Picture Perfect Cooking

If you have never visited Bakerella’s site, please do so!  Her baked creations are absolutely beautiful and tasty as well.  Her artistic talent far exceeds mine, so usually I just browse her site for fun.  When I saw these cupcakes, I just knew I had to give them a try. 

They combine two of my favorite flavors (chocolate and peanut butter, of course) and they are pretty to look at, too.  Now I didn’t go quite as far as she did and put a homemade peanut butter cookie on top, but I did add a few peanut butter chips to the cupcake batter.

I didn’t get enough action shots for the recipes so this will be a text recipe only with some pretty finished shots thrown in.  Without further ado, I give you (drumroll, please): Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cupcakes:

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cup milk

2/3 cup hot water

1 cup peanut butter chips

Frostings:

1 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

4 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

2 tbsp. milk

For Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.  Add the eggs, oil, vanilla and milk.  Mix together then add the hot water. Stir in the peanut butter chips. The batter will be thin. 

Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 15 minutes or until done.  Cool before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting: Beat 1/2 cup butter until creamy.  Add 1 tsp. vanilla and mix.  Slowly add 2 cups of the confectioners sugar and cocoa.  Mix until combined.  Add 1 tbsp. of milk and mix until creamy and smooth. 

Peanut Butter Frosting: Beat 1/2 cup butter and 2/3 cup peanut butter until creamy.  Add 1 tsp. vanilla.  Slow add 2 cups confectioners sugar and mix until combined.  Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of milk and mix until smooth.

Here comes the fun part!  Using a decorator or zip top bag fitted with a large decorating tip, add BOTH frostings to the same bag.  Try to keep them side by side in the bag and not completely mixed together.  Frost the cupcakes with a swirl and the two frosting will mix together in the swirl.  How cool is that?  They are almost too pretty to eat.  Almost, but not quite.