Candy bar cupcakes are sweet, salty, and taste just like a Snickers candy bar. Dark chocolate cupcakes swirled with peanut butter buttercream frosting and drizzled with caramel sauce, chocolate ganache, and sprinkled with salted peanuts. These cupcakes are truly irresistible!
Ingredients for Candy Bar Cupcakes
Chocolate cupcakes
- Chocolate chips: Use semisweet or dark chocolate chips for this recipe.
- Dark cocoa powder: If you have regular cocoa powder that will work just fine, but dark cocoa powder is where it is at for these cupcakes for a deep chocolate flavor and color.
- Boiling water: Boiling water blooms the cocoa powder and melts the chocolate chips to create a chocolate liquid.
- All-purpose flour: Good old all-purpose for these cupcakes.
- Granulated sugar: Regular granulated sugar sweetens the cupcakes.
- Baking soda: Leavening agent to help the cupcakes rise.
- Salt: Enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Vegetable oil: Vegetable oil adds moisture to the cupcakes. You can use any neutral cooking oil.
- Eggs: Large eggs, room temperature.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract serves as a flavor enhancer for the chocolate.
Peanut butter buttercream frosting
- Unsalted butter: Softened, room temperature butter.
- Peanut butter: Stick with creamy regular peanut butter. I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter.
- Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract enhances the peanut butter flavor.
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavor in the buttercream and provides a salty sweet contrast.
- Heavy cream: A splash of heavy cream helps the buttercream become smooth and creamy.
Additional ingredients
- Caramel sauce: Caramel bits combine with heavy cream to make a caramel drizzle.
- Chocolate ganache: Milk, semisweet, or dark chocolate are perfect! Chocolate chips combine with heavy cream to make a chocolate ganache drizzle.
- Salted peanuts: I recommend salted peanuts for a salty sweet contrast.
Tools & Supplies for Making Candy Bar Cupcakes
How to Make Candy Bar Cupcakes
Because there are several components to this recipe, I like to break it down into three parts: cupcake, buttercream, and toppings!
Chocolate cupcakes
The chocolate cupcakes are easy to make! Simply combine chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and boiling water, mix, and set aside. Whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add in the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Then add in the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Portion the batter into cupcake liners and bake!
Peanut butter buttercream frosting
To make the frosting, you will need a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.
Whip the butter until light and creamy. Add in the peanut butter and then the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add in the salt and vanilla extract. Drizzle in heavy cream. Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy! Don’t forget to scrape the bowl occasionally!
Check out my full recipe blog post for more information about peanut butter buttercream frosting!
Toppings
The chocolate ganache and caramel drizzle are made in the microwave! Simply combine the caramel bits with heavy cream and microwave for 30 seconds and 15 second intervals until melted. Stir until the caramel is melted and smooth. The same process applies to the chocolate ganache.
Candy Bar Cupcakes Recipe Tips
Bake perfect cupcakes
Check out my baking tips blog post on 10 tips for baking perfect cupcakes to learn simple tips and tricks to make your chocolate cupcakes turn out amazing!
Assembling the candy bar cupcakes
To assemble the cupcakes as pictured, use a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip to create an “ice cream swirl”. Chill the cupcakes for 30 minutes (see below). Use a piping bag with the tip cut off to drizzle on the warm caramel sauce and chocolate ganache. Immediately sprinkle with chopped salted peanuts.
Chill the frosted cupcakes before adding on the drizzles
Before drizzling the sauces onto the cupcake, I strongly recommend chilling the cupcake for at least 30 minutes until the buttercream is firm! The caramel and chocolate sauce are drizzled warm, so by chilling the cupcake, we are minimizing the melting buttercream. The caramel sauce and chocolate ganache should be slightly warm, not super hot.
Storing and serving
The candy bar cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days! Remove the cupcakes from the refrigerator at least one hour before serving to bring to soften the frosting.
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Candy Bar Cupcakes
Equipment
- Stand mixer fitted with a whisk/paddle attachment or electric hand mixer
- Cupcake pan/cupcake liners
- Wilton 1M piping tip/piping bags
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- ¼ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
- ¾ cup boiling water
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- â…“ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
Chocolate Ganache
- ¼ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Caramel Drizzle
- ¼ cup caramel bits
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Peanuts
- ¼ cup salted peanuts chopped
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl or a glass liquid measuring cup, stir together chocolate chips, dark cocoa powder, and boiling water until the chocolate chips are melted. Set aside to cool.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until just combined.
- Add vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined and smooth.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners to about â…” full. Use a large cookie scoop or pour the batter into the cupcake liners using a large liquid measuring cup.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when touched.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, add in room temperature unsalted butter. Whip the butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally.
- Add in creamy peanut butter and mix until combined with the butter.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined.
- Add vanilla extract and salt. While mixing on low speed, slowly drizzle in the heavy cream.
- Turn the mixer on medium and whip for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.
Chocolate Ganache
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and heavy cream.
- Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until the chocolate is fully melted and the ganache is smooth.
- Cool for a few minutes and then spoon the chocolate ganache into a small piping bag.
Caramel Drizzle
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine caramel bits and heavy cream.
- Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir.
- Microwave on 15 second intervals, stirring in between until the caramel is melted and smooth.
- Cool for a few minutes and spoon the caramel sauce into a piping bag.
Assembling the Candy Bar Cupcakes
- Use a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip to create an "ice cream swirl" of peanut butter buttercream frosting on the cooled chocolate cupcakes.
- Cut the tip of the caramel drizzle bag and drizzle the caramel over the buttercream swirl.
- Cut the tip of the chocolate ganache bag and drizzle the ganache over the buttercream and caramel.
- Immediately sprinkle the chopped salted peanuts on the cupcakes.
Notes
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Comments & Reviews
These are my all-time favorite, love the overall flavor and presentation!
I am so happy to hear that you have enjoyed these cupcakes!