Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Icing

Years ago, when Tupperware was the great thing since sliced bread – I had a Tupperware party. I remember my mother having them when I was little, and I thought it was so awesome that I was old enough to have my own – in my own home. I invited all my friends from work and my neighbors, and we all sat around my tv room looking at the latest and greatest in plastic while snacking on various foods that I made for the event. When all was said and done, I made out with hundreds of dollars of Tupperware – a container for every type of food I could imagine.

Fast forward a decade plus, and now I am trying to get rid of my Tupperware – the latest craze is glass – supposedly it is a much better way to store your food. So yes, I am getting on the band wagon. These cupcakes remind me of the Tupperware craze, since they were one of the items I made for the party. I found them in Gourmet Magazine, and I was so excited to make them. I remember they were fabulous, not too sweet, but the frosting gave them the perfect depth of flavor.

When I went to find the recipe to make these again, I was pretty surprised at the low ratings it received on Epicurious – people were not too fond of the cake – it was not sweet enough, and not moist enough. Well – maybe for some people, but for me – they were perfect.

Ingredients

For cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup whole milk

For icing:

1/3 cup heavy cream
4 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped peanuts

Preparation

Make cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, then mix until just combined.

Divide batter among lined muffin cups (about two-thirds full) and bake in middle of oven until pale golden and a tester inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto a rack and cool completely.

Make icing while cupcakes cool:

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate in a small bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth.

To thicken icing to spreading consistency quickly, spread it on a metal baking sheet and chill until thick and glossy, about 5 minutes. Scrape icing back into bowl and stir until smooth. Spread icing on cupcakes and sprinkle with peanuts.