Picture a Reese's peanut butter cup combined with rich chocolate cake, and you've got these irresistible chocolate peanut butter cupcakes! Made with a super moist chocolate cupcake base and topped with creamy peanut butter buttercream, each cupcake is finished with a drizzle of chocolate and crushed nuts. They're perfect for birthday parties or simply treating yourself at home!

Why I Truly Think That This Is The Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes recipe
These easy chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are a luxurious blend of rich chocolate and creamy peanut butter that will have you running back for seconds!
To make these chocolate cupcakes peanut butter flavored, I take my signature chocolate cupcake base and top it with my creamy homemade American buttercream infused with peanut butter. They offer the perfect balance of sweet and savory notes, thanks to the peanut butter and a hint of salt. The frosting's creamy, slightly less sweet flavor perfectly complements the moist chocolate base, creating a melt-in-your-mouth experience you won't forget!
Here, you will not find chocolate peanut butter cupcakes from cake mix. But, even though these are chocolate peanut butter cupcakes from scratch, they are still incredibly easy to make using simple, everyday ingredients and essential equipment. You can even get creative with add-ins, fillings, and toppings!
Katalin's key take on how to make cupcakes super moist
No one enjoys dry, crumbly cupcakes! However, achieving a perfect texture isn't a matter of luck. The secret to decadently moist chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter icing is using the right ingredients and techniques.
Baking is a science, so measuring accurately and choosing high-quality ingredients are essential for success. Using oil combined with eggs and milk creates incredibly soft cupcakes. Sugar also plays an important role, as it binds with the liquids to lock in moisture, while leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda work with acidic components to produce a light, airy texture.
In this chocolate peanut butter cupcake recipe, I've replaced the usual butter and buttermilk with oil and baking soda, ensuring every bite is moist—even after refrigeration!
Mastering the technique is just as crucial as choosing the best ingredients, so precision is key for consistently moist, tender cupcakes and irresistibly creamy, flavorful frosting. Use tools like a digital scale and thermometer to measure ingredients and temperatures accurately, follow the recipe exactly as written, and be careful not to overbake.
For more helpful tips, check out my guide on How to make cupcakes super moist! Yes, I wrote an entire article about it...
The chocolate cupcake base comes together in seconds
Before starting the chocolate cupcake batter, the milk, coffee, and egg must be at room temperature to blend easily. To quickly bring your egg to room temperature, stick it in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
Start by preheating your oven to 175℃ / 350℉ (no fan) and lining your cupcake tin with muffin liners.
Using an electric hand mixer, whip the wet ingredients (room-temperature egg, oil, both types of sugar, room-temperature coffee and milk, and vanilla extract) together for 1-2 minutes.
Sift the dry ingredients—the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt—into the bowl. Please don't skip the salt; it balances the flavors!
Gradually combine the wet mixture with the dry ingredients, switching to a rubber spatula to gently fold them together until just mixed. Or, use your hand whisk for quicker emulsification, but make sure you stop as soon as the dry bits are incorporated into the wet ingredients. It should not take more than 30 seconds.
Using a spoon, ice cream scooper, or piping bag to evenly divide the batter among the cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake, as this can cause dryness.
Before applying the frosting, let the cupcakes cool completely to room temperature on a cooling rack.
The secret to 'not too sweet' peanut butter frosting is: SALT!
Before starting the frosting, make sure your butter is at room temperature. Softened butter is critical to achieving the creamiest peanut butter buttercream. See my guide on softening butter quickly for tips on how to do so without using a microwave. Use unsalted butter only to keep from adding more salt to the recipe. You can also make your butter at home.
Cream the room-temperature butter with smooth, unsweetened peanut butter (do not use natural peanut butter) on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture turns color light and becomes fluffy.
Gradually sift in the powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, mixing on low speed. Once incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 4 minutes until the frosting becomes light, fluffy, and increases in volume.
Last, mix in the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream, whipping for an additional minute until the frosting is smooth and silky.
At this point, the peanut butter buttercream frosting should have a perfectly fluffy, pipeable consistency. However, if it feels too thick, you can adjust it by adding one tablespoon of cream at a time. If it's too thin, mix in additional powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time.
Assemble the cupcakes and decorate
Transfer the peanut butter cream frosting into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle and apply the buttercream on top of each cupcake.
Then, finish by drizzling on melted chocolate and finely chopped peanuts, and enjoy!
Need to store the cupcakes longer?
Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are best served fresh while the butter in the buttercream is at just the right temperature. For the best results, use the frosting immediately or store it in a piping bag at room temperature for a few hours. If you need to refrigerate the frosting, allow it to come back to room temperature before use, and give it a quick whip in a stand mixer to restore its fluffiness and volume.
Store your frosted chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Let the cupcakes sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving so the frosting softens. Freeze unfrosted cupcakes in a freezer-safe bag for up to one month and thaw at room temperature before frosting.
For more detailed tips on proper cupcake storage, refer to my guide on how to store cupcakes.
Some flavor variation ideas to try next time you bake
If you're looking to switch things up with your chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, here are some tasty variations to try:
Swap out the chocolate cupcake base for a classic, moist vanilla cupcake base.
Instead of peanut butter, why not try a different nut butter? I have several delicious recipes:
Kick the flavor up another notch by folding in peanut butter chips or chocolate chips. Or, give your cupcakes some crunch and extra nutty flavor by mixing in chopped peanuts or other nuts such as pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts, or almonds.
Add a delightful surprise to the middle by filling your cupcake with more creamy peanut butter, homemade caramel, or chocolate ganache. Check out my guide on filling cupcakes for step-by-step instructions on making chocolate peanut butter cupcakes with filling.
Instead of sticking with the usual peanuts and melted chocolate topping, try a drizzle of homemade caramel, mini peanut butter cups, or crushed peanut butter cookies.
Choose your substitutions wisely
When it comes to ingredient substitutions for your chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, even the most minor adjustments can impact the flavor and texture of your cupcakes. Therefore, choosing your substitutions carefully and using the correct ratios is important.
For a gluten-free option, you can substitute all-purpose flour with almond flour or another gluten-free alternative. Check my flour guide for tips on maintaining structure and texture.
To make the recipe dairy-free and vegan-friendly, opt for high-fat dairy-free milk, vegan butter, a vegan heavy cream alternative, and one of these egg substitutes.
If you use a heavy cream substitute, avoid sour cream, which can give the cupcakes a tangy flavor.
Expert Tips
- For the best flavor and texture, stick to premium, high-fat ingredients. I recommend using 36% fat heavy cream, 82% European-style butter, and 3% whole milk.
- Since these are chocolate peanut butter cupcakes with cocoa powder, you will want to opt for 100% Dutch-process, unsweetened cocoa powder for a deep, rich flavor that isn't overly sweet.
- Never skip the coffee! Adding coffee enhances the chocolate flavor without adding a coffee flavor. Decaf coffee works as well.
- When whipping the buttercream, use the paddle attachment on your stand mixer to prevent unnecessary air bubbles and ensure a smooth, creamy frosting.
- If your buttercream separates, gently warm the exterior of the mixing bowl to soften the butter slightly and help restore its smooth consistency.
Some useful equipment to make these cupcakes
For the best results, always use a digital scale to measure your ingredients accurately and a digital oven thermometer to monitor the temperature.
An electric hand mixer is best for blending the wet ingredients, while a rubber spatula is necessary to fold in the dry ingredients without overmixing.
You will need a 12-cup muffin pan for baking and a cooling rack to let the cupcakes cool completely.
When decorating, a piping bag with a Wilton 1M nozzle tip is ideal!
Try some of my other cupcake recipes
If you loved these creamy peanut butter chocolate cupcakes, you won't want to miss my other chocolate cupcake recipes:
- Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
- German Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Banana Cupcakes
- Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes
- Oreo Cupcakes
- Mocha Cupcakes
For even more cupcake recipes with a fun surprise in the middle, check out my roundup of 45+ Irresistible Filled Cupcake Recipes!
Have you tried this recipe?
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Equipment
- Digital scale
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 100 g (½ cups) Granulated Sugar
- 100 g (½ cups) Brown sugar
- 80 g (½ cups) Vegetable Oil
- 120 g (½ cups) Whole milk room temperature
- 120 g (½ cups) Freshly brewed coffee room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 Egg room temperature
- 180 g (1½ cups) All purpose flour
- 50 g (½ cups) Cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
Peanut butter buttercream
- 226 g (1 cups) Unsalted butter 82% fat content European-style butter, use it softened
- 250 g (1 cups) Peanut butter smooth, unsweetened
- 240 g (2 cups) Powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoons Heavy cream 36% fat content
Decoration
- melted chocolate
- chopped peanuts
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
Chocolate cupcakes
- Prepare your cupcake tin by lining it with muffin liners and preheat your oven to 175℃ / 350℉ (no fan).
- With an electric hand mixer, whip together the wet ingredients for 1-2 minutes: room temperature egg, oil, sugar, coffee, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Sift dry ingredients together; flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt then pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold just until combined.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the cavities of your cupcake tin, filling each one about ¾ full.
- Bake the chocolate cupcake for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake them, as they can dry out.
- Cool the baked cupcakes on a cooling rack. They must be at room temperature before frosting.
Peanut butter buttercream frosting
- Cream the room-temperature butter with the smooth peanut butter at medium-high speed for 3 minutes until it becomes light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Add in the powdered sugar tablespoon by tablespoon at low speed, then turn the mixer back on medium-high speed and whip it for another 4 minutes or until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and increases in volume.
- Lastly, add the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream and continue whipping for another minute until it is smooth and silky.
- This peanut butter buttercream frosting should have the perfect pipeable fluffy texture. If, for some reason, it is too thick, add some more cream (1 tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1 tablespoon at a time).
- Note that the buttercream texture is best straight after making it when the butter is at the right temperature (room temperature), and the mixture is freshly whipped. I like to use the frosting immediately or store it at room temperature in a piping bag for a few hours. If stored in the refrigerator, you will need to bring it back to room temperature before using it and might need to give it another minute or two to whip in the stand mixer to increase the volume again.
Assemble
- Move the peanut butter buttercream frosting into a piping bag fitted with a piping nozzle and pipe the buttercream on top. Finish with melted chocolate and finely chopped peanuts.
- The cupcakes are best served fresh. Any leftovers can be stored refrigerated for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
Notes
- Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
- All cupcake ingredients must be at room temperature to properly emulsify: eggs, coffee, and milk.
- Use high fat (36%) heavy cream and good quality high fat (82%) butter for making buttercream.
- Use dark, unsweetened cocoa powder, ideally Dutch-processed.
- Use unsweetened peanut butter and the smooth version.
- Don't forget the salt. It will balance the sweetness of the buttercream.
- Make sure you read my Expert Tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone cannot cover all the necessary details and science behind baking.
- A digital scale is required for a consistent, happy baking experience.
- The cupcake batter will be very liquid; don't worry about it. Do not add more flour to it.
- Always preheat your oven and consider using a digital oven thermometer for the best results.
- Baking these cupcakes takes 22 minutes in my oven. However, you should focus on the texture, not the time. Apply the toothpick test (it should come out clean) to avoid overbaked cupcakes. Do not overbake them, as that will result in a dry texture.
- The temperature and texture of the butter are key when making buttercream. Wait until it is soft, however, avoid last-minute microwaving.
- When adding the powdered sugar, reduce the speed of the mixer to avoid creating a huge powder sugar cloud.
- I recommend the paddle attachment to avoid unnecessary air bubbles. To get your buttercream fully silky, without air bubbles, mix the cream at the end by hand with a rubber spatula for a few minutes.
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