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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
*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!
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:
- German Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Cream Frosting
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Caramel Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
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
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
*I originally shared this recipe April 2015. Updated June 2018.
This turned out horrible, I actually threw most of it away as it was unusable as a frosting. I followed the recipe, including type of peanut butter recommended, powdered sugar, etc., and it still turned out chunky/grainy like it was separating. No I did not use granulated sugar or “natural” peanut butter. I’m an experienced baker and I tried salvaging it, without success. Many of the comments mention that you need 2 sticks of butter, but unfortunately I did not read all the comments prior to making this, and made it with 1 stick (1/2 cup) as per recipe. Very disappointing. If you really need 2 sticks of butter, please update the recipe.
Hello it looks like when making the peanut butter cupcakes you add two sticks of butter to make the frosting, but in the recipe it only calls for a half a cup so which is it please.
Follow the recipe: 1/2 cup! Hope you love them!
I had difficulty with the icing. It didn’t turn out with 1/2 cup butter.
You need to change the recipe to 1 cup butter. Great recipe once you figure it out by reading the comments.
I added a little salt to cut some of the sweetness turned out really good
Hi, I’m curious if the frosting for this recipe can be frozen or not. I’ve already made and frozen the cupcakes for Thanksgiving, so I would like to know if the frosting could be made ahead of time as well.
Yes, you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight int he fridge.
I ended up using 2 sticks as it was quite dense and stiff (even with extra milk). With 2 sticks it was beautiful, light, fluffy, and delicious!
The cake is super delicious! However, I am confused because the recipe says 1/2 cup butter, but the video shows two 1/2 cup sticks. Which do you recommend?
Should the peanut butter cups be frozen prior to putting into the batter before baking? I made two batches of cupcakes where the PB cups melted and made the cupcakes gooey. I was unable to get them out of the pan without the bottom collapsing. What do you do to get the frosting light and whipped? I followed the directions exactly and the frosting seemed more like a buttercream and a big gritty.