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Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Frosting

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If you love Reese’s, then this Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Frosting is for you. It’s a chocolate frosting stuffed with crushed peanut butter cups. 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Frosting. A chocolate frosting stuffed with crushed peanut butter cups.

So many cupcakes, so little time. Seriously though, where are all my cupcake fanatics? You’re my people. I must know, do you take off the bottom of the cupcake and place it on top of the frosting? Therefore, it’s more like a cupcake sandwich? I’m asking for a friend.

Let’s talk frosting here for a minute. Last week, I made this ridiculously amazing Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Frosting. When I am really craving chocolate, there is nothing better than a peanut butter cup. I don’t know if I could pick my favorite part, between the salty peanut butter filling and the melt-in-your-mouth chocolate coating.

This Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Frosting is a chocolate frosting with crushed Reese's mini peanut butter cups. True Peanut Butter Cup fans will LOVE this frosting.

This is a chocolate frosting with crushed Reese’s mini peanut butter cups. You know what makes this frosting so good? The texture of this frosting is a little griddy, just like the center of the peanut butter cups.

The key to make a good frosting is beating the butter long enough to whip some air into it. Don’t be afraid to whip it until it turns lighter in color before adding your dry ingredients.

I always add the powdered sugar slowly, one cup at a time to make sure it is well incorporated, and then I usually beat it again for a couple minutes once all of my ingredients have been added. If you find that your frosting is too sweet, try adding a little bit of milk or heavy cream.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Frosting. A chocolate frosting stuffed with crushed peanut butter cups.

I am a total frosting fan, but it wasn’t always that way. I used to take the frosting off of all my cakes when I was younger. Well now that I know how to make a good frosting, it’s what I look forward to. Sometimes the frosting is better than the cupcake!

If you prefer a more plain frosting, then my trusted perfect vanilla frosting is probably for you. But if you’re a bit more adventurous, I have made Oatmeal Cream Pie Frosting and Rice Krispie Treat Frosting, just to name a few.

So grab your favorite chocolate cupcake and let’s make a batch of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Frosting.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Frosting. A chocolate frosting stuffed with crushed peanut butter cups.

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Reese’s Peanut Butter Frosting

  • Author: Julianne Dell
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 5 Cups

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1 1/2 cups mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, crushed

Instructions

  1. Allow the butter to come to room temperature or slightly firmer. For quick results, you can microwave the butter for 10-12 seconds.
  2. Beat the butter on medium speed until the butter is lighter in color and fluffy, scraping down the bowl occasionally.
  3. Sift the cocoa powder through a fine sieve. Slowly add the cocoa powder and beat it into the butter.
  4. Add the vanilla extract and continuing beating until it’s incorporated.
  5. Next, add the powered sugar one cup at a time, beating on medium-low speed until incorporated.
  6. As the frosting starts to thicken, add the heavy whipping cream and increase the mixing speed to medium-high. Continuing beating for 2-3 minutes; this will help the frosting to be smoother and creamier.
  7. Use a food processor to grind the mini peanut butter cups into small pieces. Finally, add the crust peanut butter cups to frosting and mix to incorporate. Use a large ice cream scoop to place the frosting on top of the cupcake.

You might also like:

Peanut Butter Cup Poke Cake

This rich chocolate poke cake is loaded with Reese’s, smothered in chocolate pudding and topped with peanut butter whipped cream and drizzled with peanut butter and chocolate. This cake is for serious peanut butter lovers!

Ultimate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Ultimate Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake | beyondfrosting.com

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cake

You’ll absolutely want a giant slice of this Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cake . This is a homemade chocolate cake layered with a no-churn peanut butter ice cream and it’s covered with chocolate ganache and peanut butter cups. This cake is a peanut butter lover’s dream. This recipe is from the book Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes.

Do you love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? Check out what my favorite below.

Peanut Butter cup Brownie Batter Dip by Something Swanky

Reese’s Fudge by Crazy for Crust

Reese’s Fluffernutter Ice Cream  by Inside Brucrew Life

Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Fluffernutter Cookies by Averie Cooks

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and Cream Salted Caramel Popcord Bars by Half Baked Harvest

Reese’s Explosion Banana Bread

Leave a Comment

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50 Responses
  1. Stephanie

    I’m excited to try this frosting! I have tried so many cupcake recipes and yours turn out perfect every time!

  2. Constance Contreras

    I am 78 and still enjoy baking; however, I have resorted to going for recipes that use cake mixes and canned frostings. I have a Mr. Food recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Cake (using devil’s food cake mix, instant chocolate pudding and Reese’s peanut butter cups), but they drizzle their cake with what looks like it may be made with peanut butter. I don’t ‘do’ drizzles, because the men in my family prefer a bundt cake slathered with frosting that covers the whole cake. So, I’m hoping you can help me out and tell me whether I can use a canned frosting to make a frosting for my peanut butter cup cake, and what flavor it should be and what I should add to it.
    Hope I’m not asking for too much. If you ignore me I think I’ll just go with a chocolate frosting to which I would add finely crushed peanut butter cups that my Ninja would handle very well. Do hope that I will hear from you.

    Thank you.

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Hi Constance, I hope you’ll receive this message. I agree and was going to suggest to used a canned chocolate frosting with chopped peanut butter cups. It might also be good to buy some Jif Whipped Peanut butter you can swirl into your frosting if you want a stronger Peanut butter flavor. But the easiest thing to do is to chop them up and throw them in the frosting.

  3. Mollie

    Hi! I just wanted to say that your icing recipe is incredible! I’ve used it several times as a filling for French macarons, and everyone just raves about the flavor/texture combination. Thank you 🙂

  4. sue griffore

    frosting looks great! a little confusion … recipe says slowly add cocoa butter and beat into butter? Just want this to be as delicious as yours looks! thanks for helping….sue

  5. Khanya Mills

    HI! These look absolutely devine, and i can’t wait to try it out, but the country i love in doesn’t have reeses 🙁 do you think i could substitute crushed chocolate and peanut butter? can you recommend proportions? (i am willing to experiment).

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Hi Khanya, I am sorry to hear that! I think you could substitute any type of chocolate peanut butter candy bar if you have an alternative.

  6. Dana

    Going to use this on a cake for this weekend! Thanks so much! How do you make the chocolate drizzle that’s on the cupcakes?

  7. Erin {Delightful E Made}

    Stopping by from Marvelous Monday and HAD to come check out that amazing frosting! Wowwie!! Have pinned!

  8. Shellee

    Love the scoop of frosting on these cupcakes. What technique do you use to scoop the frosting onto the cupcake? Does the frosting stay on the cupcake, or is it not “travel-friendly”?
    Thanks!

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      I just used a cookie scoop. You do have to really pack it down, because the frosting s thick, so sometimes it’s top heavy. If traveling, I would recommend a good carrier.

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Hi Beverley! I drizzled a little hot fudge sauce on it. But a chocolate ganache is very easy to make as well.

  9. Jessica S. @ Floptimism

    Oh wow, that frosting looks like a giant, dreamy cloud of chocolate-peanut butter perfection. I’m a huge sucker for all things chocolate-peanut butter! I wanted to let you know that I featured this post on my blog’s Weekend Wrap-Up today. Thank you for your wonderful recipe, and I hope you have a nice weekend!

    Here’s a link to the wrap-up in case you’re interested (feel free to stop by and grab a badge, if you like):
    http://www.floptimism.com/2013/10/weekend-wrap-up-outward-love.html

  10. Jocelyn @BruCrew Life

    I’m not sure I would have any of this frosting left after I attacked it with a spoon! Holy yum!!! My hubby and son are watching the Walking Dead…I won’t let them know it is a bummer of an ending to season 3.

  11. Lindsay @ Life, Love and Sugar

    You make some awesome icings! This one is no exception – yum! Love me some reeses.

    And The Walking Dead – my husband and I got SO hooked this summer. We also watched 3-4 episodes a night, stayed up way too late and watched all 3 seasons in 2 weeks! OBSESSED! The whole last half of season 3 irritated the crap out of me – NOT a fan of the governor plot! I can’t wait for it to start though! 🙂

  12. Jackie @theseasidebaker

    I love how you scooped the icing on these cupcakes. I love PB and would probably just lick it out of the bowl 🙂

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Thanks Trish! You totally good. If you don’t have a spoon around, fingers are totally acceptable!

  13. Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Lifde

    You know how to do frosting! Love how you scooped it on there … I would love to face plant in that fluffy, fudgy, REESES frosting. Mmmm!

  14. Natasha @ The Cake Merchant

    I don’t think I would need cupcakes with this frosting. I love Reese’s, and I would eat it with a spoon!

  15. Amy | Club Narwhal

    That wonderful mound of frosting is out of control in all the best ways! I am a Reese’s addict and must try this out for myself 🙂 Looks fabulous!

  16. Nancy @ gottagetbaked

    There is nothing I don’t love about this frosting. Favourite part is how huge those scoops of frosting are on top of the cupcakes! I love the way your mind works!

  17. D D Dell

    Nothing like some awesome frosting to take your mind off a disappointing Walking Dead ending! Man these look so amazingly delish!

      1. Andi

        Love this! I’m making it this weekend for my daughters 22nd birthday. How long in advance can I prepare it?

      2. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
        Beyond Frosting

        Hi Andi, for the best results, I would make within 3 days. If you need to make it earlier, I would make the cheesecake based with the crust and filling, then freeze it. Then I would add the drizzle of peanut butter, chocolate and chopped Reese’s the day you are serving it. Allow a couple hours to thaw. Good luck and I hope you like it! It’s very rich and full of peanut buttery goodness!

  18. Beth @ bethcakes

    First – I love this frosting! Reese’s are totally my favorite and I love that you made the frosting have the texture of the peanut butter in them. I could probably eat it straight out of the bowl with a spoon! But it looks gorgeous on those cupcakes as well. 🙂

    Second – I’m a big fan of The Walking Dead, and I was disappointed too. I think most people were! The finale just wasn’t as big as they made it sound like it was going to be. I’m excited to see what season 4 is going to be like, though!

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