You Put Peanut Butter In My Chocolate!!!!

Chocolate Peanut Buttercup Cakes With Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Surely I have sung the praises of the glorious combination of chocolate and peanut butter before . . . but, if not, here I go again. Seriously . . . are there two flavors better suited for each other? Rich creamy peanut butter with just a hint of salt offsetting the silky bittersweetness of chocolate. Yum. Although the amount of baking I do might suggest otherwise, I'm really not all that crazy about sweets. Give me salty, crunchy snacks any day. For dessert? I love fresh berries. Although heavy, decadent desserts are beautiful to behold and fun to make . . . I just don't crave them. The exception might be some combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Lately, I've been experimenting with cupcakes, the perfect sweet treat for people that don't like to overdo it on sweets.

Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. Greek-style yogurt
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 c. flour
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 1 c. cocoa powder
- 2 c. powdered sugar (or more)
- 1 c. creamy peanut butter
- 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 18 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTERCUP CAKES
Prepare muffin tins by lining with cupcake liners or lightly greasing and then flouring. Set aside and preheat oven to 325˚F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar with an electric or stand mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. With the mixer running, add half of the flour mixture then the yogurt, then the other half of the flour mixture. Blend until smooth, but don't over mix.

Spoon batter into prepared tins, filling each cup to about two-thirds full. Bake about twenty minutes. Remove from oven and carefully press an unwrapped peanut butter cup candy into the center of each cupcake. Continue baking for 5-10 minutes until cupcakes are springy around the melty peanut butter cup. Let cool in cups for about five minutes before carefully removing from tins. Cool completely on rack before frosting.

PEANUT BUTTER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
In a medium bowl blend together cream cheese and peanut butter with a stand or hand mixer. Slowly add powdered sugar a cup at a time until the frosting is at the right consistency. It will be thick and sticky, a bit candy-like. Frost cupcakes when cooled completely. Store in a airtight container. Yum!