Name: Snickers Cupcakes
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients: 3 ounces ( 85.05 g ) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped; ⅓ cup ( 28.67 g ) Dutch-processed cocoa; ¾ cup ( 177.75 ml ) hot coffee; ¾ cup ( 93.75 g ) bread flour; ¾ cup ( 150 g ) granulated sugar; ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) table salt; ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) baking soda; 6 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 eggs; 2 teaspoons white vinegar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; ½ cup ( 100 g ) granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons evaporated milk; ¾ cup ( 95.25 g ) marshmallow fluff; 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter; ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) vanilla extract; ¾ cup ( 109.5 g ) salted peanuts, roughly chopped; ½ cup ( 113.5 g ) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 4 ounces ( 113.4 g ) cream cheese, at room temperature; ¼ cup ( 56.5 ml ) salted caramel sauce; 2 cups ( 240 g ) powdered sugar; 8 ounces ( 226.8 g ) milk chocolate, finely chopped; ½ cup ( 119 ml ) heavy cream; Additional salted caramel sauce; Chopped peanuts

These Snickers cupcakes taste JUST like the candy bar… A chocolate cupcake filled with peanut nougat, topped with a caramel buttercream frosting, covered in a chocolate ganache, chopped peanuts and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Oh our God, these cupcakes.

Last week, our husband walked into the kitchen and asked what we thought about making some cupcakes fashioned after candy bars. It sounded like a fabulous idea to us, and at almost the same exact time, we both said, “Snickers!” What better candy bar to recreate in cupcake form than the one and only chocolate, nougat, caramel, peanut classic? We couldn’t think of one.

So, off to create Snickers cupcakes we went!

We ended up modifying a standby-ever Snickers cake that we made a few years ago, mashed up with the ultimate chocolate cupcakes that we just love, love, love. How did we do it?

We started with the chocolate cupcakes and omitted the chocolate ganache filling. Once they were baked and cooled, we cored out the center of the cupcakes and filled them with the peanut nougat filling, which we also used in the filling of that Snickers cake, and originally in from-scratch Snickers bars.

Then, we topped the cupcakes with salted caramel frosting… we usually love our cupcakes with sky-high swirls of frosting, but with everything else going on in these cupcakes, we didn’t want to overpower the other elements. So, we went with a smallish mound of frosting on top of each cupcake. Once the frosting on the cupcakes was set and chilled, we poured milk chocolate ganache over each of the cupcakes and finished them off with chopped peanuts and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

We served these for dessert yesterday at Sunday dinner and they were a massive, massive hit. People who said they normally don’t like cupcakes devoured them, and there was quite a bit of oohing and ahhing. Everyone kept saying they couldn’t believe how much they tasted like a Snickers bar… which they TOTALLY do!

There are a number of components to putting these together, but none of them take much time; most of the recipe time is spent waiting for things to cool and chill. If you’re a Snickers fan, these Snickers cupcakes should be number one on your to-bake list!

Four years ago: Beer-Battered Cod
Eight years ago: Julia Child’s French Bread

Snickers Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes These Snickers cupcakes taste JUST like the candy bar... A chocolate cupcake filled with peanut nougat, topped with a caramel buttercream frosting, covered in a chocolate ganache, chopped peanuts and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

For the Cupcakes:

3 ounces (85.05 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
⅓ cup (28.67 g) Dutch-processed cocoa
¾ cup (177.75 ml) hot coffee
¾ cup (93.75 g) bread flour
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) table salt
½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Nougat:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
¾ cup (95.25 g) marshmallow fluff
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
¾ cup (109.5 g) salted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the Salted Caramel Frosting:

½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup (56.5 ml) salted caramel sauce
2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar

For the Milk Chocolate Ganache:

8 ounces (226.8 g) milk chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup (119 ml) heavy cream

For the Garnish:

Additional salted caramel sauce
Chopped peanuts

Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard-size muffin pan with paper liners.
Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Pour the hot coffee over the mixture and whisk until smooth. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Whisk the oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until cupcakes are set and just firm to touch, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the muffin pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Nougat: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and evaporated milk, stirring until dissolved, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and add the marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and vanilla extract, stirring until completely smooth. Fold in the peanuts. Let the nougat mixture cool to room temperature before using it in the cupcakes.
Make the Salted Caramel Frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Pour in the salted caramel and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until it has all been incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional two to three minutes, until light and fluffy.
Assemble the Cupcakes: Using a paring knife, remove the centers of the cupcakes, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Fill the centers of the cupcakes with the nougat mixture. Using an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes with the salted caramel frosting, shaping the frosting into a mound on top of the cupcakes. Refrigerate the for at least 1 hour, until the frosting is set.
Make the Milk Chocolate Ganache: While the cupcakes chill, make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a 4-cup measuring cup; set aside. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until it just comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Begin whisking the mixture in the center, gradually working your way outward until the ganache is completely smooth. Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, yet still a pourable consistency.
Finish the Cupcakes: Slowly pour the chocolate ganache onto the center of each cupcake, letting it push itself outward and flow over the sides of the cupcakes. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes, giving the ganache a chance to set up. To finish garnishing, drizzle additional salted caramel sauce over the cupcakes, and top with chopped peanuts. Keep the cupcakes refrigerated, removing them from the refrigerator about 20 minutes prior to serving.

Notes

Nutritional values are based on one serving