Reese's Cupcakes

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"What is this delicious awesomeness," you ask? 

...Why, 'tis Chocolate Cupcakes with Reese's Cups inside and Peanut Butter Whipped Cream icing.

"But that's like a thousand calories," you proclaim!

...Why, no, 'tis not! 

No butter. No oil. No eggs. No problem. :)

I'm pretty confident that these cupcakes go without much additional needed explanation...

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What you need:

• Reese's Cups (Mini) - Frozen
• Devil's Food Cake - Chocolate Mix
• 3/4 Can of La Croix (Sparkling/Seltzer Water - any brand will work - you need about 9 oz)
• 1/4 cup of Plain Lowfat Yogurt
• 1 8oz tub of Cool Whip
• 3 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter
• 3 teaspoons of Brown Sugar

What you do:

1. Mix Cake mix with 3/4(ish) can of sparkling water. Add 1/4 cup of plain lowfat yogurt.

2. Spoon into cupcake tins. Unwrap Reese's Cups and drop into batter. [Don't push them down too much - they're going to sink much deeper than they start out!]

3. Bake in oven according to cake box (~24 minutes).

4. For icing: Mix cool whip and brown sugar. Add peanut butter and beat on high until well blended, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.

5. Spread on top of cupcakes or spoon into piping bag.

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Because I love you: "Banana Nut Muffins With Peanut Butter Whip Frosting."

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One morning this week, I was mysteriously uninterested in my usual breakfast (One slice of whole wheat toast with jelly. One slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. Do NOT stick them together.  Alternate from one piece to the other.  Double fisting toast.  Breakfast of the champions.).

Naturally, my disinterest with my usual breakfast could mean only one thing: MUFFINS!  These have surpassed delicious.  It’s all about the frosting (which, because of being Cool-Whip based, is extremely low-cal). I tasted it during the preparation process and found myself silently praying that I had made too much and could eat the leftovers.  Seriously.  It is so good... I just want to make love to it (did I take that too far?).  Okay, but honestly, it might be the best thing I have ever created.  'Nuff said.

Here’s the recipe for Banana Nut w/ Peanut Butter Whip Frosting:

 What you need for the muffins:

• 1 box of muffin mix (banana nut). I used Fiber One because I like that their mixes are generally low-calorie and, as the name suggests, full of fiber.
  ***Sidenote: Want to know why I used a box mix as a starting point? Read the bottom of this post.***
• 1 can of La Croix (or 2 bananas & 1/2 cup water). This entirely substitutes for any oil/butter/eggs the box asks for. I used La Croix because I was impulsively baking and had no bananas on hand… but I’ve made these before using 2 mashed up bananas and 1/2 cup water and I do slightly prefer doing it that way, because it totally amps up the banana flavor and makes it a bit more moist.
• 1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped (or just break them apart with your fingers). This is not an exact number. Could be anywhere from zero to an entire cup. It just adds to the very slim nut presence already in the muffin mix.

What you need to do:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the muffin mix with the substitute ingredients (either 1 can of La Croix or Bananas/Water). Mix according to directions on the box. 
2. Place in cupcake/muffin papers and bake as directed. Take them out of the oven on the earlier end of what it says on the box, because these substitutes tend to need slightly less time in the oven than the alternative ingredients. 
3. Take them out. Don’t eat them. Seriously, you want to make this frosting…

What you need for the frosting:

• ½ tub of Cool Whip (I used sugar-free. This stuff is magic). 
• 3 tablespoons of Peanut Butter (I use Organic or Jiff Natural). 
• 2 teaspoons of Brown Sugar (or Lite Brown Sugar)

What you need to do:

1. Place 3 tablespoons of Peanut Butter and 2 teaspoons of Brown Sugar in a mixing bowl. 
2. Add appx half of a tub of Cool Whip 
3. Mix for 4 minutes on medium speed. Make sure to check on it a few times so that all ingredients get incorporated and you don’t end up with some big clumps of peanut butter sticking to the sides. 
4. Grab a spoon and eat a spoonful. Seriously it’s barely 30 calories and tastes like I imagine clouds would taste if they went to heaven and back.

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Sidenote: I’m (usually) not a huge fan of making things entirely from scratch.  This is for three reasons...

1. making it from scratch only tastes better if the alternative is preparing a store-bought mix based on the store-bought preparation directions.  If you’re changing things up (ex: adding bananas, adding nuts, trying some cream here or peanut butter there…), it doesn’t matter and it’s not worth the following two issues…
2. making things from scratch makes a HUGE mess.  Flour everywhere.  Powdered sugar in my hair.  Messes are fun but cleaning them = not so much.
3. making things from scratch takes FOREVER.   Girlfriend doesn’t have that kind of time.  Okay, scratch that, I have time to spare – but would rather be doing other things with it.  At least I’m honest.