Peanut Butter High Hat Cupcakes

High Hat Cupcakes

Hey there, and welcome back, friends.

You are in for a sweet treat!

These peanut butter high hat cupcakes are made from a soft and fluffy vanilla cupcake topped with creamy peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache. (Post originally published in 2013. Pictures and recipe updated in June 2022)

I made these peanut butter high hat cupcakes this weekend for a small surprise graduation party we were hosting at our place. The graduate didn’t want a party but her mother and I threw her a small get-together anyway to celebrate her Master’s Degree!!

These cupcakes are also called hi-hat cupcakes. What do you call them? 

A little bit about the graduate. She is one of my best friends and is the kindest, most selfless person I have ever met. We met four years ago at graduate school orientation when she was drawn to my yellow dress and me to her infectious smile! 

These days, we are together almost every day on a coffee or bubble tea date. As her graduation neared, I worried about how empty my afternoons would feel without her around at school.

I was so relieved and happy when she landed a job in a lab right down the road! I’m beyond proud of her and know that she will be very successful in all her future endeavors.

OK onto these peanut butter high hat cupcakes. They start with a fluffy vanilla yellow cupcake topped with a creamy peanut butter marshmallow frosting and finally coated with dark chocolate. Beyond delicious seriously!

Any peanut butter fan will love these.

Actually, they were her idea like six months ago. She bookmarked all the cupcakes she would like me to make in Betty Crocker: The Big Book of Cupcakes she bought for me and these were at the top of her list. Since it was her day, she got them!!

And I think she loved them!!

High Hat Cupcake Ingredients

To make these yummy high hat cupcakes you need the following ingredients. Most of these are pantry staples. 

• some cake flour
• baking powder
• salt
• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• a few eggs
• vanilla extract
• milk
• creamy peanut butter
• marshmallow crème (or fluff)
• powdered sugar
• dark chocolate chips
• vegetable oil

High Hat Cupcake Recipe

How to Make High Hat Cupcakes

This recipe is so easy to make. Begin by preheating the oven to 350oF. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well to combine and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add in vanilla extract.

Reduce speed to low, add a third of the dry ingredients and half of the milk and beat until just combined. Add another third of the flour mixture and the rest of the buttermilk and beat again until combined. Add the rest of the flour mixture and beat until combined.

Divide batter into cupcake liners and bake until golden brown or when a tester comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pan. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool on cooling racks.

While the cupcakes are cooling you can make the frosting. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in marshmallow crème. On low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time until blended. Then add vanilla extract and beat on medium speed for additional 3 minutes.

Using a large round tip fitted to a decorating bag, frost cupcakes. Pipe frosting in circles making cones shape with the peak in the center. Refrigerate cupcakes for at least 45 minutes to harden frosting before dipping them in chocolate coating.

Lastly, we dip the cupcakes into their famous chocolate coating. 

To make the high-top chocolate coating use a medium saucepan, add the chocolate chips and oil, and then heat over low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Dip frosting on each cupcake into chocolate to coat completely. Allow excess to drip off. Refrigerate to set coating immediately.

More Peanut Butter Desserts

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream Cake
• No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie
• Peanut Butter Blondies

What do you think of this delicious Peanut Butter High Hat Cupcake recipe? What would you serve with these cupcakes? Let me know in the comment section below. 

If you share across social media, make sure to tag #aclassictwist, so I can see your beautiful creation come to life!

Happy baking, friends!