These Reese’s Peanut Butter Cupcakes are always a crowd favorite! Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and a Reese’s chocolate baked in the center.

Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and chopped Reese's peanut butter cups on top.

It’s been really difficult writing this post, editing the pictures and getting it ready to share with you guys. It’s been a constant reminder that ALL I WANT is another one! Or two. Or three.

I’ve been dreaming of them ever since I made them.  Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and a mini Reese’s chocolate baked in the center. BEST CUPCAKES EVER! You can never, ever go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter.

A cupcake pan with liners filled with chocolate cupcake batter and a mini Reese's chocolate in the center of each cupcake, ready to bake.

Use a standard muffin pan and place a muffin liner in each muffin cup. Fill with chocolate cupcake batter until each liner is half full. Place a Reese’s peanut butter cup in the center of each cup filled with batter. Now your cupcakes are ready to bake! Be sure to allow them to cool completely before frosting.

When your guests are ready to eat one they’ll find a happy suprise in the center: a Reese’s chocolate!

A chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting that has been cut in half to reveal a Reese's chocolate candy in the center of the cupcake.

The peanut butter frosting is the really winner with these cupcakes and it couldn’t be easier to make.

How to make peanut butter frosting:

My biggest tip for making peanut butter frosting is to use a commercial brand of peanut butter, NOT natural or homemade peanut butter! I recommend Skippy of Jif. If you use a different kind of peanut butter you may experience separating, oily or texture issues.

Start by using an electric mixer to mix together the butter and peanut butter until completely smooth.

A clear mixing bowl with two sticks of butter and one and a half cups of peanut butter, next to another photo of the same mixing bowl with the butter and peanut butter mixed together until smooth.

Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and mix again until smooth. The butter/powdered sugar/milk ratio here always yields a perfect thick and smooth frosting for me. If you’d like it a little thicker add a bit more powdered sugar, or if you’d like it thinner, add an extra splash of milk.

Powdered sugar added to a clear mixing bowl with creamed butter and peanut butter next to another photo of the same mixing bowl with the powdered sugar mixed in to make peanut butter frosting.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost them with the peanut butter frosting.  I used a Wilton 1M decorating tip and an Ateco decorating bag to frost these cupcakes, but you could even use a plastic ziplock bag with a small hole snipped from the corner to pipe the frosting on.

Three side-by-side process photos for adding peanut butter frosting to a chocolate cupcake.

*Disclaimer….these cupcakes are made using a cake mix (gasp!). Here’s the honest truth. As much as I totally believe in cooking everything from scratch (here’s my favorite homemade chocolate cupcakes recipe) I believe there is a time and a place for boxed cake mixes. I “doctor” cake mixes all the time–I change the add-in’s so that the end result tastes like they’re from scratch!

Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and a mini Reese's peanut butter cup placed on top, served on a white marble board.

Sometimes you only have 5 minutes to throw together a treat, and the batter for these cupcakes only takes that long! And the best part is no one will ever guess (or care) that you used a cake mix!

Try my other popular cupcake recipes:

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Recipe

Prep 20 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 45 minutes
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Ingredients
 
 

For the Chocolate Cupcakes*

  • 1 box chocolate cake mix
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
  • 2 heaping Tablespoons plain Greek yogurts
  • 30 mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups , divided

For the Peanut Butter Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup butter , room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 Tablespoons milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 regular muffin tins with cupcake liners. 
  • Mix together the cake mix, milk, eggs, oil and Greek yogurt until smooth. Spoon batter into cupcake pans, filling the liners ½ full. 
  • Place a Reese's PB cup into the center of the batter in each cup (it's okay if the the tops of the Reese's are showing, like photo above). 
  • Bake cupcakes for 16-20 minutes or until done. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the Peanut Butter Frosting

  • Beat together butter, and peanut butter and mix until smooth. 
  • Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat again until combined. 
  • Add milk and mix until light and fluffy. (Add more milk or powdered sugar if needed to make the frosting thicker or thinner). 
  • Frost cupcakes (I used a wilton 1M tip in the photos above). 
  • Chop up the remaining pieces of Reese's and gently press into frosting. 
  • Store leftover cupcakes, covered, in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Notes

*Chocolate Cupcake From Scratch: These cupcakes are made using a cake mix (gasp!). Here's the honest truth. As much as I totally believe in cooking everything from scratch, I believe there is a time and a place for boxed cake mixes. I "doctor" cake mixes all the time--I change the add-in's so that the end result tastes like they're from scratch! If you prefer a "from scratch" version, follow this recipe!
Make Ahead Instructions: The cupcakes and the frosting can both be made ahead of time. Allow cupcakes to cool completely, then place in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to one day.
Freezing Instructions: Allow cupcakes to cool completely, then store unfrosted cupcakes in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature before frosting and serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 7gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 334mgPotassium: 218mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 285IUCalcium: 60mgIron: 1.3mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

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Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

The material in this blog post references the trademarked brand “Reese’s.” The use of this trademark is for informational and editorial purposes only and does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Hershey Company or any of its affiliates.

*I originally shared this recipe April 2015. Updated June 2018.

This post contains affiliate links.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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  1. 5 stars
    I made these cupcakes for my company president’s 70th birthday party at work. Everyone loved them. I saved one for my sister and she really loved them, she usually doesn’t eat the icing off cakes or cupcakes, but she said she would eat this icing all day long! Thank you for the help!

  2. Delicious recipe! I just did two layers , so i did half of the mix in each 9″ springform pan (i prefer baking cake with them). And i did a decent amount of pb in the middle. Then piped some decorative peanut butter frosting on top to make up for less peanut butter layers! Did a pattern of pb frosting and chocolate frosting. Turned out great. Had no issues with the pb frosting not sticking together or the mix bubbling over. Though one of my two cakes did slightly dip in the middle for some reason. But i think thats something i did wrong lol. Thank you!

  3. Wayyyy too much peanut butter in frosting recipe. It never came together to be able to frost anything. Awful

    1. 1 star
      I cooked the recipe for the cake 2x. One time wirh coffee and the other with none. Both times the cake bubbled over and looked like a souffle. I suspect it’s the usage of both soda powder and baking soda combined. All I know it was a lot of work and mess for nothing but two things of icing .

      1. Hi Mollie, I’m so sorry that happened, and it more than likely has to do with your altitude. What altitude are you baking at?

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