Peanut Butter Cupcakes

ByMiranda PublishedJune 20, 2025February 13, 2022 UpdatedFebruary 13, 2022

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These decadent and rich peanut butter cupcakes have finely chopped peanuts and Butterfinger bars mixed right into the batter for added magic. They are topped with a homemade chocolate buttercream frosting and more crushed Butterfinger for effect. The resulting cupcakes are bound to impress your guests both in taste and appearance.

When you want homemade cupcakes, but you want something different and stunning, make these amazing Peanut Butter Cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cupcakes

A flat lay of ingredients for baking peanut butter cupcakes, including flour, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, peanuts, peanut butter, eggs, Butterfinger candy, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and milk.

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.

Whole Milk – The extra fat in whole milk improves the texture of this cupcake.
Vegetable Oil – Pure vegetable oil or canola oil are both acceptable. Olive oil will be too strongly flavored.
Light Brown Sugar – When you measure brown sugar, always pack it down into the cup. Light brown or dark brown both work for this recipe. Brown sugar adds moisture to any recipe and also adds flavor. The difference between light and dark is in the intensity of flavor.
Salt – Just a little salt to enhance the other flavors and make the baking chemistry work.
Peanuts & Butterfinger Candy – Optional

Substitutions and Variations

You can substitute the vegetable oil for any neutral oil such as canola oil or avocado oil.
You can substitute the creamy peanut butter for crunchy peanut butter and leave out the additional nuts.
You can substitute out the light brown sugar for dark brown sugar in a pinch.
You could also add in Reese’s Pieces or Peanut Butter Chips to this recipe.

NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations

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How to Make Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners and preheat your oven to 350ºF to get started. Microwave the peanut butter for 30-45 seconds to get it melty and pourable.

Four-step collage showing banana muffin batter being mixed in glass bowls, then spooned into paper-lined muffin tin cups, ready for baking—perfect inspiration for peanut butter cupcakes or other sweet treats.

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, place the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla and whisk it all up.

Step 2: Add the peanut butter and brown sugar next.

Step 3: Then add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Do not over mix. Finally, fold in the optional nuts and crushed Butterfinger if desired.

Step 4: Fill each cupcake liner ¾ of the way full and bake for about fifteen minutes. Cool the cupcakes thoroughly before frosting.

Step 5: Whip up the the chocolate frosting by mixing all of the frosting ingredients in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add it to a disposable piping bag fitted with the Wilton 1M piping tip and pipe tall swirls ont op of the cooled cupcake.

Eight peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate frosting are arranged on a cooling rack against a white tiled background.

Tips for Best Results

Don’t use natural peanut butter for this recipe. It provides too much oil and will make the cupcakes heavy.
To crush the Butterfinger bars, you can use a food processor if you have one. Put the candies in the food processor bowl and use short pulses until you get the perfect level of crushed candy. If you do not have a food processor, you can put the candy bars in a food-safe bag, seal the bag up, and crush the Butterfingers with a rolling pin or your hand.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool more completely.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. A wet batter on the toothpick always means it needs to bake longer.
I recommend using a cookie scoop to measure and scoop the batter into the cupcake liners. This will give you consistently sized cupcakes perfect for decorating.

Close-up of peanut butter cupcakes with one bite out showing texture.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make peanut butter cupcakes gluten-free?

Yes. Any time you see a recipe with limited amounts of all-purpose flour you can simply substitute that with your own favorite gluten-free all-purpose one-for-one flour mix.

Can peanut butter cupcakes be baked as a cake?

Yes. Simply use a smaller cake pan of your choice. It won’t fill a 9×13 pan, but it should work for an 8×8 pan, a 9×9 pan, an 8 or 9″ round pan, or even a couple of loaf pans!

Can I make peanut butter cupcakes ahead of time for my event?

Yes. Make the cupcakes up to two days ahead of time and cool them completely before storing them at room temperature or refrigerated. Cupcakes can also be frozen and kept for up to three months. Add frosting after thawing the cupcakes overnight. Be careful when storing, refrigerating, or freezing cupcakes to avoid moisture condensation in the bag or container. Make sure the cupcakes have had time to fully cool.

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Miranda

Miranda is the owner of Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt and the author of the Easy Homemade Cookie Cookbook. She loves to focus on fun, seasonal dessert recipes. She's been featured on BuzzFeed, Red Book Magazine, Country Living, Parade, and others.