Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Filling

1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon milk

Batter

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

1/3 cup butter, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

6 tablespoons baking cocoa

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and milk until smooth; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, water, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be thin).

Fill paper-lined jumbo muffin cups half full with batter. Drop "scant" tablespoonfuls of peanut butter mixture into center of each; cover with remaining batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes of until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine frosting ingredients until smooth; frost cupcakes. Store in the refrigerator. Yields: 1 dozen jumbo cupcakes.

*Ok, there are a couple things I should point out:

• The batter will be very thin and runny.
• I guess when they say "jumbo cupcakes" they mean Costco muffin size cupcakes. I used my regular large cupcake tins and instead of 12 cupcakes I filled 24 cups with batter.
• I have no idea what a "scant" tablespoonful is really supposed to mean, but I used at least a tablespoon-sized scoop of filling for 13 cupcakes (and wouldn't suggest using any less). I just baked the rest of the batter as plain chocolate cupcakes. If you make these and use regular large muffin tins--and want them to all be peanut butter-filled--I would double the filling.
• My cupcakes were done around 20 minutes (probably because they weren't "jumbo") so I would time them for 20 minutes or less at first.
• 1 jumbo-size cupcake had 509 calories in it!