Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Just in case you were wondering what kind of cupcakes were lurking under those ladybugs...

Topped with whipped cream, a smear of nutella, or nutella whipped cream, these peanut butter cupcakes were pretty fantastic.


And even though cupcakes aren't really my favorite dessert, they're so much better when you can bite off ladybug heads while you're at it.


Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Adapted from I Heart Cuppycakes

I used crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy. While Cori objected to the chunky texture, Cary and I thought they were just fine.

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
  
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-muffin pan with cupcake liners, if you so choose.

2. Beat the butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute by machine or longer by hand.

3. Mix in the egg and the vanilla, beating well.

4. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

5. Mix the flour mixture and the milk alternately into the butter/sugar mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

6. Divide batter between the cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Cool cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

7. Remove cupcakes from pan and top with your choice of frosting. Whipped cream (heavy cream whipped with a hand mixer or in an immersion blender with a little powdered sugar and vanilla), a dollop of nutella, or some nutella mixed into the whipped cream all make great, low-fuss options.