Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cupcakes

You guys.

Burnout is a real thing, and sometimes I forget to acknowledge that.

Between starting an amazing new job, the holidays, my birthday, and settling into a new routine, I tend to let things I enjoy doing fall to the wayside and focus on critical things only. For so long I was go go go all the time without stopping and making sure everything was perfect and everyone else was happy that sometimes I forget to look out for me. This blog is something I enjoy doing but definitely is neglected as a creative outlet. I make false promises to myself all the time about the consistency of my content or the quality of my content, and definitely get into my own head about coming off as a disingenuous blogger who cares more about likes than about the recipes being shared. So that's where I've been. But I've also been cooking a lot. Just to cook. Just because it's fun. Just because at the end of long days I do really enjoy coming home and making something out of nothing.

My work doesn't cater lunches yet like my previous employer, and as the person who was responsible for doing that, I'm relieved. It's nice to be mindful of what you want to eat and should be eating instead of what's the easiest to accommodate a large group of people. Some days I bring in a micro-green & quinoa greek salad that's perfectly added to MyFitnessPal and other days I go down the street for a burger and fries. It's so refreshing to have options, which I realize is pretentious and not everyone is afforded the luxury of having free lunches. Since it's a relative slow period at work, we go out for lunch or order food in a lot, but once summer hits you know I'm NOT going to be walking outside for anything, even if it good food.

So I've been at my new place for just about two months, and I finally decided to share some baked goods with the team. It's also nice to share baked goods with people who appreciate them, and are conscious eaters, not just heathens who inhale whatever is in front of them. To show them I was not messing around with baked goods, I decided to go with the crowd-pleasing pair of chocolate and peanut butter. These cupcakes are the best thing I currently make. Sweet but not sugary, and just enough salt and savory to make them addicting. Did I have one for breakfast when I brought them in to work? No, I had two.

I think cupcakes are the easiest way to serve cake. It comes in a wrapper, it's already pre-portioned, and you can make a cupcake sandwich to get the best frosting to cake ratio. I am always annoyed when I make a cake, and people decide to cut the last piece into 64th because no one wants to take the last piece so they'd rather butcher it and leave crumbs behind. Either commit to the whole slice or don't commit at all.

These cupcakes are very similar to the Puppy Chow Cake I made last year, but with a bit more peanut butter flavor and less overall sweetness in the frosting. I also chopped a bunch of mini Reese's cups and rolled the frosting in to fully cover it and make them extra rich, but I've also made them by sticking a whole Reese's on top for people to enjoy as a pre-cupcake snack. As they say - there's no wrong way to eat a Reese's!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12

Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 cup flour, sifted
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon espresso powder
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 oz boiling water

Frosting
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup smooth peanut butter
4-5 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
12 oz bag mini Reese's cups, chopped (optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit

For the cupcakes, sift all dry ingredients together into a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla. Slowly combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated so you don't over-mix the batter. When everything is combined, slowly add in the boiling water. Stir until the batter thins out and it's all the same consistency, the batter will be very runny. Use a 1/3 cup measuring spoon and pour batter into the prepared cupcake tin until about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tester comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Let fully cool before frosting.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip butter, and peanut butter until light and smooth - about 3 minutes on medium speed. Slowly add in powdered sugar, alternating with the milk to reach desired consistency. Taste as you go and add extra peanut butter and powdered sugar as desired. Scoop into a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use. If frosting hardens, let sit at room temperature until workable so you don't blow out the side of a bag or have patchy frosting. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes with whatever tip you'd like. If you're going to add chopped Reese's, I advise putting them in a small bowl and rolling the frosted cupcake in it to reduce as much mess as possible.

Refrigerate until ready to eat! It will last about 3 days if stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.