Snickers Cupcakes

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These decadent Snickers cupcakes taste just like a Snickers bar, in cupcake form! Rich and ultra-moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with a dreamy peanut butter frosting, a drizzle of salted caramel, chopped Snickers bars and crunchy peanuts. They are so easy to make from scratch and are always a crowd-pleaser!

cupcakes on a bench topped with frosting and peanuts.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Super moist – made with buttermilk, oil and brown sugar, the cupcakes have an incredibly chocolatey taste and a perfectly tender, moist texture.
Easy to make – with simple pantry ingredients. The batter takes just 10 minutes to whip up, no creaming of butter or complicated steps.
Perfect for any occasion – fancy enough for holidays, birthday celebrations or parties, or just for whenever you are craving something sweet and completely decadent.
Rich, fudgy, sweet and salty – moist chocolate cupcakes, creamy peanut butter frosting and a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. They taste just like a Snickers, but in cupcake form. Need I say more?!

Ingredients you will need

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!

all ingredients for chocolate cupcakes, laid out on a table.

all ingredients for peanut butter frosting, laid out on a table.

Plain flour – plain (all-purpose) flour forms the structure of the cupcakes. Weigh or fluff and level the flour, for accuracy. And sift the flour before using, to prevent lumps.
Cocoa powder – Dutch process cocoa powder or natural unsweetened cocoa powder can be used. Use the best quality cocoa powder you can afford for a deep, chocolatey flavour.
Sugar – a mixture of granulated white sugar and light brown sugar for richness and flavour. Make sure your brown sugar isn’t lumpy before adding it to the batter.
Baking powder and baking soda – a combination of baking powder and bicarb soda (baking soda) will react with the buttermilk to create a lift in your cupcakes, making them gorgeously moist and fluffy.
Eggs – use large eggs at room temperature, for best results.
Buttermilk – the key ingredient to making your cupcakes tender, soft and fluffy. The acidity in buttermilk breaks down gluten and reacts with the leavening agents to create a light and airy texture. I recommend using store-bought buttermilk, but if you don’t have it on hand you can make your own. Simply mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar in into a cup of milk. Stir and leave to sit for 10 minutes to curdle before continuing with the recipe as normal.
Vanilla – enhances the chocolate flavour in the cupcakes. I recommend vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste rather than synthetic vanilla essence.
Oil – vegetable or canola oil gives the cupcakes a moist and tender crumb.

For the peanut butter frosting;

Peanut butter – I recommend using a generic, creamy peanut butter like Bega, Sanitarium or Skippy. For this recipe, I don’t recommend using a natural peanut butter that needs stirring. Natural peanut butter doesn’t work as well in the frosting and may split. And make sure it is a smooth peanut butter, not crunchy or it will be difficult to beat and pipe.
Unsalted butter – use real butter rather than butter substitutes, for best results. Make sure it has softened at room temperature for the creamiest frosting. And use unsalted butter, as we are adding salt to taste.
Icing sugar – if your icing sugar is lumpy, sift it first.
Thickened cream – the key to a silky peanut butter buttercream. It will help to thin the buttercream and hold it together without splitting. Use regular, full fat (35% or higher) thickened cream.

To decorate;

Crushed peanuts, Snickers bars and salted caramel sauce decorate the cupcakes. You can use homemade caramel sauce, or store-bought if you’re short on time.

Snickers bars, peanuts and caramel arranged on a table.

Step by step instructions

Full ingredient notes and quantities can be found in the detailed recipe card below. But here is a brief overview of what you can expect;

Step 1 – Make the cupcakes;

Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda together and add to a mixing bowl.

Whisk the dry ingredients (sugars, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt) together in a bowl until well combined.
Mix the wet ingredients (buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla) together in a separate bowl.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold together until just combined.
Divide the mixture into lined cupcake trays (18 total), filling the paper cases no more than ⅔ full.
Bake until fluffy and completely cooked through.
Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack. They must be cooled completely before frosting.

dry cupcake ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.

buttermilk mixture being added to dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

chocolate cupcake batter in a mixing bowl.

cupcake mixture in a cupcake tray lined with paper cases.

Step 2 – Make the peanut butter frosting;

Beat the peanut butter and butter together with handheld electric beaters until pale and smooth. Make sure the butter is completely soft before mixing, to prevent lumps.
Add the icing sugar and salt.
Slowly add the cream, one tablespoon at a time, beating until a smooth, thick frosting forms. Continue adding cream until you reach your desired consistency. The consistency should be thick, but soft enough to pipe or spread onto the cupcakes.

beaten peanut butter and butter mixture in a glass bowl.

Step 3 – Assemble the cupcakes;

Pipe the frosting onto the top of the cooled cupcakes.
Decorate with crushed peanuts, salted caramel sauce and chopped pieces of Snickers bars. You can also add a sprinkle of sea salt, if desired.

Expert tips

Use a kitchen scale – adding too much flour to cupcake batter is the most common mistake that can lead to dry, dense cupcakes. Measure the ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale where possible. Alternatively, fluff the flour, sprinkle it into a measuring cup and level the top with a knife.
Sift the flour and cocoa, to avoid lumps.
Don’t overmix the batter. Use a spatula to gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until everything is just combined. Make sure there are no pockets of dry mixture at the bottom of the bowl.
Don’t overfill the cupcake cases – fill the cupcakes to no more than ⅔ full, or they will overflow. There may be a tablespoon or two of batter leftover, but this is better than overfilling the cupcake cases.
I used a regular-sized cupcake tray with ⅓ cup capacity holes. Larger or smaller cupcake trays can be used, but baking times may vary.
When baking the cupcakes, make sure the oven is fully pre-heated and the rack is in the middle of the oven. For best baking results, use an oven thermometer.
Let the cupcakes cool before adding the buttercream frosting, or the frosting will melt and slide off the top of the cupcakes.
For extra indulgence, you can cut a small hole in the top of each cupcake and fill them with salted caramel sauce before frosting. A sprinkle of sea salt over the top is a great addition too.

FAQs

How to store them;

Due to the cream and butter in the frosting, the cupcakes should be stored in the fridge if not being eaten right away. However, they are best eaten at room temperature. So if you are making them ahead of time, I recommend removing them from the fridge to return to room temperature before serving. They are best eaten fresh, but will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Can I freeze them?

The unfrosted chocolate cupcakes freeze beautifully, making them perfect for planning ahead. Once the cupcakes have cooled to room temperature, wrap them and place in a freezer-safe bag or container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw them overnight in the fridge before frosting and serving.

While the buttercream is best eaten fresh, it can be frozen separately too, for one month. Allow it to thaw and then re-whip it before piping it onto the cupcakes (add a little more cream to loosen, if needed).

If you want to freeze leftover cupcakes after they have already been frosted, place them on a baking tray and freeze, before transferring them to a freezer bag and placing into an airtight container for one month.

a cupcake on a marble board, with peanuts.

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