These are my new & improved peanut butter cupcakes. I use oil, brown sugar, sour cream, and extra milk to guarantee each cupcake is soft and moist. Very finely chopped peanuts add flavor. They’re tender, flavorful, and EASY, making this updated recipe the indisputable peanut butter cupcake champion!
Recipe disappointment solved.
Back in 2013, I published a different peanut butter cupcake recipe, a dessert I found easy at the time. They were far from perfect. The cupcakes were dense and dried out quickly. Many readers had commented with the same disappointing results. I knew I could do better. The cupcakes (and you!) deserve it. 🙂
And after a few cupcake experiments with many taste testers, I produced flavorful and soft peanut butter cupcakes. These laugh in the face of the old recipe and they’re even more wildly delicious than they look. So moist!!
Recipe Fix: Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Old Peanut Butter Cupcakes Recipe:
- Creamed butter & brown sugar
- Too many eggs weighed them down
- Not enough milk
- Not enough flavor
The original recipe called for creamed butter and sugar. This is how I typically start vanilla cupcakes. But peanut butter is a special ingredient. Though it’s technically “wet,” it’s heavy, dense, and actually pretty drying. Peanut butter baked goods need extra insurance to remain moist. I replaced the butter with oil and added sour cream and extra milk. Because the cupcakes are peanut butter flavored, we won’t miss the butter.
As we taste-tested, my friend Gabe recommended very finely chopped peanuts to amp up the peanut flavor. This addition worked miracles! If you chop the peanuts fine enough, they won’t be crunchy or anything. Rather, they’ll melt right into the cupcake itself.
As soon as they finished baking, I knew the new peanut butter cupcakes would be a huge success! They smell AWESOME. Here’s a list of everything I did differently.
New Peanut Butter Cupcakes Recipe:
- Oil instead of butter
- Keep the brown sugar for moisture & flavor
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 egg
- Sour cream for moisture
- Add more milk for moisture
- Finely chopped peanuts for flavor
And for even more flavor, I snuck some peanut butter into the chocolate frosting too!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
The chocolate peanut butter frosting is simple. Start with butter, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and milk or cream. Remember: proper room temperature butter! Beat it together, then add vanilla extract, a giant spoonful of creamy peanut butter, and a pinch of salt. Just when you thought chocolate buttercream couldn’t get any better…. now it literally tastes like a peanut butter cup.
- Piping tip: I used the giant Ateco 849 piping tip for the frosting and you can watch me decorate the cupcakes in the video tutorial above. This is a VERY easy swirled frosting technique. Any large open or closed star piping tip will give you a similar swirl look. Though it’s a little smaller, I also love Wilton 1M.
If you’re looking for a little something different, top with my strawberry buttercream frosting for a PB&J flavor combination! And if you can’t get enough of peanut butter with chocolate, try these peanut butter chocolate swirl cookies next.
More Beloved Cupcake Recipes
Fun fact: did you know that my cupcake recipes work great as 6-inch cakes, too?
Try my chocolate peanut butter cake next!
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Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 14 cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These are my new & improved peanut butter cupcakes. I use oil, brown sugar, sour cream, and extra milk to guarantee each cupcake is soft and moist. Finely chopped peanuts add flavor. They’re tender, flavorful, and EASY, making this updated recipe the indisputable peanut butter cupcake champion!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil*
- 1/2 cup (125g) creamy peanut butter*
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- 1/3 cup (40g) very finely crushed or chopped peanuts*
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1/3 (80g) cup creamy peanut butter*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- optional for garnish: mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2-3 liners because this recipe yields 14-15 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Make the cupcakes: Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld mixer, stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, or a whisk, mix the oil, peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients, milk, and peanuts and whisk or beat together until completely combined. Avoid overmixing. Batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only 2/3 full to avoid baking over the sides. Bake for 21-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently touched. For around 35 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and milk. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then add the peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until combined. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another 1-2 Tablespoons of cream/milk if frosting is too thick. Taste. Add extra peanut butter or a pinch of salt if desired.
- Frost cooled cupcakes. I piped a basic tall swirl using Ateco 849 piping tip. You can watch me decorate the cupcakes in the video in the blog post. Garnish with peanut butter cup, if desired.
- Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead / Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-cup Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco #849 Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- Oil: Melted coconut oil works too. Melted butter won’t add the same level of moisture needed for this recipe.
- Peanut Butter: For best texture in the cupcakes and frosting, I strongly suggest a processed creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy creamy. I do not recommend oily or natural style peanut butter for this recipe.
- Milk: For best tasting cupcakes, I highly recommend whole milk or even buttermilk. 2% milk can be used as well. Nondairy milks work too.
- Peanuts: For exceptional peanut flavor, finely chopped peanuts are highly recommend. Chop them up very fine as shown in the video and photo above. The finer you chop them, the more they will blend into the baked cupcakes. You can’t taste the chunks, just the flavor. For a delicious salty/sweet flavor, use salted peanuts or, if you prefer, choose unsalted peanuts. I love salted peanuts for this recipe!
- Why is Everything at Room Temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Cake: Feel free to use this batter as a cake. As written, you’ll have enough batter for an 11×7 inch cake. Perhaps even enough for a small 2 layer cake. Feel free to make the batter twice (for best results, do not double—make twice) and use it for a larger cake or layer cake.
I have just made this recipe for a quilting class. My only disappointment was that I couldn’t do it justice with a lovely professional looking swirl. I butter knifed it and I will add peanut bits to the top of them.
Hi Sally I was going to test this cupcake recipe out as a three layer 6 inch cake. Was just wondering If I need to double the recipe or change any of the measurements/ baking time. Love your recipes and can’t wait to try this out
Hi Niamh, This should be just about the right amount of batter for a three layer 6 inch cake. You can reference our post on 6 inch cakes for details!
I’m planning to make these delicious cupcakes for my two-year-old. How much sugar do you think I can reduce while still keeping them tasty?
Hi Gloria, you can certainly try reducing the sugar, but keep in mind that it plays an important role in the overall taste, texture, and structure of the cupcake. We’d recommend starting small and then adjusting further as needed for future batches. Or, you could use something like peanut butter banana muffins as a slightly healthier option instead. Hope this helps!
can you use plain green yoghurt instead of sour cream
Hi Rita, you can definitely use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, but I would steer clear of green yogurt! 😉
Hi was going to test this recipe out as a 3 layer 6 inch cake. Would this recipe fill these pans or should I double it. Love you’re recipes
Hi , I am new to baking and love your website . Can I half this recipe and make 6? Thank you
Sure can, Lee. Enjoy!
As always your recipes rock. So does this recipe make 35 mini cupcakes?
Yes! See step 4 for mini cupcake details.
very yummy and peanut buttery. I used melted butter, oat milk and natural style peanut butter (did not have canola oil or whole milk, only had Kirkland natural peanut butter) and it still worked well. was soft with a moist crumb.
I made these for my coworkers, aka my Test Kitchen!
Everyone loved them! Said they were the best cupcakes they’ve had. Someone even said they’d pay $5 for them.
Amazing cupcakes for anyone who likes Reese’s. I added a quarter of a regular sized cups in the center like the molten cookie dough cupcakes (that have gotten more compliments than anything I’ve ever made in my life). So good. My kids wanted to eat the frosting plain. Legit peanut butter taste. I wasn’t confident in my peanut chopping skills so I used a mini food processor and it worked great. I sprinkled a little extra on top. You are turning me into a pretty darn good baker. Thank you!!!! Sincerely
Um…I don’t even have words! Wait, yes I do…deeeeelicious! Moist and soft and peanutty! Love them!
These were awesome! I don’t have food processor, so I used a knife to chop the peanuts, definitely would like to make this again using food processor. The peanuts are definitely necessary to take the peanut butter flavor over the top. The cakes were more moist than I was expecting, since peanut butter is so drying. I topped these with sally’s marshmallow meringue, and used a kitchen torch on the meringue. OMG the combo was AWESOME and a hit with my guests!
These cupcakes are amazing! Very easy to make and super moist and flavorful. The frosting is fantastic too. Tried two different sizes, regular took 22 minutes, large took 27 minutes to bake. Topped with mini pb cup.
I am just starting to try cupcake baking after seeing all of your recipes… everything looks so amazing! This is an absolute favorite!
I really prefer using olive oil in my baking, may I swap that out instead of vegetable or canola?
Hi Sarah, olive oil will work, though the flavor will change quite a bit. Melted coconut oil would be preferable.
Just wondering if I could use cake flour in place of AP in this recipe?
Hi Riley, I’m sure it would be fine but the cupcakes may be a little *too* light. Let me know if you try it.
I plan to double this recipe and make a 3 layered cake… how long should I bake this for? Going to use a 9 inch round pan. Thank you!!
Hi Ashley, we’re unsure of the exact bake time, but we anticipate the layers would take about 23-26 minutes. You can use a toothpick to test for doneness—check early to ensure they don’t overbake. Enjoy!
These cupcakes are awesome! I frost them with with peanut butter frosting to make Snickers and PB&J variations and they are always a huge hit. I love your recipes!! Thank you so much for sharing them with us.