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Mary Anne here. Chocolate + peanut butter, topped with Heath Bar bits = my idea of heaven! Not much more to say about this combo, other than that I should’ve come up with this before Lent!
The inspiration for these sinful cupcakes arose in the baking aisle of my local grocery store. It seems that many of my recipes begin percolating either by a stunning display of produce or something as simple as an item that’s on sale and just too tempting to pass up. So was the case of these cuppies: Heath Bar Toffee Bits, semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter were all on sale so my vision of a Reese’s Cup in a cupcake tin took wing without much effort. I justified the caloric coup de diet by deeming them a celebration in honor of Feast on the Cheap’s third birthday…. Have a sweet weekend!
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Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Heath Bar Toffee Bits Icing
Makes 24
Note: If you can’t find the Heath Bar Bits, simply buy 4or 5 Heath candy bars. Keep them in their wrappers and break them into small bits, using a wooden mallet or hammer.
Ingredients for the cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour – stock
3 Teaspoons baking powder – stock
1/8 Teaspoon salt – stock
1 cup packed brown sugar – stock
½ cup peanut butter (I used creamy) – stock
6 Tablespoons sweet butter, softened – stock
1 Teaspoon vanilla – stock
2 eggs, lightly whipped – stock
1 cup milk (I used 1%) – stock
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips – stock
For the icing:
2 sticks sweet butter – stock
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips – stock
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder – stock
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract – stock
2 ¼ cups confectioner’s sugar – stock
2/3 cup milk (I used 1%) – stock
1 cup Heath Bar Toffee Bits – $2.50
Grand Total Assuming a Well-Stocked Pantry: $2.50
Total Per Cuppie: $0.10
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake paper cups.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar and peanut butter. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating well.
4. Using the lowest setting of the mixer, gradually combine the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Do not over beat or your cuppies will be too dry! Fold in the chocolate chips, using a wooden spoon.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the 24 paper-lined tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
6. For the icing: In a heavy saucepan, over low flame, melt the butter with the milk and chocolate, stirring frequently. Transfer to a large bowl. Using a mixer, beat in the cocoa powder, confectioner’s sugar and vanilla.
7. Add the Heath Bar Toffee bits, stirring well to combine. Frost/ice each of the cupcakes. Garnish with additional Heath Bits if desired.
Sinful! But I love it! We don’t have Heath bars around these parts, but I can probably substitute in a toffee-like bar that I can get my hands on. I might be making these this weekend!
I get inspired by shopping for groceries also and then when I get home I think when am going to have the time to make all this!
You are not helping my diet…
These are not helping out my diet at all, they look amazing!
Want. Immediately.
OMg, this is a sinful way to celebrate lent, LOL… kidding I’m trying to be good this year, but perfect for easter!!
PB chip cupcakes are always a winner! however the heath bar frosting is a show stealer in this one.
Yum….me thinks today is chocolate overload day. Price per cuppie as Heath chips are a “stock” item leftover from holidays…..priceless. 🙂 Thanks
PB wasn’t enough and you had to torture me with that delectable heath bar frosting?!? So not fair 😀
Yum! I love the sound of these. Heath bars are probably my favorite candy bar. So I can’t wait to give these a try.
I made these and the cupcakes turned out lovely, however the frosting is a liquid mess. Why is the butter melted with the chocolate? I have made my fair share of frostings and while I initially balked at this step, I figured you had a good reason (and photos!), so I followed the recipe to the T. If you have any tips on saving the liquid frosting, please share them! I’m hoping that letting it set out covered overnight will perhaps allow it to set up a little bit – or at least not run off the cupcakes before I can go to my event tomorrow. Otherwise, I just wasted a pound of butter and the rest of the ingredients (I doubled the recipe).
Next time I will make a traditional buttercream and whip the softened butter with the remaining ingredients, and melt just the chocolate.
Thank you for an otherwise delicious recipe!
Oh Emily our deepest apologies! In the icing ingredients list we had noted the addition of 2 1/4 cups of confectioner’s sugar, but somehow omitted it in the actual instructions, which would indeed create quite a runny frosting.
To salvage the frosting, beat in the confectioner’s sugar in batches and it should thicken right up. Terribly sorry, we’ve gone ahead and corrected the instructions posted here!
Thank you for the kind (and quick!) reply! I had already beaten in the confectioners sugar when I had this problem. Allowing it to set covered overnight somehow allowed the frosting to thicken up to a spreadable consistency. I was able to frost the cupcakes just before taking them to my event, and I received multiple compliments on such awesome cupcakes! I definitely plan on making these again; I would like to try using unsweetened baking chocolate instead of chocolate chips to see how it turns out. I will likely make the frosting before I start the cupcakes, just in case it decides to behave the same way as this time.
Again, my compliments on a great recipe. It turned out beautifully (and I have frosting left over – poor me!).
Emily
I’m loving this AH-MAZING combination of peanut butter, chocolate, and toffee. It just sounds so dangerous, and it would be quite a struggle to just stop with 1 cupcake!