Snickers Cupcakes

cupcakes on a board with peanuts and caramel.

5 from 1 vote

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!

Prep Time30

Cook Time16

Total Time46

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Australian

Servings:

Calories: 382kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Equipment

cupcake trays 18 holes total
paper cupcake cases
electric handheld beaters

Ingredients

For the chocolate cupcakes

1 ¾ cup plain flour 260 grams, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarb soda baking soda
⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 65 grams, sifted. Use unsweetened Dutch process or natural cocoa powder
¾ cup white sugar 165 grams granulated white sugar
½ cup light brown sugar 125 grams, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt regular table salt
1 ¾ cups buttermilk
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

For the peanut butter frosting

125 grams unsalted butter softened at room temperature
1 cup smooth peanut butter processed peanut butter (not natural). 270 grams
2 ½ cups icing sugar sift first if lumpy
pinch salt regular table salt or salt flakes. Add more or less to taste.
6-10 tablespoons thickened cream

To decorate

crushed peanuts
salted caramel sauce use this recipe here or swap for store-bought caramel sauce if preferred.
Snickers bars chopped into small pieces

Instructions

For the cupcakes

Pre-heat oven to 180°C (356F)/160°C fan forced. Line cupcake trays with paper cupcake cases (18 total).
Sift the plain flour, baking powder and bicarb soda together into a large mixing bowl.
Add the sifted cocoa powder and the remaining dry ingredients (sugar, light brown sugar and salt) and whisk everything together until completely combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth and combined.
Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until the mixture is just combined (don't overmix). Fold from the bottom of the bowl up and make sure there are no pockets of dry flour mixture in the bottom of the bowl.
Use an ice cream or cookie scoop to divide the mixture into the cupcake trays, filling them no more than ⅔ full.
Bake for 16-18 minutes, until the cupcakes are fluffy and cooked through. The cupcakes should spring back when gently pressed in the middle and a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.
Gently remove the cupcakes from the cupcake tray and place onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting

Using handheld electric beaters, beat the softened butter and peanut butter together in a mixing bowl until pale and smooth.
Add the icing sugar and salt to the butter mixture.
Gradually add the cream, one tablespoon at a time and beating between each addition, until a thick frosting forms. Continue adding cream until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. It should be thick, but soft enough to be piped onto the cupcakes.

Decorate

Optional: small holes can be cut into the top of the cupcakes and thick caramel sauce can be spooned into the middle before frosting.
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the frosting onto the top of the cupcakes.
Drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the top of the frosting and sprinkle the crushed peanuts over the top. Add chopped pieces of Snickers bars and serve.

Notes

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.
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.
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 just 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.
Storage – because there is 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. 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.
Freezing; Unfrosted cupcakes freeze beautifully, making them perfect for meal prepping or 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. The buttercream can be frozen separately too, for one month. Allow it to thaw and then re-whip it before piping it onto the cupcakes. If you want to freeze leftover cupcakes after they have 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.
The nutrition information is based on the recipe being made into 18 cupcakes, with one cupcake being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the cupcakes.
This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition