Reeses Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I have to apologize for disappearing for over a month! I can't believe I was away that long! The truth is, I have not gone anywhere. I have just got extremely busy with wedding planning and school. So I cannot promise that this will not happen again (and probably in the near future). But since my two main followers are the future hubster and my sister...I think I'll be okay :)

Hopefully spring time has been treating you all well. I've been loving the weather. And because of the nice weather...in Texas...its Crawfish Boil time! I love this time of year and I love eating crawfish. My fiance on the other hand..does not like crawfish...so no excitement for him. Speaking of the fiance...he officially is a doctor. He passed his dissertation defense this past Thursday!!!! He will be graduating in May....so so so proud of him!

Back on track-- being that is Crawfish Boil time...one of the people from my dog park hosted a crawfish boil (it was an absolutely wonderful time- I was laughing almost the entire night, what fun people!) and one of my peers from my program is having a baby! So in one day (back to back) there was a baby shower (so cute!) and a crawfish boil. So I wanted to make something pretty awesome that both parties would enjoy eating and which I could make easily in mass quantitity :) I stumbled upon these Reeses Peanut Butter Cupcakes and I just had to make them. I mean how delicious do they sound and they looked just as tasty. The fiance and the people from my dog park gave them a thumbs up! So here they are (and I have to say, they were one of the easiest, non messy cupcakes I have made):

So these are one way to decorate (with one reeses pieces on top)

This is another way, with two reeses pieces on top. I like this one the best

This is what they look like when you cut them. I apologize as I kinda smushed them :)

REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES

Adapted from 52 Cupcakes and Layla

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F degrees

CUPCAKES
1 package Duncan Hines Chocolate Cake Mix (Layla used Dark Chocolate Fudge and I used Devil's Food)
2 tbsp. cocoa powder (I did hershey's non-special dark because I wanted a more milk chocolate taste)
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 1/3 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 package of reeses peanut butter cups (NOT minature. The original recipe says minature but the regular size fits nicely at the bottom. So it may have been a typo).

BUTTERCREAM
1 stick of butter (softened, not melted)
1/2 c. shortening
4 c. powdered sugar (sifted to avoid lumps)
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. of peanut butter (if you want a more chocolatey taste, I would do 1/2 c.)
3/4 c. special dark hershey's chocolate cocoa (to get the dark brown color)
8 tbs. milk

DIRECTIONS

Mix together cake mix, cocoa powder, peanut butter, water, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl, on LOW speed (if you use a higher speed you get air bubbles). Place a small bit of cake mixture in each cupcake liner (so that you can no longer see the bottom of the paper cup). Place a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on the bottom center (it was easiest for  me to first put a small bit, about 1 tbsp. and spread it for all cups, and then place all the peanut butter cups). Top each peanut butter cup with a 1/2-3/4 full ice cream scoop full of cake mixture. Bake until cupcakes spring back. Check them at 15 minutes (my cupcakes took between 18-20 minutes). For frosting combine all the ingredients and blend together well. This icing really does taste like a Reeses...its magical :) Then decorate your cupcakes. I used a large wilton open star tip to decorate and I topped the cupcakes off with some reeses pieces candies!

Enjoy,
Chika