Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate is probably the messiest thing to have around on a hot summer day, but I love chocolate and I love chocolate and peanut butter even more. Remember my earlier post about spreading peanut butter on my chocolate brownie? Yes, I have it bad and I'm craving peanut butter and chocolate right now. So, to help take care of that craving, I thought I would share my recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes.

Looks a little like a Hostess Cupcake doesn't it? Oh, but it is so much better. I usually use chocolate frosting on top, but lately I have been thinking about trying a peanut butter icing. I've never made peanut butter icing, but I think if I mix together powdered sugar, peanut butter, and a little milk, it would be perfect.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Filling:
2 T. whipping cream
2 squares of semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 t. granulated sugar
1/4 C. peanut butter

In a small saucepan, heat the cream until just boiling. Add in the chocolate and sugar and stir until all is melted. Refrigerate the mixture for about 40 minutes. It needs to be firm, but not hard.

Mix together a chocolate cake mix according to the directions on the box. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups. Fill each cup almost 1/3 full of the cake batter. Using the palms of your hands, roll the firm peanut butter filling into a ball and put one into each cup in the muffin pan. Cover each ball with the rest of the cake batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350° f. or until the center springs back when touched lightly. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting and serve. They taste the best after they have cooled.

Enjoy,
Carol

New Discount on my book

My publisher is offering a new discount on my book, Masters & Disasters of Cooking. From now until May 31, 2011, you can get 15% off of the print edition of the book. Don't delay and miss the deal. Clock here to get the code and order the book.

Thanks,
Carol

Food Tip of the Day

First, Happy Kentucky Derby Day! I live in southern Indiana near Louisville, Kentucky and love to celebrate Derby Day. It's way too wild for me to attend because I would only be able to go to the infield and believe me the infield is crazy on Derby Day. You also rarely see a horse when you're in the infield. So, I'll be watching at home, television turned up loud, drink in hand, and cheering for my horse. I haven't really studied them close, but I think I'll chose Twice the Appeal. He's a long-shot, but the name is sort of related to my day job.

Okay, so for my Food Tip of the Day, I made brownies this week so we would have something sweet in the house to eat. The pan is on the counter in the kitchen and when I went in to get a brownie, I noticed our jar of Jiffy Creamy Peanut Butter next to the pan. Hmmm, I love Reese's Cups and wondered how a brownie would taste with peanut butter spread on top of it. OMG, it was wonderful. You have to try it.

Carol

Oysters

I do believe that fried oysters are my favorite seafood. I've had a can of them on the shelf for a while now waiting for the opportune evening to fix them for supper. The reason I have to wait is because my husband does not like oysters, so I wait until he works late so I can fry them. Tonight is that night. He has to work late filling in for a coworker and it's oysters for me tonight. Now, don't feel sorry for him, he already told me not to make him anything for supper as he would probably just eat at work, or grab something on the way home. Perfect for me.

Frying the oysters is pretty simple. Rinse them off and make sure there are no shells pieces or pebbles in them. I then dip them in beaten egg and coat with crushed cracker crumbs. Fry in a hot skillet of oil until they reach the desired doneness. I really wish I could find my iron skillet because that would be perfect for the frying, but it's no where to be found.

Carol