Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

By barbsjustagirl

Please view the FAQs page to see if your question has been answered there. If you send a question that is answered on the FAQ page, you will not receive a response.

Ingredients

• For the cake:
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• For the frosting:
• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from annies-eats.net

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

To make the filling, combine the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined.  Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls (at least 24) and set aside on a baking sheet.

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together and set aside.  In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the sour cream, milk and vanilla extract.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix just until incorporated.

Spoon a tablespoon or two of batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner.  Place a ball of the peanut butter filling in each cupcake well and top with the remaining batter so that all the cups are filled.  Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter and peanut butter until smooth.  Slowly mix in the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth and well blended.  Mix in the whipped topping until smooth and fluffy.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Source: adapted from Proceed with Caution, originally from Good Housekeeping

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120 comments

Lauren - Absolutely drool-worthy. I WILL be making these.November 6, 2009 – 11:53 am

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Helen - yum yum yum! i love all your recipes, i need to try these and the mocha brownie cupcakes too.November 6, 2009 – 11:57 am

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VeggieGirl - LOVE the innards of that cupcake!November 6, 2009 – 12:31 pm

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Erin - You know I am a huge chocolate and peanut butter fan, so I am going to have to make these very soon!November 6, 2009 – 12:54 pm

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BethieofVA - I tell you what, if that wouldn’t get you a marriage proposal, new car, something, I don’t know what will. Your cupcakes look heavenly.November 6, 2009 – 1:26 pm

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Paula - Oh wow! These cupcakes look sinfully delicious! I love the peanut butter centers, a wonderful surprise waiting inside November 6, 2009 – 1:26 pm

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Debbie - OMG. Now I have to wipe drool off the monitor. Why don’t they make these blogs scratch n’ sniff? Hmph.November 6, 2009 – 1:28 pm

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ovenhaven - I just made my first cookie dough cupcakes a couple of days ago, and can’t seem to get enough of it. Now I really need to give peanut butter balls a go!November 6, 2009 – 2:28 pm

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Karly - Oh my word, these are getting made sometime this weekend for sure! Yum!November 6, 2009 – 2:51 pm

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nutmegnanny - Oh man I need one of these right now! The classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate rule once again November 6, 2009 – 4:04 pm

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Gala - That whipped frosting sounds sooo good!November 6, 2009 – 4:06 pm

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Memoria - I want to make this ASAP! I bet this would taste even better with the moist Hershey’s Chocolate Cake recipe. YUM! Thanks!November 6, 2009 – 4:55 pm

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Annie Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 12:54 am

Memoria,

I disagree. This cake is perfect with this cupcake! Hershey’s wouldn’t do it justice.

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Hattie - Hi Annie,

Thanks for these amazing peanut/choc recipes – its VERY hard to get hold of Reece’s in the UK and we don’t have PB filled M&Ms so this is fantastic. I have become totally addicted to your site – reading about food is the next best thing to eating it! I have a question – do you have a stollen recipe or would you consider roadtesting one as you seem to have experience with yeast-cakes? I’d really like to make one this year – any help would be very much appreciated.

HattieNovember 6, 2009 – 6:01 pm

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Annie Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 11:08 am

Hello Hattie,

I am not familiar with yeast cakes at all. Can you give me a little more info? I could at least research them to see if I can find a good recipe, but I am not quite sure what they are.

Thanks,

Annie

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Jill - Oh. My. Goodness. Those look amaaaaazing! I am positively yearning for them!November 6, 2009 – 6:34 pm

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Sunny - Chocolate & peanut butter = match made in Sugar Heaven!November 6, 2009 – 7:22 pm

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Pennies on a Platter - I’m sitting here trying to figure out how I can cancel dinner plans tonight so I can stay home and make these instead!! They look SO good!!!November 6, 2009 – 8:09 pm

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CakeSpy - What an eye-catching photo–and tantalizing flavor combination! These look great.November 6, 2009 – 8:50 pm

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betchacanteatjustone - YUM! That peanut butter filling in the middle is haunting my thoughts! I am going to make these this weekend!November 7, 2009 – 12:17 am

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Veronica - Oh, I love this. I have a question regarding the frosting. Does it need to be kept refrigerated or is it stable at room temp?November 7, 2009 – 4:39 pm

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Annie Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 10:31 pm

Veronica,

Good question. I think they are probably okay at room temp for a few hours, but for extended periods of time I would err on the side of refrigeration because of the whipped topping in the frosting. Hope that helps! Annie

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Jillian - My favorite combo! yummy!November 7, 2009 – 6:35 pm

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rentfluff - mouth watering!November 7, 2009 – 10:58 pm

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mrsmultitasker - Ooh these look wonderful… I’ll try your recipe the next time I make cupcakes…November 8, 2009 – 11:09 am

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CaSaundra - One of my favorite flavor combos!! And hey, they’re semi-healthy due to the PB November 8, 2009 – 12:17 pm

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HB - Love this combo. Will have to try it with this cake recipe! Loved my first PB frosting when I made it for the Reeses cake.November 9, 2009 – 12:18 am

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Katie - Wow these look amazing. I love the big ball of peanutbutter middle. StunningNovember 9, 2009 – 1:52 pm

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Holli - Would natural peanut butter be okay in this recipe?November 10, 2009 – 6:12 pm

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Annie Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 7:23 pm

Hi Holli,

To be honest, I really don’t know. I have never used natural peanut butter in baking but have heard that it doesn’t quite act the same. I probably wouldn’t recommend it, but I can’t say for sure. Annie

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Katie - These look great and I can’t wait to make them. What do you use to frost your cupcakes? They are always so pretty!November 10, 2009 – 9:12 pm

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Annie Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 11:07 am

Hi Katie,

The info on my cupcake frosting can be found here. I just use a large star tip. Annie

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betchacanteatjustone - I finally got to making these cupcakes and they were a huge hit! I didn’t have all of the ingredients for the frosting so I topped them with a Chocolate peanut butter ganache and they were beautiful and delicious. The peanut butter middle was a great surprise to everyone that tried one! I will definatley make these again abd try out the frosting!

KatieNovember 11, 2009 – 3:09 pm

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Ashley - These look so delicious! I’m in charge of a cupcake walk this weekend and excitedly told my husband about these. He looked at me like I was crazy and told me they sounded iffy. Then, I showed him the pictures and he asked me if I needed him to pick up anything at the store, so I could start them right away. Thanks for the gorgeous pictures they make my life so much easier!November 11, 2009 – 10:31 pm

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Michele - I only have the reduced fat peanut butter in the house. Do you have any experience using it in this recipe? Thanks!November 13, 2009 – 4:39 pm

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Annie Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 5:29 pm

Hi Michele,

Yes, reduced fat PB is what I used. It really doesn’t have that much less fat than regular so I use it interchangably in baking and have never had a problem. Annie

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Mrs Multitasker - Annie, the recipe is WONDERFUL. I made a batch of the cupcakes today and they were so so good. My husband had a huge smile on his face after he took a bit. Thank you thank you! Great stuff.November 14, 2009 – 2:22 pm

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Christy - I made these on Friday because I needed a birthday cake for myself. THEY ARE AWESOME! The only thing is that the peanut butter filling kinda melted into the cake, I ended up with a hole in the middle of the cupcakes. I’m thinking that happened because they were a little soft when I put them in the cupcake batter before I baked them. Think that refrigerating them before adding them to the cupcakes would help that out?

ChristyNovember 16, 2009 – 1:35 am

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Annie Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 7:17 pm

Hi Christy,

I do think refrigerating might help with that, and maybe also adding a bit more powdered sugar. Mine were not at all sticky or soft before baking, so I think those changes would help correct the problem.

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Wendy - Annie,

I made these cupcakes and they were delicious. The only I seem to be having is that my icing comes out really runny. I have to use a spoon to scoop it on. I made the strawberry cupcakes today too and had the same problem. Any idea what I could be doing wrong?November 17, 2009 – 11:30 pm

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Annie Reply:
November 17th, 2009 at 11:57 pm

Hi Wendy,

Hmm, I really don’t know why you would have that problem with these cupcakes. Maybe your butter and/or cream cheese were too soft? Not enough powdered sugar? It’s a more common problem with the strawberry cupcakes, as people often add too much puree to the frosting. Sorry you had such trouble, it seems most others who have made them have had no problems so I don’t know what it could be! Annie

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Mrs Multitasker - Hi Wendy,

I actually had the same problem of runny icing, because I used cartoned whipping cream instead of frozen whipped, which I didn’t have on hand (I whipped the whipping cream before adding it).

What you can do is put the whole lot of icing back into the refrigerator for an hour or two, and it hardens up to a nice consistency for piping. I noticed this was what happened with my leftover icing. But you’ll need to serve the cupcakes soon after, while the icing is cold. Very difficult in Singapore weather, but should be less of a hassle in the US in winter =)November 18, 2009 – 12:12 am

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April S. - Hello,

I made these cupcakes but my peanut butter ball became hollow. Its almost like it melted.

What did I do wrong??!!

I love your website by the way.

AprilNovember 19, 2009 – 6:53 pm

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Annie Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 7:16 pm

April,

It sounds like maybe your butter/peanut butter mixture was too soft. You could try adding a bit more powdered sugar, or chilling the balls before adding to the cups and baking. Good luck!

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Abby - Is frozen whipped topping cool whip?November 19, 2009 – 8:05 pm

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Annie Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 9:00 pm

Abby,

Yep, one and the same.

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Jessica - I made these this week and they were wonderful! Thank you so much for the recipe!!!November 24, 2009 – 8:03 pm

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Abby - Question: Were these pictures taken with the more dense filling? Happy Thanksgiving! I am making these today for a dessert option incase there is any one who doesn’t like pie. November 26, 2009 – 7:23 pm

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Annie Reply:
November 27th, 2009 at 12:07 am

Hi Abby,

Yes, I’ve only made them once so far and that was the time pictured, with the dense filling. Annie

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polo - I made this 4 thanksgiving and OMG were they good!!!…I’ll never eat a reeses’s again!..Everybody devoured them and my cousin even said it was “the bomb”….lol i’m thinking of making this into a cake!..definetly will make this again!…And again!November 29, 2009 – 5:26 am

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Phoebe - I made these for a dinner party my parents had and instead of making the frosting, I just popped the cupcakes in the microwave for 30 seconds then put some vanilla ice cream on top. It was heaven! I def. plan on making these again!December 12, 2009 – 4:51 pm

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Vanderbilt Wife - I made these for a work party on Monday (only I forgot to buy Cool Whip so I just made PB Cream Cheese frosting) and had no fewer than three people tell me they were the BEST cupcakes they’d ever had. WOW!! They really are heavenly!

JessieDecember 16, 2009 – 7:35 pm

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Meg - I’m going to make these for my going to be 3 yr olds bday party. I’m excited I hope they turn out well. I’m making a trial run batch first and shipping that off with my hubby for the guys he works with to see what they think. Thanks for the find!January 6, 2010 – 11:19 am

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fulltimefoodie - I want to make these for a birthday party but I was wondering how many this recipe makes. There’s not going to be that many people so I only need about 12. Thank You!January 30, 2010 – 8:00 pm

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Annie Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 10:48 pm

This makes at least 24, so you should halve the recipe.

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fulltimefoodie Reply:
January 31st, 2010 at 2:15 pm

Thank You!

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Gwyn - I made these up & had the same problem as others (because I forgot to read the comments & add more powdered sugar to my center balls – they were sticky) – they collapsed a bit & it didn’t look like yours in the picture (a nice ball in the center). also i put too much batter in the bottom of the cupcakes so i ran out of batter for the top on the last few. Basically I can’t really judge the cupcakes (they were ok with all the mistakes i made). The frosting though – WOW. I had some leftover & I ate it with graham crackers (normally I just rinse it down the drain). I think I’d make up the frosting by itself if i was short on time & wanted something sweet. YUM!January 31, 2010 – 4:12 am

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Sophie - Hi Annie! I must say that these were DELISH! However, I had the same problem that some of the other cup-cakers did…the peanut butter mixture melted into the cupcake and the tops caved in. But, I made a couple of other modifications that may have lended to the problem. I used mini-cupcake tins instead of normal size, over filled the cups, and used spelt four instead of normal flour. I’m definitely going to try these again with normal sized cups and a little less butter or more pwd sugar in the peanut butter balls. This recipe is officially a household favorite! The nice thing about having a partial success in the kitchen is that I got to eat more of them than I should have hehe! Thanks, Annie!February 9, 2010 – 12:56 am

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Lena - Hi Annie,

First of all, I am really impressed and inspired by your beautiful blog!

These cupcakes look absolutely delicious, I must try them some day. However, here in Sweden we don’t have frozen whipped topping. Do you have any suggestions what I could use instead? Would normal whipped cream do?

Thank you for sharing all your inspiring pictures and recipes!

Lena.February 23, 2010 – 12:15 pm

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Annie Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 1:41 am

Hi Lena,

That’s a really good question. Unfortunately I don’t think whipped cream would behave quite the same, but I’m not sure what would be the best substitute. Google can probably help you more than I can in this case. Sorry! Annie

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Mindi - Hi Annie!

These were a HUGE hit! Absolutely loved how the frosting tasted a bit like Peanut Butter Fudge Your pictures are incredibly edible. I keep passing this recipe on!

Thanks!

MindiFebruary 24, 2010 – 1:51 am

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Miriam - This was a fabulous recipe! The icing and filling turned out brilliant, and the cake batter was delicious too. The only thing I had a problem with was that you almost have to double the batter to get 24 cupcakes.March 1, 2010 – 4:09 am

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Nikki - I will most definitely be making these…!!!!

They look so tasty!

I have a similar recipe in a Martha Stewart recipe, but I think I will try this one first though! Love the pictures. March 3, 2010 – 6:22 pm

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Rosa - Awesome!

I made these cupcakes for my husband to take to work, since his team was going to be having a stressful week.

“Best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten” was heard quite a bit.

I will be making these again, especially since they are now my husband’s all-time favorite cupcake.March 4, 2010 – 6:15 pm

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Nancy Musser - I made these cupcakes for a dinner party this weekend. Since there were only 8 guests I gave away some cupcakes to my neighbors. I am now the “cakeboss” of our neighborhood. Thanks!! These really were amazing! Easy enough for a novice baker like me…yet so impressive! I would like to post the recipe on my new website. Would that be okay? Thanks for a great recipe!March 22, 2010 – 2:09 pm

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Em - Just made these and WOW. Thanks for the great recipes.April 3, 2010 – 11:17 pm

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cuisinemanager - These look fabulous! Can’t wait to give them a try!!!April 4, 2010 – 1:27 pm

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BakingformyBF - These looks delicious! I bake a lot for my boyfriend, who is still in college, and his friends. They all love my treats! I will be testing these out this week!April 5, 2010 – 12:23 am

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Sophie - Hi Annie! I posted a little while ago about partial success in the kitchen and that I was going to try the recipe again…so I did! I still LOVE this chocolate cake recipe….it’s finger-lickin’ good! However, the peanut butter filling failed me again. I used a natural peanut butter “Adams” I believe…could this be my problem? I nearly doubled the amount of powdered sugar and even added a little flour to the peanut butter balls, but they still melted out the bottom of the cupcake and left a hole in the middle. Does peanut-butter-ball-success mean using a brand like Jiff or Skippy?April 27, 2010 – 4:46 am

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Annie Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 1:11 pm

Hi Sophie,

That peanut butter may be the problem. I always use Jif in baking and have never had problems, but I have heard of others having trouble with the natural variety. I just made these cupcakes again a week ago and the centers were perfect, no melting or anything.

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Kate - Annie-

I made these for a coworker’s bday today and there were a SUPER BIG HIT! I often have missteps in the kitchen, but I followed your recipe to a “t” and had no issues – my icing was delectable (best I’ve ever had??) and the PB in the middle stayed solid (and stayed in the middle).

Thanks for the great recipe!!April 27, 2010 – 5:17 pm

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Sophie - Thanks, Annie! I made some more last night with Jif and it worked great! I also completely disregarded the butter just in case. I think I’ll try it again next time with the butter. LOVE THIS RECIPE! Thanks for the reply!April 28, 2010 – 4:14 pm

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Mary - My daughter just said that I will have to make these for her birthday every year. She said it was the best thing I ever made…I gave you all the credit Annie! Fabulous cupcakes.May 6, 2010 – 1:20 am

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Irina - Oh, my God! I Just made them, the frosting is amazing, so delicious that I almost ate it, before decorating the cupcakes

You can see my result here: http://sunshine.collapse.bg/en/didi-in-the-kitchen/May 6, 2010 – 11:18 pm

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ashley - I made these last night and they are fantastic but I do have a quick question, how do you keep the cupcakes from getting a little crunchy on top. It isn’t anything drastic but is general I have a hard time keeping the tops soft. Thanks so much for this website!! I plan on makong the triple chocolate cupcakes next!May 7, 2010 – 7:06 pm

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Annie Reply:
May 7th, 2010 at 7:32 pm

Ashley, I’m not really sure what to suggest. I’ve made these several times and the tops have never been “crunchy”. My guess is that you are overbaking them, but I’m not sure.

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ashley - Thanks! I will try and pull them out a little earlier!May 8, 2010 – 4:01 pm

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Kanika - Hi Annie,

I’m a HUGE fan of your website!

Just wanted to ask you what icing tip you used on these cupcakes…

Thanks a lot!

-Kanika S.May 10, 2010 – 5:21 pm

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Annie Reply:
May 10th, 2010 at 5:37 pm

Hi Kanika,

Read the comments above, I have answered this question.

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Sydney - I made these cupcakes on sunday for Mothers Day and my mom and I LOVED them! All of the recipes you post are amazing a easy!

HUGE HUGE fan.. THANKS!!!

SydneyMay 13, 2010 – 11:39 pm

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Marcy - I’m trying out cupcakes to make for my daughter’s 1st birthday and this is the second one I’ve tried (the first were your strawberry cupcakes – yum!). Everything turned out just right except I think I may make the centers a bit smaller next time or maybe use some peanut butter and chocolate chips in the cake batter as the center was very sweet (candy lovers will like this part). Frosting was lovely and gooey.

Going to try the strawberry lemonade ones next. Thanks for all your inspirational and delicious recipes!May 29, 2010 – 5:36 am

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Paige - Wow! These are amazing! I didn’t do the middles but added chocolate curls on top Thank you so much for a “keeper” recipe!July 18, 2010 – 1:28 am

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Katie - These are fantastic! A huge hit! The icing was amazing – I loved the consistency.July 23, 2010 – 7:09 pm

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RaeChelle - Just made these this morning for a new neighbour. SOOOOO delish! I kept half for myself! August 2, 2010 – 7:13 pm

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Kristen - These cupcakes are reallly goood. but my peanut butter did not stay in the middle it like evaporated. what should i do?August 17, 2010 – 12:15 am

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Annie Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 12:35 am

Please read the previous comments, this issue has been addressed multiple times.

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Samya - Hey Annie! First of all, I love you’re site… it is wonderful. I made the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes a few weeks ago and they were a huge hit! Thank you so much!

I had a question about this recipe as far as the icing goes. Looking at the fact that I’d be using whipping cream, will it make the icing runny for serving the following day? I planned on making it Friday and serving it Saturday night. Is that not a good idea. Should I wait to ice it till right before or something? And since there is cream cheese and whipping cream should I keep it in the fridge till I’m ready to serve them? Thank you!August 19, 2010 – 4:06 pm

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Annie Reply:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:40 pm

I have no advice as I would not recommend using the whipping cream. Other readers who have done this had a very runny icing and had problems with it. But yes, you should always refrigerate any frosting with milk, cream, cream cheese, etc.

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Samya Reply:
August 19th, 2010 at 5:12 pm

Sorry, I meant the whipped topping (frozen kind) like you have in the recipe.

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Annie Reply:
August 19th, 2010 at 5:17 pm

You can frost in advance, they will be fine.

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Samya Reply:
August 19th, 2010 at 5:29 pm

Thank you!!!

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Kenzie - These look amazing! My dad’s birthday is coming up and he requested a peanut butter cake.. I think I’m going to make these for him instead. They look just perfect! For Halloween you could dye the icing too…yum.

-KenzieAugust 29, 2010 – 5:54 pm

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HB - Made these this wknd. They turned out great. My PB mixture was sticky — added a bit more powdered sugar — still sticky. Stopped there since you mentioned yours were a bit dense. Then I put the cookie sheet of PB balls in the fridge while I made the cupcakes. Pulled them out & they were sticky again by the time I got to the second muffin pan. BUT they turned out wonderfully in the middle! I also chopped up cold Reeses PB cups and sprinkled them on the tops! All the measurements were perfect for 24 cupcakes with the same tipped icing! Lots of PB lovers at my table enjoyed this! Thx!September 13, 2010 – 3:37 am

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HB - An update — turns out — most did have a hole in the middle. Round one was tasting, round two was observing Nevertheless, they were delish! Could definitely taste the pb in the middle. Very moist overall. Will firm up extra next time or maybe not since I won’t be serving these in halves! September 14, 2010 – 3:00 am

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Amy - I made these today to share with co-workers tomorrow. My family loved them (you are right, the frosting is to die for) and I can’t wait to see what everyone at work thinks!October 3, 2010 – 7:32 pm

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Jocelyn - I brought this into work and they were amazing! Normally I bake up a bunch of cookies to give to distant relatives when I see them at the holidays, but I’m thinking about doing cupcakes this year….and these will definitely be one of the recipes I use!October 22, 2010 – 3:27 am

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Liv - Ohhhh mmmmyy gawsh. These look phenomenal!! Making these once the diet is over =POctober 31, 2010 – 4:59 pm

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suzanne - so i’ve made these twice now and they were awesome both times. just a tip for people who are having trouble with the peanut butter centers. i take two spoons and place 24 lumps of the mixture (i make it exactly how it is on here, i don’t add anything) on a cookie sheet with wax paper. i then freeze them for about 10mins. after i roll them into little balls. then i place them back in the freezer for about 45-60mins. in the mean time i make my batter and place the bottom layer of batter in each muffin cup. then i take the frozen peanut butter out of the freezer and place them in the cupcakes. i then place more batter on top and cook as directed. it doesn’t take much for the peanut butter mixture to thaw and they have come out of the oven both times now perfect in the middle. hope that helps!January 9, 2011 – 4:06 pm

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jan lai - Wow ! i love this recipe unbelieveable successful turns out so perfect…the taste amazing…great recipe and thank you for sharing… will make again and this recipe will record in my black precious book ! thanks again . janFebruary 13, 2011 – 3:23 am

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Rachael - Holy cow, this frosting was OUTSTANDING! I had to restrain myself from eating it straight out of the bowl! I, too, had the same peanut butter filling problems as many others did, but even with that hiccup, I still got rave reviews. After reading all of the comments and taking a closer look at the picture of your cupcake, I have a question regarding the top “layer” of batter you put over the filling. Do you recall if you completely covered the PB ball or did you place the batter more around it? I only ask because it looks like there isn’t any cake on top of the filling in your pic (it looks like the frosting comes all the way down to the filling in the very center of the cupcake) and it made me wonder if that was perhaps one of the reasons why your PB ball didn’t collapse (like maybe having the batter on top caused the PB to steam and melt from it’s ball shape…). I’d love to hear your thoughts! Thank you so very much, I appreciate it!February 22, 2011 – 9:57 pm

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Annie Reply:
February 22nd, 2011 at 10:31 pm

There is cake above the filling. The frosting just got smeared downward in that photo. I completely cover the ball of filling with batter on top. I’ve made them multiple times and the inside has never melted for me.

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Alecia - These cupcakes sound divine. I want to the recipe as a layer cake, but I’m wondering about how to make the filling softer to spread on the cake layers after baking. Would I just add a little milk until it’s the right consistency? Or would it be better to make more of the frosting and use that on the layers instead?

Thanks! I love your site!!March 6, 2011 – 1:05 pm

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Annie Reply:
March 6th, 2011 at 1:08 pm

I would probably just use frosting between the layers and scrap the filling all together. I love this frosting!! Good luck

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Wendy - It sounds like you’ve made these several more times since the first time. Did you find the right texture for the peanut butter balls since you commented the pb balls were too dense the first time? Have you found the perfect texture/recipe yet?March 11, 2011 – 9:59 am

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Audra - I made these today.

Everything worked out just fine but both batches sunk a little in the middle.

Annie did this happen for you?

It didn’t end up being an issue as once I frost them they will look perfect, just wondering if yours stayed rounded.

Also- for people looking for a sub who don’t have the cool whip.

I made a variation of peanut butter/cream cheese frosting that didn’t have cool whip.

http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2011/02/banana-cupcakes-with-peanut-butter.html

It probably wasn’t quite as fluffy as yours, but it was still amazingly delicious.March 19, 2011 – 6:10 pm

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Annie Reply:
March 19th, 2011 at 7:24 pm

No, I’ve made them lots of times but mine have never sunk in the middle. At least the frosting covered it up!

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Rebecca S. - I’m thinking about making these for my sister’s baby shower. Do you think it would work to try it in a mini muffin pan instead of the standard size? I think I might give it ago, I can let you know if it works out!March 23, 2011 – 10:36 am

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Annie Reply:
March 23rd, 2011 at 10:52 am

Only if you leave out the filling. There just wouldn’t be room in the mini pan (they are only 1/3 the size of a regular cupcake).

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kayla houchin - Hi Annie! I just wanted to tell you (like so many others!) that I LOVE your site. I stumbled across it a couple months ago…I’ve made your oreo, snickers, & cookie dough cupcakes….soon to be these ones! Thanks so muchApril 21, 2011 – 12:14 am

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Lindsay - I made these for my mom’s birthday and they are DELICIOUS! This is by far my favorite frosting. My first 12 sunk in the middle after taking out of the oven (I only have 1 cupcake pan), and the peanut butter balls evaporated; but with my 2nd set of 12 (which was in the oven for the same amount of time and used the same exact batter/peanut butter dough as my first) was perfect! I don’t know what happened, but both ways they were yummy! Thank you for the recipe!June 7, 2011 – 9:52 pm

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cupcake lover - I told my friend about Annies Eats and the next day she made these cupcakes. I tried on and they are sooo yummy! June 10, 2011 – 11:06 am

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shelley - These are absolutely amazing myself and all my co workers LOVE them. I did make some as mini cupcakes they are not as yummy because they are so small. lol but they are greatJune 25, 2011 – 11:15 am

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Amy - I just made these cupcakes for my little sisters graduation party and she loves them! I was so worried they wouldn’t come out because the batter was so thick but the cupcakes are perfect!! Thanks!July 20, 2011 – 11:49 pm

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Tammie - Just wanted to say thank you for posting this! These are AMAZING! I wanted to comment too that I tried using Jif Natural PB since that is all I had on hand, and they cupcakes baked up beautifully. The peanut butter balls were not sticky at all and did not melt into the cupcake. The cupcakes turned out beautifully. Thanks Annie!August 5, 2011 – 10:38 pm

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Chloe - I made these in mini versions for a party, with extra small fillings about 1cm in diameter. They worked perfectly after I took care to add extra powdered sugar to the filling and refridgerated it.

Thank you!!August 19, 2011 – 1:57 am

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Pam - I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with these cupcakes. I baked them for the least amount of time, yet they turned out dry and crumbly. I saw that most people said that the peanut butter filling turned hollow, so I added a bit more powdered sugar and refrigerated the mixture, as suggested. However, the peanut butter filling was still hollow. The frosting flavor was great, although a tad bit loose (I’m hoping that refrigerating the frosted cupcakes may thicken the consistency). I made these for a party, assuming that they would be a big hit, but now I’m crossing my fingers that people like them.September 10, 2011 – 3:49 pm

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Annie Reply:
September 10th, 2011 at 4:52 pm

You might want to check your oven temperature because it sounds like they were overbaked. If not the time, then the other factor is temp and many ovens are off.

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Kris - I just made these cupcakes for my daddy’s birthday. THEY ARE AMAZING!!! The chocolate cake batter, WOW! I never want to use a store bought mix AGAIN! So good. However, mine did bust open on the top and some of the peanut butter came out (Nothing that a little frosting couldn’t cover up). Did I do something wrong? Also, the frosting was a little sweet for my taste (but everyone else loved it!) Could I reduce the amount of powdered sugar in the frosting?? Thank you for an AMAZING recipe.September 25, 2011 – 11:00 am

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Annie Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 1:04 pm

Sounds like you probably needed to put a bit more batter over the peanut butter balls/put them lower down in the cupcake wells. If you reduce the powdered sugar in the frosting, the consistency will be effected and it will probably be runny, but that’s your call.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes « Betchacanteatjustone's Blog - [...]  Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes adapted from Annie’s Eats [...]November 12, 2009 – 2:38 pm

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