Reese's Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cupcakes

Lisha Whitehead

I don't have the recipe for the cupcakes, but I do have the icing recipe. These were so yummy. She stuck half a mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in the center of the cupcake and then drizzled them with caramel and topped them with crumbled Reese's cups.

Thanks, Lisha! These were so yummy!!

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

Kneaders 4th of July Flag Cupcakes

Featured on Good Things Utah
Prepared by Chef Tami Vincent

White Cake From Scratch
1 ½ unsalted butter, room temp
4 cups sifted cake flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups sour cream
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1-Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2-Dust bottoms and sides of cake pans with flour, set aside.
3-Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt, set bowl aside.
4-With electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
5-Gradually add sugar. Beat for 3 minutes.
6-Drizzle in egg yolks. Beat until mixture is fluffy, another 3 minutes.
7-Alternate adding flour and sour cream into batter.
8-Beat in vanilla, batter is stiff not runny.
9-Divide batter between 20 cupcakes, bake for 20-30 min. Test with toothpick for doneness.
10-Let cool.

Mexican Vanilla Buttercream
12 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1 pound powdered sugar
½ teaspoon Mexican Vanilla

1-Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium.
2-Add sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium high.
3-Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth.

Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Bring to room temperature and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)

Topping cupcakes
1-Spread frosting on cupcakes.
2-Top 4 cupcakes with blueberries, 8 with raspberries, and 8 with coconut.
3-Arrange on platter to resemble American flag.

Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes

Paula DeenFood Network

Directions

1 (18 1/2-ounce) package chewy fudge brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
1 (12-ounce) package peanut butter chips or 24 miniature peanut butter cups

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 regular muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies. Fill the cups half full with brownie batter. Place about 1 tablespoon peanut butter chips in the center of the batter, or press 1 peanut butter cup into the batter in each muffin cup until the batter meets the top edge of the peanut butter cup.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cupcakes are set. When they can be handled safely, remove them from the muffin tins and let cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Strawberry and Mascarpone Filled Cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep: 30 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Total: 1 hr 25 min

Ingredients
1 box vanilla cake mix (like Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe French Vanilla cake)
1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese, chilled
1/2 cup thawed and drained frozen strawberries
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions
Special equipment: 1 muffin tin

Make the cupcakes according to package instructions. Lightly grease the muffin tin and fill the batter almost to the rim of each muffin cup. Bake according to package directions and let cool.

In a food processor combine the mascarpone cheese, strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice. Process the mixture until smooth. Transfer the strawberry mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a small tip. Push the tip gently into the bottom of a cupcake and squeeze in the strawberry mixture until the cupcake plumps. Continue with the remaining cupcakes.

In a small saucepan bring the 1/2 cup sugar, water, and vanilla extract to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved. In a medium bowl combine the vanilla syrup with the confectioner's sugar. Stir until smooth. Working quickly, use a rubber spatula spread the icing on the top of the cupcakes. If the icing begins to firm up, place in the microwave for a few seconds to warm up again.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

"Everyday Italian"

The Food Network

Note: I was not able to find Mascarpone Cheese so I used Cream Cheese. I also don't have a food processor so my mixture wasn't as smooth as it could have been, but it still worked and they are yummy.