Reese's Pieces cupcakes!

I love peanut butter, so by extension, I also love Reese's Pieces - both for eating and for baking! They are probably one of the most versatile candies to use in baking - they go well in cookies, with Nutella or with chocolate chips. I've made them in brownies as well (although I didn't get a chance to blog that creation).

For today's recipe, I figured why not try them in cupcakes? I wanted something like funfetti cupcakes, but instead of sprinkles, to have peanut butter Reese's Pieces awesome-ness instead.

Yes, I cheated today and used a box mix for the cupcakes (there was a box of it sitting on my shelf taking up space that needed to be used), but the recipe I used deviates from the normal instructions on the back to make them taste a little more "from scratch." Instead of oil, I used melted butter to make it more rich and I also added peanut butter into the batter for additional flavor (and more peanut butter is never a bad thing).

To make the cupcakes come out prettier, I only added half the Reese's Pieces in the batter before baking. Halfway through, I pulled the cupcakes out and added the remaining candies on top of the half-baked cupcakes. This way, they sink a little, but are still at the top, giving a more even distribution of Reese's Pieces.

Pre-frosting! 

As for the frosting, it was just a normal chocolate frosting, but I discovered a new trick to transferring frosting into piping bags! Simply place your piping bag into a tall glass and let the edges fold over. This way, you get the frosting into the base of the bag more easily without making a huge mess at the top of the bag! Thought I'd spread the advice. :)

Honestly, when you bake with Reese's Pieces, it's pretty much a given that your dessert will be tasty (barring any oven mishaps). These were certainly the case. Enjoy! :)

Reese's Pieces Cupcakes - makes 2 dozen
(Adapted from For the Love of Dessert)

Cupcakes:

• 3 eggs
• ½ cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup water 
• 1 box of white cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp (81 g) peanut butter 
• 1 cup of Reese's Pieces 

Frosting:

• ¼ cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 ¾ (175 g) cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup (29 g) cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp almond milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Melt butter (in microwave or stovetop). Mix melted butter with eggs and water in stand mixer on medium speed combine combined. 
3. Sift in cake mix and continue to mix on medium speed until smooth. 
4. Mix in peanut butter. Batter should be thick with no lumps. 
5. Stir in Reese's Pieces by hand. 
6. Line cupcake tins and pour about 3 Tbsp in each tin. 
7. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until the tops start to brown slightly. 
8. In the meantime, make the frosting! Cream butter and powdered sugar together on high speed until it is thick and smooth (not crumbly). Add 2 Tbsp of the milk to thin it out a little. 
9. Add the cocoa in and keep mixing on high speed until combined. Add 1 more Tbsp of milk to even out the consistency. 
10. Let cupcakes cool and then decorate with frosting and leftover Reese's Pieces!