Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

"I didn't have any luck finding a peanut butter-filled chocolate cupcake, so I made my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and experimented with the filling until I found one I liked." Submitted to Taste of Home by Julie Small.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Yields: 12 jumbo cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 1  tablespoon milk

• Batter

• 2  cups sugar
• 1 3⁄4 cups 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  vegetable oil
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract

• Frosting

• 1⁄3 cup butter, softened
• 2  cups confectioners' sugar
• 6  tablespoons  baking cocoa
• 3 -4  tablespoons milk

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and milk until smooth; set aside.
2. In a 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).
3. 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 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
4. Combine frosting ingredients; frost cupcakes. Store in refrigerator.