chocolate peanut butter cupcakes |

Hi everyone. I’ve been away awhile.. but I have a good excuse! sort of. Well, I went to Thailand. That’s a pretty good one, right? I mean, sure I got back a week and a half ago, but that’s a big time difference! I’m still…adjusting? Anyway I know it’s cruel to taunt you with these chocolate peanut butter cupcakes seeing as it’s January and everyone in the world has resolved to eat less of things that contain such goodness as chocolate and peanut butter, and here I go just shoving it in your face! Well. I made no such resolutions. So here’s to the rest of you who fail in such things like resolve. And restraint. And self control. And adherance to any sort of rules. You go and you make these cupcakes. And eat them. And bring them to work to eat in front of all your friends munching on carrot sticks. And enjoy your little January rebellion.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes (adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes)

For the Cake: I used this cake recipe, because it is delicious and easy and I only had to double what I was already making..(which means oh man I made this so long ago and haven’t told you about it until now! shame on me!

For the Frosting:

5 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 stick of butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth between each cup and scraping your bowl often. Add in peanut butter and beat smooth.

For the Ganache:

4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped.
1 1/2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream (original calls for half and half, but I just love me some cream..)

In a bowl set over a saucepan filled with a few inches of simmering water, mix together chocolate, peanut butter and corn syrup until smooth and melted. Take off heat and stir in heavy cream.

ALTERNATIVELY: if you decide, like I did, to go cupcake crazy and make two kinds in one day, you can use the ganache from this recipe, and when you’re done dipping those cupcakes, just add some peanut butter to the leftovers and re-heat it to melt a little. That’s what I did.

Assembling:

When the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost the tops with a generous amount of peanut butter frosting. Dollop a scoop of the peanut-butter ganache on top, spread around if you wish, and then stuff your face with chocolate-peanut-butter-bliss.