This right here is a peanut butter lover’s dream come true— peanut butter cupcakes stuffed with caramel, topped with rich peanut butter frosting, and finished off with a drizzle of caramel and chopped peanuts.

Peanut Butter Caramel Cupcakes | completelydelicious.com

I’ve been working on some freelance recipes for Peanut Butter & Co these last few weeks, and instead of getting peanut butter burnout, our love affair has only deepened. I’m craving peanut butter everything!

So, I decided to bake us a little peanut butter treat. Well it was really just for me, but I didn’t want to leave you out.

 

Peanut Butter Caramel Cupcakes | completelydelicious.com

And these cupcakes!

I am in love with everything going on here. The cupcakes themselves are light, tender, and quite peanut buttery. The frosting is my favorite peanut butter buttercream and could be considered a Wonder of the World (only slightly kidding). And the caramel, both stuffed inside and drizzled on top, turns the whole thing into a decadent masterpiece.

I wish I could share! Or maybe I’m glad that I don’t have to.

Peanut Butter Caramel Cupcakes | completelydelicious.com

Peanut Butter Caramel Cupcakes | completelydelicious.com

baking tip:Don't over fill your cupcake liners

Cupcakes use the walls of the cupcake liners or muffin pan to help them rise high. If you overfill the liners, there’s too much batter and not enough space to climb. The batter can spill over the sides and you’ll be left with flat cupcakes.

Every recipe is different, but as a general rule, I fill my cupcakes just over half full. You can also bake a test cupcake and see how it turns out before baking the rest.


Peanut Butter Caramel Cupcakes | completelydelicious.com

Peanut Butter Caramel Cupcakes | completelydelicious.com

4 from 1 review

Peanut Butter Caramel Cupcakes

Servings: 15 cupcakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Frosting Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Peanut butter cupcakes stuffed with caramel, topped with peanut butter buttercream and a drizzle of caramel.

Ingredients
 

Cupcakes:

  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter (135 grams)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (200 grams)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup buttermilk (175 ml)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese , at room temperature (113 grams)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (56 grams)
  • cup smooth peanut butter (90 grams)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar , sifted (450 grams)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream

For assembly:

  • 1 cup caramel , see Note
  • ½ cup peanuts (70 grams)

Instructions
 

To make the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners or grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the peanut butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, and the mixture sticks to the sides of the bowl. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract in a third bowl. Alternately add the wet and dry ingredients to the mixer in 3 additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each only half way. Bake until tops spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 14-16 minutes. Let cool completely.

To make the frosting:

  • Beat the cream cheese, butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt together until smooth. Add enough milk or cream to get a spreadable consistency. Beat on high another 1-2 minutes until light and creamy.

To assemble the cupcakes:

  • Use a small knife to cut a small well 1 inch deep into the tops of each cupcake. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the caramel into the well, it should not overflow.
  • Top each cupcake with the frosting, either with a knife or with a piping bag and tip. Drizzle the cupcakes with more caramel and top with peanuts.
  • Store cupcakes in the refrigerator.

Notes

Note: I used store-bought caramel ice cream topping, but you can also make your own.
Calories: 351kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Sodium: 212mg, Potassium: 231mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin A: 248IU, Calcium: 62mg, Iron: 1mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Annalise
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.

Disclosure: in case you are wondering, this is not a sponsored post.