COOKIE CUPCAKES!!!

By the title, you must first know how much I loved these... AND how many I ate (including batter in the bowl!!) Yikes =)  We had a Crawfish Boil over at Jordan and Alex's house so I made two different batches; Peanut Butter Cookie Cupcakes and Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes.  They turned out DELICIOUS!  They were out of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.  I will eventually attempt at baking every single one of those recipes... they are way too tempting.  I will say the Peanut Butter Cupcakes were really rich so beware of how much of the frosting you smooth over them! Haha, learned from experience.  And the Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes, they almost were like a chocolate chip muffin, but BETTER!  I won't even let yall know the count on how many of these I consumed in a matter of hmmm 3 days. 



Peanut Butter Cookie Cupcakes

For Cupcakes
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter, preferably natural-style
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 sour cream

For Frosting
12 ounces cream cheese, room temp.
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more for scoring
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1/2 cups creamy peanuty butter

Make cupcakes:  Preheat oven to 375 and line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. 

Reduce speed to low and beat in peanut butter until combined.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each in incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Beat in vanilla and then add flour mixture, and miz until just combined.  Beat in sour cream.

Fill each lined cup with 3 scant tablespoons batter.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until pale golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 13 minutes.  Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Make frosting:  With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and butter until pale and fluffy.  Stir in peanut butter by hand.

To finish, use an offset spatula to spread 1 to 2 tablespoons frosting onto each cupcake.  Refrigerate until frosting is firm, about 10 minutes.  Score each top in a crosshatch pattern with the tines of a fork, dipping tines in confectioners' sugar each time to prevent sticking.  Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 2 days in airtight containers; bring to room temp. before serving.

If you are a peanut butter lover like me.................... You won't find better! =)

Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (or 8 ounces chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 375.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Beat in vanilla.  Reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk, and beating until combined after each.  Stir in chocolate chunks by hand.

Fill each lined cup with 1/4 cup batter.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until pale golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.  Cupcakes can be store up to 3 days at room temp. in airtight containers.

These are definitely worth your attention!!!