Chocolate Covered Pretzel Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Butterscotch Frosting

Name: Chocolate Covered Pretzel Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Boozy Butterscotch Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 24 pretzel twists; 6 ounces chocolate ((milk, dark or semi-sweet)); 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick); 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon scotch or whisky (optional); 1/4 cup canola oil; 1/2 cup peanut butter; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup sugar; 2 eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla; 1 1/2 cups flour; 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup milk; 1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips; 1/2 cup butterscotch chips (may use peanut butter chips); 2 sticks butter (softened); 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar; 1/2 cup butterscotch sauce

Skip to Recipe >

July 16, 2013

Posted in Cake, Cupcakes, Desserts

I feel kind of bad.

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Butterscotch Frosting | halfbakedharvest.com

I have been sitting on these cupcakes for weeks now.

Okay, technically I obviously have not been sitting on them. No, that is just nasty. Plus, they were demolished the second I shot the last photo……

Which was exactly twenty-six days ago. I know, I am so sorry, and also completely shocked, that I am just now posting them.

I mean, I have never, not once held on to a post that long. This is for sure a record. Meaning this never, ever, happens. Normally you guys see posts a couple days after I make something. Sometimes I’ll even post it the very next day. When that happens it means I am crazy excited about whatever the posted food is. Meaning it’s crazy good and I cannot contain, nor control, my excitement. Meaning I must blab on and on about it the very next day.

If you can believe it, I actually have one more post that I made a few weeks ago while I was still home in Colorado. I really tried to crank a lot of recipes out while I had the time and had no dirty boys begging for food every hour. Honestly, I’m still shocked that I have not told you guys about these yet…

Because honestly, these are so stinkin’ good.

Like crazy insane, rock your world good.

I just wish I still had at least a few. Cause I promise I can so remember what these cupcakes tasted like.

I made them the day before I went to South Carolina.

This meant I had twelve cupcakes and me. Now sure, I probably could have downed them all myself. No I could have, but I did not want to end up with a giant stomach ache all night and then have to get up and get on an airplane at three in the morning.

So I did the nicer and smarter thing and gave a few to the worker dudes next door.

Remember them?

Yeah, they really liked me after that.

Pretty sure the next day when I made these burgers they were looking over wishing I was giving those to them too, but my brother ate those.

Sorry guys. Maybe if you guys are still around in August when I get home you’ll get some then.

These cupcakes have it all going on.

The sweet, the salty, the peanutty and even the boozy.

Ah yes, you better believe I added at least a little scotch to my butter scotch sauce. It is obviously totally optional, but highly recommended.

Oh and the frosting is amazing!!

So good. Just make it. Eat with a spoon and go to your happy place.

Seriously, though these cupcakes will become your happy place.

And yes, I know I am asking you to turn on your oven for these, but I promise they are worth every ounce of sweat you drip to make them.

Every last once.

4 from 3 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Boozy Butterscotch Frosting

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate, cupcakes, peanut, pretzel

These cupcakes are sweet, salty, peanutty and even boozy.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12 cupcakes

Calories 610 kcal

Ingredients

24 pretzel twists
6 ounces chocolate (milk, dark or semi-sweet)

Butterscotch Sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 stick
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon scotch or whisky optional

Peanut Butter-Butterscotch Cupcakes

1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips may use peanut butter chips

Butterscotch Frosting

2 sticks butter softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butterscotch sauce

Instructions

To make the butterscotch sauce. Melt the butter in a small sauce pot. Add the brown sugar, heavy cream and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and scotch, if using. Set a side to cool until ready to make the frosting.
Melt chocolate in the microwave on 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth.
You may also use a double broiler. Dip each pretzel in chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on wax paper lined cookie sheets and chill in the freezer until firm.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with liners.
Mix the canola oil and peanut butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add brown sugar, sugar and eggs and beat together until fluffy. Add vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. Add the milk and mix well. Fold in butterscotch chips.
Remove the chocolate covered pretzels from the freezer and place 1 or 2 in the bottom of each cupcake tin. Pour the batter into cupcake tins right over the chocolate covered pretzels and fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350. Let cool, then frost.
While the cupcakes bake, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the 1/2 cup butterscotch sauce until completely combined.
To assemble, pipe the fristing onto the cooled cupcakes. Garnish each cupcake with the chocolate covered pretzels. Then when ready to serve, generously drizzle cupcakes with the remaining butterscotch sauce. If your kitchen is hot keep the chocolate covered pretzels in the fridge until ready to eat. If you have a cool kitchen they will probably be fine on the counter.

Can’t even help it. I must make more (especially after my mom sees this post, then I really won’t have a choice). Really, I must.

If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photo #halfbakedharvest.