Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me.

Before you read any further, put your scale in the closet. Get out some elastic-waist pants.  And get ready to indulge.  Because my favorite indulgent treat is exactly that — indulgent.  And you can’t enjoy it if you’re thinking about the calories, fat, and amazingness contained within.

Back? Alright then!

Peanut butter is truly my biggest indulgence.  I allow myself a tablespoon a day to satiate my love of it, so naturally, my favorite treat has peanut butter. And chocolate.  Of course.

And when those two things come in cupcake form… well… does it get better?  My birthday is today but I made these Thursday evening to bring in Friday for work.  I know it sounds ridiculous and elementary school class-like to bring in treats on your own birthday, but luckily I share my birthday with my co-worker Dave, so it didn’t look too odd.  Not that anyone even noticed because, well, did I mention they’re chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting? And I even brought milk in for everyone to enjoy them with?  It’s the only way to do it.

So please excuse myself while I go celebrate my 24th year with more chocolate and peanut butter than I normally eat in a 3 month span.  Happy Birthday to me, indeed!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Makes about 22 cupcakes

Ina Garten’s recipe is fantastic and I love love love her addition of sour cream and buttermilk to her cake because it adds so much moisture and balances the sweetness so well.  I’ve made these enough to where I deviate quite a bit from the original recipe and the ingredients below have been adjusted for altitude, but if you want the original version, just click the link.

One of the really important things here is if it says to have the ingredient at room temperature, they really mean it.  I know people get squeamish about the idea of leaving things out for hours, but it’s necessary to get the right textures here.  Don’t worry about the buttermilk and sour cream – it’s, well, sour already. And if you’re really freaked out about leaving eggs out, you can put them in a small bowl and cover with warm water, then let them sit for an hour.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 11 tablespoons (almost 1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup + 1 TBL granulated sugar
• ½ cup + 1 TBL dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
• ½ cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons brewed coffee
• Dash of espresso powder
• 1 TBL water
• Scant 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup good cocoa powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the peanut butter frosting:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup creamy honey roasted peanut butter (I don’t use anything except Peter Pan Honey Roasted, it’s the best tasting!)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 TBL whole milk
• ½ cup honey roasted peanuts, crushed (optional)

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 325° F with rack set in the middle of the oven.

2.) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and two sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well.

3.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, coffee, and water. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until just blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.

4.) Divide the batter among the cupcake pans, filling about 3/4 way up, since they will rise. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 17-20  minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

5.) While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip everything except the milk and peanuts together on medium-low until creamy and combined, scraping the bowl as you go along.  Once well mixed, add the milk and beat on high speed until light and smooth.

6.) Frost the cupcakes and if desired, top with crushed peanuts (I may have, uhm, eaten all of mine on accident before I got to this step).  Enjoy with an enormous glass of milk and birthday presents, if you’re me.

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