When it comes to this dessert, I start by preheating my oven to 350 degrees F. You can certainly butter and flour two 24-cup mini cupcake pans, but I choose to use mini cupcake liners for easy cleanup.
Gather all your dry ingredients and mix them in a bowl. (Fonio flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso and salt). You can use your favorite cocoa powder in this recipe. I like a rich, dark chocolate and use Valrhona Oure Cocoa Powder which is a high-quality cocoa.
Next, in a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. (Yogurt, vanilla and egg.) I use fat-free Greek yogurt which is my go-to ingredient. But feel free to use 2% or full fat too for an even richer batter. You could use 1/2 Greek yogurt and 1/2 buttermilk for a looser batter and a slightly different taste.
You’ll now want to combine the wet into the dry, stirring with a spatula to make sure everything is combined. If the batter is too thick (like brownie batter), add a little water or milk one tablespoon at a time to loosen up the batter. It won’t be pourable, but you want it smooth and easy to scoop.
Using a 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons ice cream scoop (or a heaping tablespoon), scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake tins. Using the scoop will give you uniform sized cupcakes that will bake evenly.
Pop into the oven for 9 – 12 minutes. I start checking at 9 minutes. Simply insert a toothpick into the middle of the cupcake. When it comes out clean, the cupcake is done. It there are crumbs or batter, back them another couple of minutes.
While they are cooling, make your peanut butter frosting. For this butter cream frosting, it will be a lot easier if both the peanut butter and butter are at room temperature. You’ll also want to use stabilized peanut butter right from the grocery store. This is not the place for natural peanut butter that separates and has to be stirred before using. That can cause problems with the recipe. Using a hand mixer, cream the two together until super smooth. Add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt and make sure everything is well incorporated.
Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Move them to a rack and let them cool completely for another 15 minutes.
Did you like this recipe? Looking for other delicious cupcake recipes? Try some of my favorites:
Bake Sale Sugar-Free Cupcakes with 3 Ingredient Cream Cheese Frosting
Everyday Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting
Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling and Pistachio Whipped Cream
Gluten-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ¾ Cup Shipetaukin Fonio flour
- ⅔ Cup Granulated sugar
- ½ Cup Valhona cocoa powder
- ½ Tsp. Baking soda
- ½ Tsp. Instant espresso powder
- ¼ Tsp. Kosher salt
- ⅔ Cup Canola oil
- 1 Cup Fat-free Greek yogurt
- ½ Cup Buttermilk
- 1 Tsp. Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Large egg, (room temperature)
Frosting
- ¾ Cup Peanut butter, smooth
- ½ Cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 Cup Confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tsp. Pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Chopped roasted peanuts for garnish (optional)
- Dark Chocolate, grated for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two (24-cup) mini muffin tins with paper cupcake liners. I usually get 40 – 48 cupcakes out of this mix.
- Whisk flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda, espresso powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl until combined.
- Whisk oil, yogurt, buttermilk, vanilla and egg together in a medium bowl until combined. Gently stir the wet mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. If the batter is too thick (like brownie batter) a a tablespoon of water or milk to loosen it up. It will not be pourable but should be loose and smooth. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into each prepared muffin cup.
- Bake the cupcakes, until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 9 to 12 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes.
- While the cupcakes cool, beat the peanut butter and butter with a hand mixer on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt until blended and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with chopped peanuts and grated dark chocolate, if desired.
