Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

If you like peanut butter and chocolate then these cupcakes are for you!  They are extremely moist and probably my favorite cupcake I've ever made and they are pretty simple to make which is always a plus, right?  Hubby and the girls love peanut butter cups so we usually have them lying around but if not they are always in the stores especially now since Halloween candy is already filling the aisles of most stores.  
Pick up a bag and give 'em a try!

Enjoy, 

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes

1 package devil’s food cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
24 Reese’s Miniatures; frozen (this prevents them from disappearing into the batter)

For the Peanut Butter Buttercream frosting

Ingredients
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1.5 pounds (24 ounces or about 5.5 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
6-8 tablespoons heavy cream 

For the Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla and espresso water mixture. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined.

3. Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well. Press one frozen Reese’s Miniature into the center of each cupcake.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched. There will be a small sink hole in the top of the cupcakes from the Reese’s Miniatures, that’s okay - you’ll cover that with frosting. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes.

5. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.

For the Peanut Butter Buttercream frosting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter on medium speed until fluffy. Turn your mixer down to low speed and slowly add in the confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.

2. Add vanilla and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy

3. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and finish with chopped Reese’s Peanut Cups(I just placed on small one on top)