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Take 5 Cupcakes

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These Take 5 Cupcake are a chocolate cupcake with a crunchy peanut butter filling topped with chocolate frosting, caramel and chocolate covered pretzels.

a take 5 cupcake in a yellow wrapper on a white cupcake stand


 

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I shared a cupcake recipe! I mean seriously, Mid-December was the last one. Well this Take 5 Cupcake will make up for lost time.

I have been thinking about this cupcake recipe for quite some time. Take 5 bars are my FAVORITE candy bar. Peanut butter, chocolate, caramel and pretzels- that’s what’s up. These Take 5 Cupcake are a chocolate cupcake with a crunchy peanut butter filling topped with chocolate frosting, caramel and chocolate covered pretzels.

two take 5 cupcakes stacked with a chocolate covered pretzel and frosting on top

At one point, I was going to crush the pretzels into the cupcake, but I wanted to keep the moisture in the cupcakes. I haven’t had great experience with crushed pretzels because they are so dry.

overhead of a chocolate cupcake topped with frosting and a chocolate covered pretzel

I was thinking about a caramel frosting, but I didn’t want it to be too sweet. I ended up with a chocolate frosting that using Hershey’s chocolate spread. Have you seen this in the stores? It’s kind of like Nutella in that it’s a smooth creamy chocolate spread, just without the hazelnut flavor (although they do make one of those). I absolutely love it. You can usually find it in the peanut butter section of the grocery store.

When I finally decided on a peanut butter filling, I just also happened to have some peanuts at home and thought that adding a little crunch to the middle might be good. You could easily omit the peanuts and just fill it with the peanut butter ganache.

a take 5 cupcake in a wrapper with a bite taken out

Lastly, the caramel on these cupcakes make them pretty gooey. Sometimes, if I am traveling with cupcakes, I will put a little caramel in a hole that I dig out of the top of the cupcake and fill it with caramel, then put the frosting on top.

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closeup of a take 5 cupcake topped with a chocolate covered pretzel in a yellow cupcake wrapper

Take 5 Cupcakes

  • Author: Julianne Dell
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 16 minutes
  • Total Time: 46 minutes
  • Yield: 6 Cups of frosting

Description

These Take 5 Cupcake are a chocolate cupcake with a crunchy peanut butter filling topped with chocolate frosting, caramel and chocolate covered pretzels.

Ingredients

For the Ganache

  • 1 cup Peanut butter chips
  • 4 tablespoons Heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped Peanuts (optional)

For the Frosting

  • 1 1/2 C (3 sticks) Unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 1/2 C Hershey’s chocolate spread
  • 6 C Powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp Heavy whipping cream
  • Caramel for drizzling
  • 24 Chocolate covered pretzels

Instructions

  1. Bake a batch of chocolate cupcakes and allow to cool completely.
  2. Core out the center of your cupcakes about halfway deep.

For the ganache

  1. Combine peanut butter chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 60 seconds. Remove from microwave and whisk until smooth. If there are still chunks left after whisking, microwave for another 15-20 seconds.
  2. Take peanuts and gently plush in a food processor to break up into smaller pieces. Empty crushed peanuts into ganache and stir to combine.
  3. Spoon peanut butter ganache into the hollow center of the cupcake.

For the frosting

  1. Allow butter to come to room temperature. Whisk butter on medium high speed until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).
  2. Add Hersey’s chocolate spread and beat until combined.
  3. Turn mixer speed down to slow. Slowly add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. After adding 3 cups of powdered sugar, the frosting will start to become very thick. Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.
  4. Add remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. After the last cup, add remaining 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
  5. Once all ingredients are combined, increase mixing speed to medium high and beat frosting for 1-2 minutes to whip some air into it.
  6. Once you reach the desired consistency, frost peanut-butter filled cupcakes. Drizzle with caramel before serving. Add chocolate covered pretzels as a garnish.

Notes

This recipe makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes. If a thicker frosting, either ardmore powdered sugar or eliminate one tablespoon of heavy cream. For a thinner frosting, add additional heavy cream.

  • Category: Cupcakes
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

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37 Responses
  1. Jen and Emily @ Layers of Happiness

    Oh yum! I haven’t had a Take 5 candy bar in years! And that’s partly due to my obsession with homemade cupcakes that has taken center stage…. now I can have both at the same time! Awesome recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  2. Jocelyn@Brucrewlife

    I will send you the rest of my winter!!! 😉 I’m completely over it! I’m not over these cupcakes though! Wow, they look divine!! Pinned!!

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Oh gosh, I can only imagine. I feel guilty complaining about our warm weather, but in all reality I certainly wouldn’t want to be a part of the polar vortex either! How about we trade desserts instead? 🙂

  3. Kathi @ Deliciously Yum!

    Oh my goodness. Take 5 is my favorite candy bar – needless to say, these cupcakes have my name written all over it!

  4. Gloria // Simply Gloria

    This winter has been really weird. We’re in flip flops this week… and then it’s going to dump a load of snow this weekend. The joys of Utah weather. I’m glad there was a great amount of snow for you while you guys were up here.
    Loving these Take 5 yummies, by the way! Every time I see frosting, I think of you! 🙂

  5. Mariana @The Candid Kitchen

    No Hershey’s spread here over the pond but the Nutella substitution for the frosting sounds yummy too 🙂

  6. Heather @ French Press

    I have to admit, I am LOVING the nice weather, but we SO need the rain, and I have never had a take 5 candy bar – oops, looks like I was missing out

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      I can imagine! I am probably the minority complaining about not having snow! haha. But we finally are getting some rain this weekend!

  7. Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet

    I have never had a take five but these look amazing!! My favorite cupcake is mocha raspberry!

  8. Graham @ Glazed & Confused

    THANK YOU! Take 5’s are literally my weakness. Take one of those and add it to a cupcake, unstoppable! Seriously these look absolutely delicious. Love your blog!

  9. Melanie @ Carmel Moments

    I’ll take 5 of these Take 5 cupcakes…if that’s OK with you. 😉 You take the prettiest photos of cupcakes I’ve ever seen!

  10. Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction

    I wish I could say that winter hadn’t arrived yet as I sit with tons of snow and below zero temps! I guess I’ll just have to warm myself up by making a batch of these amazing looking cupcakes!

  11. Lindsay @ Life, Love and Sugar

    I hope you get your trip to Tahoe! It’s so pretty there!! These cupcakes look awesome. Take 5 bars are the jam and these cupcakes look the same. Pinning and sharing!

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Thank you Lindsay! Me too! This weekend would have been awesome, it is finally dumping snow again. We will take anything we can get!

  12. Beth @ bethcakes

    Um, yes, these cupcakes look fantastic. I love all the Take 5 elements you added to them! As far as chocolate cupcakes go, I think you should do the Double Chocolate Milkshake Cupcakes! I bet people would freak out over those. 🙂

  13. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust

    I’m wondering if it’s going to be an arctic June. Or just rain April-July. I mean, it has to rain at some point… I hope!!

    Love these cupcakes!

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Oh my gosh, don’t even joke. I live several miles inland but we get June gloom like it’s nobodies business.

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