Going nuts over Peanuts: Peanut butter-maple cupcakes and chocolate-peanut cookies

In one of my very first blog posts ever (God, that seems such a long time ago!), I wrote about my obsession with peanut butter. (check out the post here) Well, dear readers, I have a confession to make: over the time that has passed, my obsession for this jar of ultimate comfort food has grown even more. (I had no idea that was even remotely possible!)

I simply can’t stop using it in desserts, cakes or curries. It adds richness, is packed full of flavour and it has that very famous “je ne sais quoi”-quality to it. Even if your pantry cupboard is completely empty, you can still bake the most amazingly delicious cakes if you keep a jar of peanut butter hidden under your bed (Who doesn’t , right? ) And you know what? Desserts with peanut butter are dead easy! So what better way to beat a bad mood than to conjure up some delicious peanutty goodness!

For those among you who are in a bad mood: stop whining! Start baking!

Peanut butter-maple cupcakes (makes 12-16)

Ingredients:

For the sponge:
• 70gr butter
• 210gr plain flour
• 250gr caster sugar
• 1tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 210ml whole milk
• 2 eggs
• 40gr peanut butter

For the frosting:
• 100gr cream cheese
• 30gr peanut butter
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 100gr unsalted peanuts, caramelized in a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and line the muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Mix the butter, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together until you get a crumb-like consistency.
3. In a jug, mix together the milk and eggs and slowly pour it in the crumb mixture. Mix until the batter is smooth and combined.
4. Add the peanut butter and mix through.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared paper cases and bake for 20 minutes.
6. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Mix together the cream cheese, maple syrup and peanut butter and spoon generous amounts of the frosting on top of each cupcake.

7. Top each cupcake with a sprinkling of the chopped caramelized nuts.

Chocolate-peanut cookies

Ingredients:

• 170gr plain flour
• 40gr cocoa powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt
• 115gr unsalted butter
• 120gr peanut butter
• 120gr caster sugar, plus 40gr extra for rolling
• 90gr muscovado sugar
• 1 egg

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and line baking trays with baking parchment.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
3. Cream the butter, peanut butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until a dough has formed.
5. Put the extra caster sugar in a small bowl. Roll the dough into balls (4-5cm) and roll each ball in the caster sugar to give it a sexy and sugary coating.Place on the baking trays about 4 cm apart.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they have a crusty surface and have cracked.

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