Hershey’s Take 5 candy bar is one of my all time favorites! I remember when they first came out, I could hardly keep myself from rushing to the store to buy one so I could try it. In the words of one of Spencer’s co-workers, “They might be one of the most underrated candy bars of all time”, and I completely agree. They have everything you want in a snack; sweet, salty and crunchy, I mean what more could you actually want?
Well I thought the same thing until I decided to create a Take 5 cupcake. Yes, you heard right, a cupcake created with all the elements of the wonderful Take 5 candy bar. Once I decided to create a cupcake based on this candy, my mind went in several different directions until I finally came up with the final product. It was absolutely amazing; a crunchy and salty crust, soft and chewy chocolate cupcake, a filling of homemade caramel, topped with a peanut butter caramel frosting and crumbled Take 5. Trust me, it really doesn’t get much better than this!
I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, in fact I think I it’s more of an addiction. I must say, this takes this love and addiction to a whole new level. I was so excited when I thought of the concept but I couldn’t believe how amazing the finished product was. I was so excited about my new creation that I packed them up and took them to work to share with everyone and I have to say I wasn’t prepared for the reviews I got. I’m always excited when I attempt and succeed at a new recipe or dish, but the true test is when I watch other people try my latest and greatest and their jaw drops in amazement that’s when I know I have a winner. That was the case with this little treat; everyone absolutely loved these cupcakes and couldn’t help but go on and on about them. These were out of this world, so if you have an obsession with chocolate and peanut butter or if you know someone that does you can’t go wrong with these!
Take 5 Cupcakes
Ingredients-
For the cupcakes:
1/2 Cup Dutch Process Cocoa powder
1 Cup boiling water
1 1/3 Cup all purpose flour
2 Teaspoons baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Cup granulated white sugar
2 Large eggs
2 Teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the crust-
1 Cup pretzels, roughly chopped
1/3 Cup dry roasted peanuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Then in the bowl of your stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the pretzel and peanut mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner.
Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16-20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
For the filling-
1/4 Cup peanut butter
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
Directions-
Place all ingredients in a small bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together until fluffy.
For the frosting-
1 Stick butter, room temperature
4 Cups powdered sugar
1/4 Cup milk
2 Tablespoons caramel sauce, homemade or store bought
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher salt
Directions-
Fit a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Place butter in a bowl and whip on medium-high until butter is light and fluffy; add the powdered sugar and whip until combined. Add the milk, caramel sauce, vanilla and salt and whip until combined; be sure not to overwhip.
To assemble the cupcakes-
Open 2 King Size Take 5 candy bars and roughly chop with a sharp knife.
Hollow out a small portion of the cupcake and fill with the peanut butter filling. Frost the cupcake as desired. I used Wilton tip 1M. After frosting, sprinkle the broken pieces of the candy bar over the tops of the cupcakes.
Recipe Source: Cupcakes, Joy of Baking
Filling, A Lynsey original
Frosting, A Lynsey original
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