Muffin girl has upgraded!
I'm a chocoholic . . . and chocoholics need their FIX!
Today I was day dreaming about those delicious Reese's Peanut Butter Cups while on the treadmill at the gym.
Yes, I always day dream about chocolate while working out, thats how I get around!
I felt so worked up when I finished my work out that I NEEDED a special treat.

Muffins came to mind, but the thought of peanut butter and chocolate muffins wasn't pleasing.
Why not make a peanut butter frosting?
PERFECT!
The thought of making a chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter frosting was born . . . and 20 minutes later I found myself baking up heaven in the kitchen.

I used a Chocolate and Chili cupcake recipe and frosted those babies up with a peanut butter frosting.
THEY TURNED OUT TO BE EVEN BETTER THAN A REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUP. duh!
The cupcakes turned out to be so fudgy and chocolaty with the slightest hint of chili.
The frosting is what wraps it all up into something so dangerously GOOD.
Give them a try, you won't be disappointed! I ate up like three in an instant!

Ingredients:

150 g unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup warm milk
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. finely chopped chili pepper (or 1 tsp chili powder)
2 sticks butter (200 g)
1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Frosting:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream (the fresh kind, double cream, its thick and creamy)

Directions:

Combine chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium sized bowl, add boiling water and warm milk, whisk until smooth, set aside.

Sift flours, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Add the 1 tsp. of chopped chili, set aside.
In a standing mixer, beat butter until creamy.

Add the brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

At medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beat well between each.
Add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add about a third of the flour mixture, beat briefly until combined.
Add about half of the chocolate mixture, beat briefly until combined.
Repeat, adding flour, chocolate, then flour. Beat until just combined. Scrape down bowl if needed.

Fill cupcake papers about 3/4s full. Bake at 350°F oven for 25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
For the frosting, beat in all ingredients, starting with creaming the butter with the peanut butter. Once it's smooth add in the rest of the ingredients.

Let cupcakes completely cool, frost with a piping bag, and sprinkle over with chopped peanuts.
Keep them in the refrigerator.

Finished product:



I added some pieces of chocolate to this one for a mouth watering look. Is it working?
It was calling meeeeee. Eat meeeeeee, it's saying!

These look firmer and less shiny, cause I took this picture after they were refrigerated for a while.
A firmer peanut butter frosting was more pleasing to me.

BTW these make around 36 mini cupcakes, just like the ones pictured above.