Nutella & Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

So, at some point yesterday afternoon, I got the inspiration to bake.  I'm not sure why, considering when it comes to baking my cakes for decorating, it's really a task I never look forward to.  I'd much rather spend my hours bent over the cake adding color and detail.  But, alas, I was in the mood to bake.  My coworkers will tell you that it was because of the new employee at work.  She bakes.  My coworkers will tell you that since I've been so used to being the one who bakes all the time, and that her cookies just happen to shine over mine 100%, that I felt the need to step it up and bake.  Perhaps I have.  But really.. I was just browsing Pinterest and got inspired.  It was also a Wednesday night and I didn't have to take the girls anywhere after work.  It was also a way to procrastinate cleaning up the tornado of toys in my house.  Besides, I'm glad there's someone else at work now who bakes.  It's a relief really.  That was a lot of pressure.  <smiley face>  And now there's none.  Though they seem to think that putting us against one another is a good thing.  Little do they know, we're starting to collaborate.

So, of course, when I'm in the MOOD to bake, I can't just whip out any old box mix and store bought icing and toss things in a bowl.  No.  That just simply won't do.  I have to go out, over the top, and push limits.

Like I said, I was browsing Pinterest.  There are thousands and thousands of links to all manner of food from the internet on here.  And I tend to pin those that interest me, not for the exact recipe, but for the thought of "what can I do better" with that recipe.  And last night I landed on a cupcake.  I had pinned this some time ago, and it's certainly over the top.  So indeed, I took it to the next level.  And... since I have a lot of coworkers, I doubled the recipe.  This will make just under 4 dozen cupcakes.  Here's how I played.

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
12 T unsalted butter, soft room temp
1 cup Nutella
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
2 bags (12oz each) semi-sweet chocolate chips (set 1/2 bag aside)

Pre-heat your oven to 350degrees

1. Combine milk and vanilla in a bowl, set aside
2. Combine flour, powder, salt in a bowl, set aside
3. In your mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy
4. Add the eggs and blend until smooth
5. Mix in the Nutella and Peanut butter
6. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and blend until combined
7. Add 1/2 of the milk and blend until combined
8. Add remaining flour, blend, add remaining milk, blend
9. Remove bowl from mixer and add 1.5 bags of of the chocolate chips and fold in by hand with a spatula

Scoop batter into lined cupcake tins until about 2/3 full
Bake for 20-22 minutes.
You will notice the cupcakes will get nice and puffy, but towards the 20 minute mark they will deflate and start to darken.  At this point they are just about done.  Toothpick the center and make sure it comes out clean (melted chocolate residue does not count)
Remove from the oven and let cool.

Now, it's time for frosting!
The recipe from the original pin was pretty weak and tasted like too much butter, so being a cake decorator I bumped up how much sugar was used in this recipe and not only naturally doubled it, but also made it taste less like butter and more like frosting.  And again, this is doubled from the original I found.
12 ouces unsalted butter, room temp (this is about 2 sticks of butter)
4 cups confectioner sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter (this I did NOT double, 'cause simply these things were getting far too sweet)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk

1. Beat the butter and peanut butter in a bowl.  Use your whisk beater so the butter can get whipped and not be clumpy, no one wants to get a lump of butter in their mouth when eating frosting.
2. Add the vanilla to your cup of milk
3. Add the salt into your sugar
4. Add 1 cup of sugar and beat on low until incorporated
5. Add a splash of milk and beat on high
6. Return mixer to low and add more sugar
7. Alternate sugar/milk until it's all incorporated
8. Beat on high to get a nice fluffy frosting.
9. If you want it thicker, add more sugar.

You can frost these with a knife, but I prefer a piping bag, make a nice circle, bring it in the middle and pull up to create a nice little "nipple" of frosting.

Now, decorate it.  Remember that remaining 1/2 bag of chocolate chips?  Put those in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each until they have melted.
Using the same spoon you are stirring with, simply draw it through the chocolate and drizzle over the cupcakes in your desired pattern.

Serve with Milk.  You will need it.

Now... want to kick it up a notch?  Fellow baking coworker and I thought these would be AMAZING with some crispy fresh bacon bits on top.  Salty and sweet.  Oh yes.  Maybe next time.