mini cottage peanut butter cupcakes 山寨花生小蛋糕 ヽ(*ﾟｰﾟ*)ﾉ

i love love christmas … i love the songs, the smell, the colours, the weather…. everything you can think of…. christmas bakings and goodies here i come! ٩(●˙▿˙●)۶…⋆ฺ

Recipe adapted from Coffee & Quinoa

Ingredients (makes 10-12 cupcakes)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup milk (I used plain unsweetened almond milk)

To top (optional):
Peanut butter
Finely chopped toasted peanuts

Directions

– Preheat oven to 350 and place liners in cupcake tins
– In a large bowl, beat together the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar for several minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth
– In a separate medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture, alternating with the almond milk, beating well after each addition
– Spoon batter into lined cupcake tins, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out with moist crumbs, 18-20 minutes. Remove and cool completely before frosting
– While cupcakes cool, make frosting. With a hand mixer (or stand mixer if you have one!), cream together the banana, butter, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Beat in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until you have a creamy and spreadable frosting
– Once cupcakes are completely cool, spread each with a thin layer of peanut butter, about a 1/2 teaspoon (optional). Spread or pipe with icing and sprinkle immediately with crushed peanuts, if using
– Enjoy

Personal notes:

– i used 45g of brown sugar and organic milk for the cupcakes
– my cupcakes were baked for 20 mins in large dariole moulds  so they have a slightly taller base. i made 6 cupcakes
– after cupcake has cooled, i painted windows using melted strawberry chocolate for window pane. after this has hardened, i then piped outline of the window seal with dark chocolate
– after piping buttercream, i topped them with sprinkles (for roof and deliberately stuck a few white chocolate bits onto the window) and inserted a chocolate stick to resemble the chimney

i wonder if these little cottages can keep well as table decorations… (just like the gingerbread house)

(ˇ_ˇ”) ƪ(˘⌣˘)┐ ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ ┌(˘⌣˘)ʃ

Pollution index: 40 (excellent)