Actual conversation I had with my four-year-old a few weeks ago:

J: Mom, I like cupcakes, but I don’t like icing.
Me: So you like muffins?
J: Yeah! I like muffins!

She had me rolling with laughter! But it also got me thinking about what else I could top cupcakes with – and these cupcakes were born out of that experiment.

These rich chocolate cupcakes are topped off with a layer of marshmallow and then covered with a crunchy, chocolate-peanut butter topping. You won’t miss the icing with these candy-topped treats!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Directions
• Enter to win a KitchenAid mixer
• More great chocolate recipes
• Recipe

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup hot coffee

For marshmallow layer:

• 12 regular-sized marshmallows

For the chocolate topping:

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 6 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup crisped rice cereal

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liners. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Whisk in the oil and milk until combined. Add the egg and stir to combine. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Add the coffee and stir until evenly combined – it will be quite thin.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling each well 2/3 of the way.
• Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a knife inserted  comes out clean. 
• Place one marshmallow on top of each cupcake and return to the oven for a minute or two until the marshmallows start to puff. Remove from the oven and smush the marshmallows down with a spoon.
• Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• When the cupcakes are cool, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a double boiler. When thoroughly combined, stir in the crisped rice cereal. Remove from the heat and let cool for about five minutes until the chocolate is less runny.
• Spoon the slightly cooled chocolate mixture evenly over the cupcakes and let cool completely before serving.

Getting the marshmallows to stay on top of the cupcakes can be a little tricky! If you’re having trouble, you can use a knife to cut the top of the cupcake a little to make a flat surface.

Be patient with the chocolate, too – if you spoon it over too early, it will just run off!

Enter to Win

We’re so excited to be giving away a KitchenAid mixer to one lucky #Choctoberfest reader! Be sure to enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday #Choctoberfest Recipes

I love seeing what everyone makes for #Choctoberfest! Here are today’s goodies:

Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cupcakes

Yield: 12 Cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Print

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup hot coffee

For marshmallow layer:

• 12 regular-sized marshmallows

For the chocolate topping:

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 6 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup crisped rice cereal

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Whisk in the oil and milk until combined. Add the egg and stir to combine. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Add the coffee and stir until evenly combined – it will be quite thin.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling each well 2/3 of the way.
4. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a knife inserted  comes out clean. 
5. Place one marshmallow on top of each cupcake and return to the oven for a minute or two until the marshmallows start to puff. Remove from the oven and smush the marshmallows down with a spoon.
6. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
7. When the cupcakes are cool, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a double boiler. When thoroughly combined, stir in the crisped rice cereal. Remove from the heat and let cool for about five minutes until the chocolate is less runny.
8. Spoon the slightly cooled chocolate mixture evenly over the cupcakes and let cool completely before serving.