Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cupcakes

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

• For cupcakes:
• 1 box yellow cake mix, plus ingredients on back of box
• 1 small box sugar free/fat free instant vanilla pudding mix
• For peanut butter cookie dough *recipe adapted from Cupcake Project
• 3/4 cup flour|
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• For Frosting:
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• (A heaping!) 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• (A heaping!) 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 6 About 6 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp milk
• White sugar

Details

Adapted from thedomesticrebel.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins with 24 paper liners and set aside.

2. First, prepare your cookie dough. In large bowl, beat together butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy and blended, about a minute. Beat in milk and vanilla until combined. Finally, beat in salt and flour until thick and stiff dough is created. Roll cookie dough into small balls (about size of nickel or so) and place on foil-rimmed baking sheet. Pop in freezer to chill for a bit.

3. Next, prepare your cupcake batter according to package directions. Stir dry pudding mix into batter until combined. Portion batter, about a heaping 2/3 full, among muffin cups, then bake for approximately 14-16 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out relatively clean. Cool completely, then carefully core centers of cupcakes out using clean paring knife, careful not to cut through entire cupcake. Discard or eat cores.

4. Once cupcakes are cooled & cored, insert small peanut butter cookie dough ball into center of each cored cupcake. Smoosh it in gently if you have to. There should be just enough, and if there’s more, consider stuffing your mouth full of leftovers. Set aside cupcakes, and prepare your frosting.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Frosting (or part that makes these extra angelic)

1. In bowl of stand mixer, beat together butter, PB, vanilla and brown sugar until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually begin adding powdered sugar, about one cup at a time, until light and fluffy frosting consistency is achieved, adding milk if needed (helps loosen thick, pasty frosting).

2. For these, I used an open Atecco 801 tip and piped very large circlular blob on top of each cupcake, ensuring I covered filling hole. Sprinkle your frosted cakes with white sugar, then use fork to “stamp” tops of frosting like you would a PB cookie in cross-hatch pattern. Store these airtight in fridge.