I bake cupcakes on a pretty regular basis, and while I love them, I do get bored with the usual tuft of swirled frosting on top. I have two or three decorative piping tips I rotate through, but at the end of the day regardless of which one I use, the cupcakes all look pretty similar.
But these peanut butter cookie frosted cupcakes? They are anything but ordinary, and ever since I saw them for the first time, I’ve been completely in love with the idea. Seriously, have you ever seen a cuter cupcake?!
I finally got a chance to try the recipe for our Super Bowl party last night – I figure it’s usually a safe bet to go with the chocolate and peanut butter combo for dessert 🙂 I scaled back quite a bit on the recipe so we wouldn’t have a ton of extras, but it also meant there weren’t enough for me to try one before serving them. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best, and luckily it all worked out – they were very well received! The cupcake is moist and chocolatey, and the richness of the ganache works perfectly with the sweet peanut butter “cookie” on top.
Speaking of which, let’s talk about the “cookie” for a minute. It’s not at all difficult to make these little toppers – the frosting is easy to work with and very malleable. That said, I’m a crazy perfectionist and spent a ton of time trying to make them resemble perfect little peanut butter cookies. After some initial frustration, what I found worked best for me was to shape the disc on my work surface then transfer it to the top of the cupcake and only then use a fork to make the crisscross pattern. I absolutely loved the end result – delicious and cute, what more could you ask for?
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cookie Frosting
adapted from Savory Sweet Life by Alice Currah (via Annie’s Eats)
{Note: This recipe can be scaled back. I made 1/3 and wound up with 8 cupcakes.}
Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Ganache
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
Peanut Butter Cookie Frosting
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line your cupcakes pans with paper liners.
Whisk the coffee and cocoa powder together in a large measuring cup until well combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate each before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions and the coffee mixture in 2, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and beating just until combined.
Divide the batter among the liners, filling each about 2/3 to 3/4-full. Bake the cupcakes for 19-20 minutes, or until they spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pans to wire racks and let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes before removing them to the racks to cool completely.
To make the ganache: Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl. Add the cream to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 2 minutes, then whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow the mixture to cool slightly so it will thicken (the ganache is easiest to work with when it has thickened slightly).
To make the frosting: Add the butter and peanut butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until well combined and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low until the sugar is incorporated, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until thick and smooth.
Spread a layer of ganache on top of each cupcake (if the ganache cools and starts to set before you finish topping the cupcakes, you can reheat it briefly in the microwave). Working with about 1 tablespoon of the frosting mixture, shape it into a disc and use the tines of a fork to make a crisscross pattern on top. Place in the center of a cupcake on top of the ganache layer.
Makes 24-27 cupcakes
Adorable! They look complicated but you say they aren’t too bad so I believe you. The coffee in the cupcake batter is how I make my chocolate cakes. Adds such an extra dimension!
Those are totally cute! And you’re right – you can’t go wrong with PB and chocolate.
These are incredible, Tracey! I ove the detail on the “cookie” frosting toppers!
I also have had my eye on these cupcakes for awhile. Your version turned out so beautifully. That “cookie” frosting is the cutest!!
They are so incredibly good. I made them for my county fair and they won 1st place in the cupcake division! Love, love, love them 🙂
I’ve wanted to try these ever since I saw them on Annie’s Eats! I also love finding new ways to top off cupcakes.
THESE ARE THE CUTEST COOKIES I’VE EVER SEEN! Totally making them for the kid’s birthday this month.
So adorable. You’re right, it is nice to see something a little different on a cupcake. It looks delicious.
Such a cute idea! I love this, Tracey!
considering how incapable i am at piping frosting, these are perfect for me! these are definitely in the running for which choc/pb dessert i make for my sister’s bday in a few weeks!
It appears that there is a problem with your blog, Tracey. When you search for a category, let’s say “soup”, scroll to the bottom of the page, and then click “older recipes” to see more past posts, it says that none are available. I haven’t had this problem on your site before and hope it’s nothing too difficult to fix. My friend and I have chosen your site (specifically “soups” and “breads”) as our cookbook of the month, so please hurry! I love your blog, the recipes, the format, the photos. Great job!
I went peanut butter chocolate also but now I’m wishing I had made these! I pinned them ages ago and still need to make them considering that is my favorite flavor combo. Your “cookie” toppers are perfect!
Such a fun idea!
Love, love, love everything about these! We both must have been bitten by the chocolate/peanut butter bug 😉
Love these – what a fun idea! So cute too!
@Kricket – Thanks for your kind words! I double checked the categories and everything is working properly for me. If you click the “older posts” link and it says none available, it’s because everything in that category fit on one page (like with the soups for example). If you check other categories (like bread or cookies) you should see a second page of recipes when you click “older posts.” Hope that clears up any confusion!
Ever since I first saw these, I’ve been wanting to try them. Thanks for the reminder! Yours are beautiful.
LOVE. What a great idea. When I first saw these I totally thought that was an actual peanut butter cookie on top. Your meticulous work paid off!
Thanks, Tracey. I do understand the whole one page of recipes vs. multiple pages. I thought that as long as your blog had been around, there would be more than one page of soup recipes. In fact, I swear I remember seeing more before. But if there’s only one page of soups (Creamy Tomato–12/6/08 to Corn &Crab Chowder–2/5/13), then there’s only one page. Thanks for your reply.
@Kricket – I should add a disclaimer, it’s entirely possible I missed a tag here or then when posting recipes. It’s on my to-do list to re-tag everything and make sure it’s properly categorized. If you want to double check, you could try searching for soup and see if any others come up 🙂
Thank you for reminding me of this recipe!! Your cupcakes look AWESOME! Do you think the toppers woyuld be okay on mini-versions?
@Stephanie – I definitely think you could make mini cupcakes, including the pb toppers (which would obviously need to be mini as well)! I kind of love that idea actually – would love to see them if you give it a try 🙂
Those are super cute! I love the cookie frosting 🙂
Cookie Frosting is Best My Love so much. Andkon