Double Stuff Oreo Brownie Cupcakes & Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Cupcakes

So this week was National cupcake week back in the U.K! I obviously missed it but I did manage to try out some of my first cupcakes here in Vancouver which was exciting! but for now I'll leave you with some cupcakes I made back in the summer, a double whammy of Oreo Brownie Cupcakes and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Cupcakes!



because let's face it, brownie cupcakes are hands down some of my favourite cupcakes to bake and eat, and everything is better with Oreo's and Reese's - it's just a fact! 

which is why when I saw this in my ice cream aisle at my local Wal Mart this week my heart skipped a beat! you can read about my full Wal Mart experience here! (p.s how much do I love using the phrase 'local Wal Mart'!! haha)

It's no surprise that Oreos are one of the most baked with ingredients on my blog! (although they are slightly being overtaken by coconut as it stands right now!) You just can't beat an Oreo cupcake and so often when I get requested to bake cupcakes for people Oreo flavour is the first one that springs to mind!

The Oreo Brownie cupcake is a fave combo of mine and so when a friend requested some welcome home cupcakes for his daughter who had been in Canada I decided spicing up my brownie cupcakes with Oreos and Peanut Butter Cups would be fun...and I threw in some obligatory Union Jack cupcake cases to help welcome her back to the UK!

and when you're starting with either a Double Stuff Oreo or a Reese's Peanut Butter cup at the bottom of your cupcake, you know it's only going to get better from there! 

In fact you could probably even eat that whole tray of deliciousness without it ever reaching the oven if you wanted to! 

Let's break down each cupcake individually.  The Oreo masterpiece was a Double Stuff Oreo at the bottom, covered with a rich chocolate brownie batter with crushed Oreos inside, frosted with Oreo cream cheese frosting, and a sprinkling of crushed Oreo crumbs topped off with a mini Oreo! Phew...that's alot of Oreo going on in there! 

For the Reese's masterpiece, each cupcake begins with a mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup which gets baked into a peanut butter infused brownie batter, and then topped with thick and creamy peanut butter frosting, a sprinkling of Reese's Pieces and topped off with half a mini Peanut Butter Cup! 

Pure utter tastiness! on both accounts (yes I made extra so I could indulge in them too!)

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Cupcakes:

Makes 12

Adapted from Martha's Brownie Cupcakes

12 mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

225g dark chocolate

113g unsalted butter, at room temperature

185g caster sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

70g plain flour

25g cocoa powder

100g smooth peanut butter

Frost with the peanut butter frosting, no.6, from my Top 10 Frostings post.

Double Stuff Oreo Brownie Cupcakes:

Makes 12

Adapted from Martha's Brownie Cupcakes

12 Double Stuff Oreos

225g dark chocolate

113g unsalted butter, at room temperature

185g caster sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

70g plain flour

25g cocoa powder

100g crushed Oreos

Frost with the oreo cream cheese frosting, no.2, from my Top 10 Frostings post.

To make the brownie cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set above a pan of simmering water.  Stir occasionally until just melted, about 4-5 mins.
Remove bowl from heat and whisk in the sugar and salt until the mixture is smooth,  whisk in the eggs to combine.  
Gently whisk in flour and cocoa until just smooth (do not overmix).  If you are making the Reese's one, this is the point you would stir in the peanut butter, if you are making the Oreo ones then stir in the crushed oreos.

Put a half a Double Stuff Oreo or a whole mini Reese's peanut butter cup in the bottom of your cupcake cases.  Top up with 3/4 brownie batter.  Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, about 25-30 minutes.