mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Hi-Hats

Remember how my niece came to town? And she loves to bake too? well, she had a recipe that she wanted to share with me.  And boy am I glad she did.  She did her take one these.  Yum.  I can’t lie though, these bad boys are pretty rich. that’s why I made mine mini style:Just you wait…That frosting is fluffy peanut butter goodness.  Awesome right? 

These cupcakes have been a big hit with some of my reliable taste testers.  Comments like, “honestly the best cupcakes I’ve ever had” or “to die for” and my personal favorite, “holy yummy oh so deliciously sinful cupcake”

want to make some??

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hi-Hats

*this recipe makes a ton of mini cupcakes just so you’re aware*

• Start with a chocolate cake mix (Sure you can use a mix!! the frosting is the star in this recipe! I used Betty Crocker’s Devil’s Food) + the oil, water, eggs
• divide evenly into lined cupcake pans. You don’t want to fill them too full, it’s better if they come out with a fairly flat top.
• mini cupcakes don’t take very long to make, and you don’t want to over bake them! I started at 8 minutes, then removed them when a toothpick came out clean.  Cool on racks

Peanut Butter fluff recipe

1 1/2 C (3 sticks) butter room temp

1 1/2 C creamy Peanut Butter

1 1/2 C Marshmallow creme

3 C powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

~2 Tblsp milk

• cream butter, then add peanut butter

  *tip for adding peanut butter: line the measuring cup with plastic wrap before putting the PB in:then just flop it out. see how nice it comes out?

  

• add marshmallow crème and mix to combine

• add the powdered sugar 1/2 – 3/4 C at a time

• beat until fluffy, then add the vanilla.

• Add milk 1 T at a time until it’s a good piping consistency

it should look about like this, and yes, I took lots of taste tests.now pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.  I just used a ziplock bag with a hole cut into the corner.

now, throw them into the freezer for about 20 min, you want the frosting pretty firm to the touch

Chocolate Coating

1 bag of chocolate chips

3 Tblsp oil

while the cupcakes are freezing, melt the chips with the oil in the microwave on 1/2 power, stirring every 30 seconds.  You’ll want the chocolate to be in a cup or bowl that is deep enough to dip the cupcakes into, but with a wide enough mouth so it’s easy.  I used big mug

dip em in, then pull em out, and let the excess drip off a bit.

let the chocolate harden.  I recommend storing these cupcakes in the fridge, in a container or with plastic wrap on top.  It makes the chocolate coating more of a shell, so you bite through chocolate shell, chilled PB fluff, and then the soft cake. Pretty dang good!