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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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Muddy buddy cupcakes complete with a rich chocolate cupcake, peanut butter frosting, and muddy buddy garnish. The best chocolate peanut butter cupcakes! via chelseasmessyapron.com

These chocolate peanut butter cupcakes feature a rich chocolate cupcake base, the best smooth peanut butter frosting, and are optionally garnished with muddy buddies to complete the chocolate and peanut butter combination!

After becoming hooked on these cupcakes, be sure to try some other favorites like these banana cupcakes, these cake mix cupcakes, or these carrot cake cupcakes!

Image of a chocolate peanut butter cupcake ready to be eaten

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Peanut butter and chocolate together is my absolute favorite combination. So naturally, I’m obsessed with muddy buddies and am quite certain I could finish an entire batch in one sitting. P.S. Have you ever tried freezing muddy buddies and eating them straight out of the freezer? Game changer.

So even though these chocolate peanut butter cupcakes don’t actually have muddy buddies in them, they’ve got all the great flavors from muddy buddies — chocolate, peanut butter, and plenty of sugar :). Of course, you can garnish these cupcakes with a few muddy buddies (store-bought or homemade), but they’re delicious without the garnish as well.

Overhead image of the muddy buddies that go on these chocolate peanut butter cupcakes

How to make chocolate peanut butter cupcakes

  • This recipe keeps things simple by doctoring up a cake mix for the chocolate cupcake base. The result is bakery tasting cupcakes with a fraction of the work and ingredients. Of course you can make the cupcake base from scratch, just use your favorite from scratch recipe instead.
  • While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the peanut butter frosting. The frosting is a simple butter based frosting with peanut butter added in. Be sure to use real butter, not margarine for the best flavor.
  • Decorate the cooled cupcakes with a generous amount of peanut butter frosting and then IF desired, add some muddy buddies. Another garnish idea: a sprinkle of powdered sugar. If you want to do a sprinkle of powdered sugar over the cupcakes, I recommend sprinkling some on through a fine mesh sieve.

How long do you bake MINI chocolate peanut butter cupcakes?

If you want to make these cupcakes in a miniature muffin tin instead of a regular muffin tin, you’ll want to make sure to still use paper liners and you’ll bake them around 10-15 minutes. Check the cupcakes around 10 minutes. You can test for doneness by sticking a toothpick in the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs) the cupcakes are done. If it comes out wet you can add a few minutes!

How do you store these cupcakes?

For any cupcakes that don’t get eaten, store them in an airtight container (or cupcake storage container) in the fridge. These cupcakes are best within 3-4 days of being made.

Can you freeze chocolate peanut butter cupcakes?

I always get this question so I finally put it to the test so I could give a definitive answer 🙂 These cupcakes freeze perfectly pre-frosting! You’ll want to put the completely cooled cupcakes in a sealed (airtight) bag and then you can place them in the freezer. To thaw the cupcakes, place them in the fridge overnight and you’ll have perfectly thawed chocolate peanut butter cupcakes that are ready to frost the next day.

Unfortunately the frosting doesn’t freeze well and already frosted cupcakes don’t freeze well either.

Image of a couple of the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes ready to be eaten

More delicious desserts:

5 from 3 votes
Print
Muddy Buddies Cupcakes
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

These chocolate peanut butter cupcakes feature a rich chocolate cupcake base, the best smooth peanut butter frosting, and are optionally garnished with muddy buddies to complete the chocolate and peanut butter combination!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate peanut butter cupcakes
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Calories: 250 kcal
Author: Chelsea Lords
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
  • 1 package (15.25 ounces) Super Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
  • 1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate fudge pudding mix, dry, do not prepare
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup full fat sour cream
  • 2 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, (or sub scant 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 tbsp vinegar- mixed together and let sit for 5 minutes)
*Frosting:
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, not a natural or no-stir version
  • 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature (do not sub margarine; do not melt)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-4 tablespoons milk
Muddy Buddies: Buy a bag of pre-made muddy buddies or make the recipe below:
  • 2 cups Rice Chex cereal
  • 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 and 1/2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
  • 3-4 tsp butter
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Cupcakes:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside.

  2. In a large bowl, sift together the cake mix and pudding package.

  3. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, vanilla, and buttermilk.

  4. If you don't have buttermilk, combine 1/2 cup of milk with 1/2 tbsp. white vinegar in a separate cup and let sit for 5 minutes and then add to mixture.

  5. Mix wet and dry until combined (do not over-stir or beat in too much air)
  6. Fill up the liners 3/4ths the way full and bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Remove and let cool.
Frosting:

  1. In a separate bowl, combine the peanut butter with room temperature butter and beat together in a stand mixer or with hand beaters until smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat together and slowly add in the milk until the frosting consistency is reached.

Muddy Buddies:
  1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter and vanilla. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until melted. Return to microwave for 15 seconds if needed. The mixture will be thick. Coat the chex cereal in the chocolate mixture until covered. (I used my hands to get the cereal covered in the chocolate)
  2. Pour the coated cereal into a large resealable plastic bag.
  3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag and shake until well coated.
Putting it together
  1. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, pipe (or spread) the frosting onto the cupcakes.
  2. Sprinkle on powdered sugar and garnish with several muddy buddies.
  3. Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes

*The frosting recipe will cover 24 cupcakes, but if you want a lot of frosting on each cupcake (like seen in the pictures), you will need to double the frosting recipe.

Nutrition facts in chocolate peanut butter cupcakes

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Comments

  1. I haven’t done the doctored up cake mix thing in ages, but your pudding on pudding fudginess sounds seriously enticing. As does the PB/chocolate combo. I mean…what could be better?! i think your sister would be proud!

    Reply

  5. Oh yeah, I would love one of these cupcakes right now. 🙂 Muddy buddies are the bomb and they look so cute on top of these cupcakes! As much as I love making cakes from scratch, cake mixes are so good sometimes. Plus, chocolate and peanut butter are always a good combo!

    Reply

    • Thank you Rachel! P.S. I am SO jealous of all your fun traveling and Spain adventure!! Barcelona is definitely a place I want to go someday!
      !

      Reply

  11. These cupcakes look incredible Chelsea! Peanut butter frosting is my weakness and adding the crunchy homemade muddy buddies sounds out of this world! Great action shot while sprinkling the powdered sugar over the cupcakes – looks like it’s raining sugar – awesome photo!!:)

    Reply

  12. Chelsea, your sis would be so proud! I’m the sister that always makes the cakes, etc. Loving this whole creation with the pudding action. When I use cake mixes, Betty Crocker is the brand I go for, too.
    PS…. Love the raining of powdered sugar!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much Gloria! Betty Crocker is just the way to go 🙂 I hope you have a great Vday tomorrow and your boys spoil you!

      Reply

  17. combining two of my favorite treats! that is my favorite cake mix also! I like the triple chocolate fudge also! looks like a great cupcake!

    Reply

    • Thank you Jocelyn! And definitely recommend eating the frosting by the spoonful, haha I totally did that 🙂

      Reply

  20. 5 stars
    Save yourself the extra step. Go to the grocery store and buy a bag of actual Muddy Buddies. Saves time and money!

    Reply

  21. 5 stars
    I’m going to try to make these for my stepsons 16th birthday…he LOVES Muddy Buddies 🙂

    Reply

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