cupcakes. Top with shaved peanut butter cups.

Source: slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Edition: Cupcakes, Second Printing Page 27