Monkey Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Many of you mentioned a few weeks ago that you would like my recipe for TJ’s birthday cupcakes, so better late than never here you go!

The monkey face cupcakes are peanut butter flavored cupcakes with a chocolate glaze. I found the recipe from Iheartcupcakes.com. Here is the recipe from their site:

Peanut Butter w/ Chocolate Glaze Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For cupcakes
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

For chocolate glaze
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Mix in egg. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until batter smooth.

On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.

Fill each liner with a generous 1/4 cup of batter, to about 1/3 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. There will be cracks on the top. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on wire rack.

To make chocolate glaze
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and butter over low heat until the cream is hot and the butter has melted. The mixture should form tiny bubbles and measure about 175F on a thermometer; do not let it boil.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the milk chocolate and let it sit in the hot cream for 30 secs to soften. Add the vanilla and whisk the glaze until it is smooth and all the chocolate has melted. (Return the glaze to low heat if necessary to melt the chocolate completely, whisking constantly.) The glaze should be thick enough to hold its shape when spread over the cupcakes. If it is too liquid to spread, let it sit at room temp for 5-15 minutes, depending on the temp of your kitchen.

Using a small spatula, spread 1 tbsp of glaze over the top of each cupcake.

The cupcakes can be covered and stored at room temp for up to 3 days.

The night before  I made the cupcakes, I made the candy monkey face decorations to place on top of the glaze.  I adapted the monkey faces from a Wilton recipe that you can find here.

I used Wilton Candy Melts in a light tan Peanut Butter flavor for the main part of the face, and dark cocoa Candy Melts for the ears.  Instead of using Candy Melts for the eyes, mouth and nose, I used Wilton icing in the small tubes (I found this much easier than trying to tint the Candy Melts. I am a true beginning baker and decorator when it comes to birthday cakes so I found this much easier for my first time).

Here is the result…. TJ’s birthday cupcake tower (Wilton has a great cupcake stand).  If you are interested in the banana cupcakes that  I also made for his birthday, check back next week.