Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

These chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes were created as a sponsored post for KitchenAid and Nebraska Furniture Mart.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I pretty much won Mom of the Year yesterday.  When my kids arrived home from school, I had freshly baked cupcakes waiting.  And not just any cupcakes: chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.  That’s not the after school norm around here and it won me some serious points!  And you know what?  They were seriously the best cupcakes I’ve ever made.  You’ll definitely want to pin this recipe and put it in the cupcake rotation!

I decided to bake this week because I’m so excited about my newest kitchen appliance.  I haven’t had a hand mixer since I moved into my first apartment many, many years ago and I’ve really been wanting one.  There are times it just seems so much simpler to pull out a compact hand mixer rather than the big mixer.  This KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer is the perfect appliance for whipping up cupcakes or other baked goods.

With nine speeds, a soft start {which means no splattering}, and buttons within easy reach of the thumb, this mixer makes light work of baking.  And it’s red … which fits right into my colorful home!

It was perfect for whipping up these chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.  To make them, I placed {cute} cupcake liners in a muffin tin …

… and mixed the ingredients together in a bowl.  This cupcake recipe starts with a storebought cake mix.  Pour the mix into a bowl and prepare according to package directions.

Place a scoop of batter in each cupcake wrapper and gently place an unwrapped peanut butter cup in the center of each then cover with another scoop of batter.  Bake according to the cake mix instructions and let cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the icing.

Using an electric mixer, in a bowl, beat 1/3 cup peanut butter until fluffy then gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar, mixing well.  Slowly mix in 1/4 cup milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla then beat 2 1/2 more cups of powdered sugar, adding gradually and mixing well.  If the frosting is too thick, add a bit of milk until you get the consistency you want.

Spread or pipe the frosting onto each cupcake and garnish with chopped peanut butter cups.

The first bite reveals the most delicious peanut butter surprise and the mix of flavors is delightful!  Who can resist chocolate and peanut butter together?

Serve with an ice cold glass of milk and savor every bite!

Ready to get baking?  This month, every cupcake you bake can help fight breast cancer!

Bake a batch of cupcakes, get creative, and, during October, post a photo of your creation on twitter or instagram and tag it with #10000cupcakes and #donate.  KitchenAid will donate $1 up to $10,000!  Cupcakes are changing the world this October!  Bake.Snap.Share.Support.  Click on the ad above for complete details.