Another reason to love chocolate: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake, Chocolate Zucchini Cake, and Flourless Chocolate Cookies.

The Halloween Candy That Never Made It to the Trick-or-Treaters

Every Halloween I buy a big bag of assorted chocolate candy for the neighborhood kids. I try to pick candy I don’t like so I’m not tempted, but those orange-wrapped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups always get me. This year I knew I’d eat the whole bag if I didn’t do something with them, so I baked these chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes instead. I used the same dark chocolate cupcake recipe from my Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes, why mess with a good thing?, and hid a Reese’s inside each one. Then I topped them with a light, creamy peanut butter buttercream that makes me want to stick my head in the bowl. Somehow I ended up eating a dozen cupcakes instead of a dozen peanut butter cups. Oops. Oh well, they’re worth every calorie. And yes, my son Caleb dressed as a pea pod for Halloween. He loved it for about five minutes before ripping off the peas.

3 Reasons to Make These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

A surprise Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup hides inside each dark chocolate cupcake, so you get that classic peanut butter cup experience in every bite.
The peanut butter buttercream is creamy, not too sweet, and comes together in minutes. It’s the kind of frosting you’ll want to eat by the spoonful.
The dark chocolate base is rich and tender, thanks to Dutch-processed cocoa and a touch of Greek yogurt. It balances the sweet peanut butter perfectly.

Key Ingredients for Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Dutch-processed cocoa: This gives the cupcakes a deep, rich chocolate flavor with less acidity. If you only have natural cocoa, the cupcakes will be lighter in color and taste slightly more tangy. You can still use it, but the result will be different.
Greek yogurt or sour cream: Either one adds moisture and a tender crumb. I prefer full-fat Greek yogurt for a little extra tang, but sour cream works just as well. Don’t use nonfat, the cupcakes will be drier.
Cream peanut butter: For the frosting, use the processed kind (like Jif or Skippy). It’s stable, smooth, and doesn’t separate. Natural peanut butter can work but requires extra care to avoid a grainy texture.

Kitchen Tools for Making These Cupcakes

12-cup muffin tin
Paper liners (standard size)
Stand mixer or hand mixer for the frosting
Microwave-safe bowl (or a double boiler) for melting chocolate
Whisk and rubber spatula
Wire cooling rack
Small sifter for dry ingredients

Tips for Perfect Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Let the melted chocolate mixture cool until it’s just warm to the touch before adding it to the eggs. If it’s too hot, it can scramble the eggs. I also recommend sifting the dry ingredients, especially the cocoa, to avoid lumps in the thick batter. When you fill the liners, use a spoonful of batter on the bottom, then press the peanut butter cup in gently, and cover with the rest of the batter. The batter should be thick enough to support the candy; if it’s too thin, the cup might sink. Bake just until a toothpick comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Overbaking dries out the cupcakes.

For the frosting, make sure your butter and peanut butter are at room temperature so they cream together smoothly. Start on low speed when adding the powdered sugar to avoid a cloud of sugar dust. You can adjust the consistency by adding more cream (for a softer frosting) or more powdered sugar (for a stiffer one). I like it fluffy enough to pipe easily but firm enough to hold a swirl.

Easy Variations for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

If you prefer a milder chocolate flavor, swap the bittersweet chocolate for milk chocolate and use natural cocoa instead of Dutch-processed. The cupcakes will be sweeter and lighter in color. For a different nut butter, try almond butter or sunflower seed butter in the frosting, just note the flavor will change. You can also add a handful of chocolate chips to the batter for extra chocolate chunks. To make mini cupcakes, use a mini muffin tin and bake for about 10-12 minutes, using mini peanut butter cups inside. If you’re feeling ambitious, make your own peanut butter cups with melted chocolate and peanut butter for the filling.

How to Serve and Decorate These Reese’s Cupcakes

Top each frosted cupcake with a mini peanut butter cup for an extra hit of peanut butter. A drizzle of melted dark chocolate or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt also works well, the salt cuts through the sweetness. These cupcakes are perfect for Halloween parties, birthday celebrations, or any time you want a chocolate peanut butter dessert. Serve them with a cold glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an over-the-top treat.

How to Store Leftover Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is warm, you can refrigerate them for up to a week, just let them come to room temperature before serving so the frosting softens again. I don’t recommend stacking frosted cupcakes unless you have a container with a tall lid, or you’ll end up with a mess.

Can You Freeze These Cupcakes?

Yes, and it’s best to freeze them unfrosted. Wrap each cooled cupcake tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw them at room temperature (still wrapped) for a couple of hours, then make the frosting fresh and pipe it on. Frosted cupcakes can be frozen too, but the frosting may lose some of its fluffy texture after thawing. If you do freeze frosted cupcakes, place them on a baking sheet in the freezer until the frosting is firm, then wrap individually.

How to Reheat These Cupcakes (If You Want)

These cupcakes are best at room temperature, but if you want a warm, gooey center, microwave a frosted cupcake for 10-15 seconds. The frosting will soften and the peanut butter cup inside will get slightly melty. Don’t overdo it, or the cupcake can dry out. For a larger batch, warm them in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes, but skip the frosting until after reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions About These Cupcakes

Can I use natural peanut butter in the frosting?

Yes, but natural peanut butter tends to separate and can make the frosting grainy or oily. Stir it well before using, and you may need to add a little more powdered sugar to firm it up. For the smoothest, most stable frosting, stick with processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy.

Can I use milk chocolate instead of bittersweet?

Absolutely. The cupcakes will be sweeter and less intensely chocolatey. If you use milk chocolate, you might want to reduce the sugar in the batter slightly, but it’s not necessary. The texture will be the same.

Why did my peanut butter cup sink to the bottom?

The batter might have been too thin, or you didn’t put enough batter on the bottom to support the cup. Make sure the batter is thick (it should be, per the recipe) and that you use a generous spoonful on the bottom before adding the candy. Also, don’t press the cup too hard into the batter.

Can I make these gluten-free?

Yes, substitute a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for the regular flour. The texture may be slightly more delicate, so handle the batter gently. Check that your peanut butter cups are also gluten-free (most Reese’s are, but always verify).

Can I use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt?

Yes, they are interchangeable in this recipe. Both add moisture and tenderness. Use full-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt for the best results.

Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Dark chocolate cupcakes with creamy peanut butter frosting. And there is a fun surprise inside-a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup! Peanut butter lovers will LOVE these cupcakes!

mediumVegetarian

Servings

Dessert

Course

American

Cuisine

715 kcal

Calories

Ingredients

Servings

cupcakes

0.5 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
0.5 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
0.75 cup all-purpose Gold Medal flour
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.75 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs, at room temperature
0.75 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
0.5 tsp salt
0.5 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, I used Chobani Greek yogurt
12 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup cream peanut butter

2.5 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp heavy cream

topping

Mini Peanut Butter Cups, for topping cupcakes, if desired

Instructions

1
1. To make the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
2
2. Place butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30 second spurts on 50% power, stirring in between, until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth. (Alternatively, you could do this step in a double boiler.) Set the mixture aside to cool until it is warm to the touch.
3
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl to combine, then add the sugar, vanilla and salt and continue whisking until fully incorporated. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the bowl and whisk to combine. Sift one-third of the flour mixture into the bowl and whisk gently to combine. Add the Greek yogurt or sour cream and whisk to combine. Finally, sift the the rest of the flour mixture into the bowl and whisk until everything is well combined. The cupcake batter will be thick.

4
4. Place a spoonful of cupcake batter on the bottom of each cupcake liner. Place a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on top of the batter. Cover the peanut butter cups with remaining batter, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
5
5. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the peanut butter buttercream frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and peanut butter until creamy. On low speed, add in powdered sugar. Mix until combined and add the heavy cream. Mix until frosting is fluffy. You can play around with the amounts of powdered sugar and heavy cream to get the exact texture and consistency that you want.
6
6. Frost cooled cupcakes with the peanut butter

Nutrition (per serving)

715kcal

Calorie breakdown

Protein6%42 kcal

Fat47%357 kcal

Carbohydrates47%357 kcal

How this was calculated — 17 of 17 ingredients matched

unsalted butterButter, salted860 kcal

bittersweet chocolateChocolate, dark, 60-69% cacao solids328 kcal

Dutch-processed cocoaCocoa, dry powder, unsweetened274 kcal

all-purpose Gold Medal flourFlour, whole wheat, unenriched666 kcal

baking sodaLeavening agents, baking soda0 kcal

baking powderLeavening agents, baking powder, low-sodium4 kcal

large eggsEgg, whole, raw, fresh3 kcal

granulated sugarSugars, granulated693 kcal

vanilla extractVanilla extract14 kcal

saltSalt, table0 kcal

plain Greek yogurt or sour creamYogurt, Greek, strawberry, nonfat100 kcal

Reese's Peanut Butter CupsCandies, REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups62 kcal

unsalted butterButter, salted1721 kcal

cream peanut butterPeanut butter with omega-3, creamy1459 kcal

powdered sugarSugars, powdered2334 kcal

heavy creamCream, fluid, heavy whipping51 kcal

Mini Peanut Butter CupsButter, salted7 kcal

Serving size ≈ 158 g · 12 servings

Nutrition information is automatically calculated from USDA FoodData Central, so should only be used as an approximation. Actual values may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, and preparation methods used.

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Keyword: Chocolate, cupcakes, dessert, Oven Baked, peanut butter, vegetarian

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