Halloween: Jack O'Lantern Cupcakes

I recently bought some Halloween-themed peanut butter cups (with Jack O’Lantern faces) and today I fused them with cupcakes. Following the flavors of chocolate and peanut butter, I decided to use a peanut butter cake recipe and chocolate frosting. I could have done them the other way round (chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting), but I’m not too fond of chocolate cupcakes so this seemed like the best option. I really love the combination of the savory cake with the sweet chocolate. Plus they look so adorable! Rating: 4 out of 5.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes recipe: Martha Stewart - Living

Ingredients: Makes 18, I halved the recipe and got exactly 12
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt) in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients (sour cream & vanilla) and ending with dry. Reduce speed to low and add the peanut butter. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
- Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Frosting recipe: my own

Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 3 ounces chocolate, semisweet or milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons milk, room temperature

Instructions:
- Above a double boiler, melt the chocolate.
- Put the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, and mix to combine. Add the melted chocolate and mix again. Use immediately.


Peanut Butter cupcakes, pre-oven.

Post-oven. I love the light brown color of the cupcakes, against the orange Halloween wrappers.

Halloween-themed peanut butter cups.

I used the orange and chocolate as inspiration to decorate the cuppies with.

So they came out looking like this:

So much orange & brown, it almost hurts your eyes.

I'll have you as my first!