Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Cupcakes

For those of you who are expert puzzle do-ers and possibly fluent in pig latin, you probably caught on to my last hint. And no, you didn't understand it wrong---Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Cupcakes are REAL. Yeah, I know. NOM. My coworker Charlie showed me the recipe at work Sunday morning and I was determined to make them. As everyone knows, it's Shark Week, and what goes better with Shark Week than Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Cupcakes? Nothing. Soooo, here was my contribution to Shark Week Dinner 2011 edition!

Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Cupcakes 
Homemade Fudge Sauce (making this first will allow it to cool as you make the cupcake batter) 
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Hot Fudge Cupcakes
1 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 cup homemade fudge sauce
Peanut Butter Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened
2/3 cup peanut butter
2.5-3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
pinch of salt


Step 1: Homemade Fudge Sauce
-Combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and flour in a pot.
-Bring water to a boil. Gradually add hot boiling water to sugar/cocoa mixture.
-*Continuously* stir until mixture thickens.
-Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
-Leave in pot and let cool as you make the cupcake batter! :)
Step 2: Hot Fudge Cupcakes
- Preheat oven 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
-In a bowl, whisk egg and brown sugar until smooth.
-Add milk, whipping cream, butter, and vanilla--mix until combined.
-Stir in sour cream.
-In a separate bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. When well combined, add to wet mixture. Mix until batter is smooth.
-Prepare a cupcake pan with liners and using a 1/4 cup measure, add batter to each cup. Swirl in fudge sauce at the top of each cupcake.
-Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool before frosting.
Step 3: Peanut Butter Frosting
-Cream butter and peanut butter together in a large bowl.
-Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.Mix until frosting is smooth.
-If too thick, add more milk; if too thin, add more sugar.
-When cupcakes are cooled, poke a small hole in the center using a knife. Using a pastry bag (or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off if you're cheap like me :P), slowly fill the cupcake with the peanut butter frosting
-Once filled, frost the top of the cupcakes and drizzle with the remaining hot fudge sauce. :)

Shark week, oooh-ha-ha!---->(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krdFR5a6a5o)

Plans for my next cupcake adventure?! Mixing Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Cupcakes and Cookie Dough cupcakes! Awwwww yeahhh :) Rich hot fudge chocolate batter from these cupcakes with the dough from my favorite cookie recipe screams winning all over. I don't have a twitter, but if I did I'd say something along the lines of #soooopumped...but I don't. So I guess I'm just really excited! :)

"You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul. What I say is true - anyone can cook... but only the fearless can be great." -Chef Gusteau