Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes!

These are hands down my favorite baked good (and trust me, I have a LOT of favorite baked goods). This recipe (based on one provided by the fabulous Mamma Joy) reminds me of a super moist cake slash cheesecake. The combination is spot on, and I love watching people bite into the cupcake and be so pleasantly surprised by the cheesecakey chocolate chip center. Make this if you want to be the best mom on the block or simply be ultra decadent. I last made these for my coworkers as a Holiday gift and it went over incredibly well!

Cream-Cheese Filled Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

3 Cups Flour

2 Cups Sugar

½ Cup Cocoa Powder

2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Salt

2 Cups Water

2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Tablespoon Vinegar

2 Tablespoon Vanilla

1-8 ounce Cream Cheese {softened}

1- Egg

1-1/3 Cups Sugar

1-Cup Chocolate Chips

Pinch of Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat at oven to 350 degrees. Line 36 muffin cups with liners.

2. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Stir in water, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla. Fill paper liners half full.

4. In a separate bowl make the filling: Beat together cream cheese, egg, 1 cup of the sugar, salt, and chocolate chips.

5. Spoon one heaping tablespoon filling on top of each cupcake.

6. Sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon sugar. Bake 30 minutes.

Use Glad Freezer Bags to freeze ahead: These cupcakes freeze very well for up to 2 months.

Grown-up Peanut Butter Cup

This chocolate pie literally tastes like a fancier Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, hence the name. The recipe is more time-intensive than other pies, but the end product is SO worth it. The layers of double ghiardelli chocolate, creamy almost cheesecake-like peanut butter and the crunchy homemade wafer crust makes it heavenly to bite into.

Trust me, this one's a winner. In fact, I made this in a Pie Bake-off at my new job and won first place! Here's the link and the recipe is copied below. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate Crust

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

8 ounces chocolate wafer cookies (from a 9-ounce package), finely ground (2 cups)

Peanut Butter Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, softened (1 cup)

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup well-chilled heavy cream

3/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped

Kosher salt

Chocolate Topping

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CRUST: Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate and butter and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Stir well, then stir in the cookie crumbs. Press the cookie crumbs over the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and 1 1/2 inches up the side. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until set; the crust will continue to firm up as it cools.

2. MEANWHILE, MAKE THE PEANUT BUTTER FILLING: In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the peanut butter, sugar and vanilla extract until blended. In another large bowl, using the same beaters, whip the chilled cream until firm. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to loosen it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream and 1/2 cup of the chopped peanuts. Spoon the filling into the crust, smoothing the surface. Sprinkle lightly with salt and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.MAKE

3. THE CHOCOLATE TOPPING: In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate with the heavy cream and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is melted and the cream is hot. Stir the chocolate topping until blended, then let cool to barely warm, stirring occasionally.Spread the chocolate topping over the peanut butter filling and refrigerate until just firm, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts around the edge of the pie. Carefully run a thin knife around the pie crust to loosen it, then remove the springform ring. Using a sharp knife, cut the pie into wedges. Run the knife under hot water and dry it between each cut.

MAKE AHEAD

The pie can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Garnish with the chopped peanuts before serving. Serve the pie chilled or slightly cooler than room temperature.