Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cupcakes with Caramel Drizzle

My mom is reading a book right now, The End of Overeating, by Dr. David Kessler, and I think it's ruining her life.

She wants me to read it too and I probably will, eventually. I've read Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma and other tomes of that nature, and while I'm not saying I don't agree with the premise of these books, I think that in the wrong hands they just lead to trouble. Sort of the way there are certain people that really ought not watch Fox News. Or the 700 Club. It just makes them crazier.

The problem is that the (way oversimplified) main idea of the work is that the chain restaurant industry is out to get you by loading up offerings with fat and sugar and salt and additives and whatnot. And maybe they are (hello, Cheesecake Factory!), but it really doesn't apply to my mother because she doesn't ever eat at chain restaurants. But it still has her foaming at the mouth.

In the book the author refers to brown cows and purple cows. "Brown cows are fundamentally boring," writes Dr. Kessler. But purple cows - they are out of the ordinary and people stand up and pay attention to them. The food industry, according to one source, has the goal of creating foods that cater to multiple senses, with layers of flavor and varying textures that all work together into an amazing, cohesive whole. And that purple cow is so marvelous that it leaves consumers wanting more and more and even more exciting and multisensory taste experiences (usually adding even more calories, fat, and sodium), and more overeating.

Is that a bad thing? Yeah, maybe in the case of a 3,000-calorie entree. However, that premise is what I try to do with every cupcake recipe I come up with (because all of the recipes in this blog come out of my head, and are the result of long periods of thinking, and rejecting, and substituting, until I've finally tweaked the combination to the place where I want it to go). I like the contrast of a crunchy cupcake bottom, and creamy filling, and dense cake but fluffy icing, with salty and bitter and sweet and maybe sour all represented in one little package.

My mom tried to point out that the calorie content and the cupcake ideas are essentially just what the chain restaurants are doing. Sure, maybe. But a serving size is one cupcake, not a gigantic hubcap-sized platter. And if you look at the history of this blog, I maybe make cupcakes twice a month, more often if there are birthdays or special occasions happening. Do you know how many cupcakes I eat from each batch? One. Maybe only half. Then I give the rest away. Not overeating in the slightest, and perfectly reasonable to boot. Everything in moderation.

As I said once to my sister, these cupcakes are an event, not a snack. If you want a snack, try an apple. But I want the cupcakes that I do make to be amazing - purple cows, if you will - and I'm not saying sorry. So there.

All right, getting off my soapbox now. But seriously, that drives me crazy. "How can you eat like that all the time???" Guess what? I don't.

On to the cupcake! A lot of this one is made up of pieces-parts of other cupcakes I've already done (my basic chocolate cake recipe, the ganache, and the caramel drizzle). What I was really thinking of in this case was the bottom crust. I just love that crunchy contrast. It works really well in the key lime cupcakes and in the cookies and cream one as well. I've used a chocolate layer, a graham cracker layer, and a shortbread layer. What else could I try?

Then the answer came to me. Pretzels. Why not? I really enjoy the combination of salty and sweet, and I figured I could use exactly the same method as I have with other crusts.

There, I had the bottom figured out. What next?

I know chocolate and pretzels go well together, so that took care of the cake part. One of my favorite treats (that I scarcely ever buy because I have a hard time not eating the entire bag) are peanut butter-filled pretzels, so I thought a peanut butter filling would be perfect (plus you see chocolate covered peanut butter-filled pretzels so already this cupcake was making sense). I knew the filling would be sweet, no way around it, so I wanted to use a simple ganache for the frosting. Because I like people to know what they're getting into, I decided to add a dollop of the peanut butter filling on top, and a pretzel garnish as well.

The caramel drizzle gave me pause. I knew I wanted to do it, but I didn't really know why. There isn't any other caramel in the recipe. Then I realized that the sweetness of the caramel would cut through the density of the ganache and it would just work. It did, too. Plus it's just fun to make caramel - it's like magic, the way that a sugar in a pot suddenly melts and turns a deep amber (and also turns into a sugary napalm - no touchy!). So there was the idea - and this is how you do it:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cupcakes with Caramel Drizzle

(Makes about 18 cupcakes)

~ For Pretzel Crust ~

• 2 cups finely crushed hard pretzels (about half a bag, pre-ground. I used the food processor)
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar

~ For Chocolate Cupcakes ~

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 cup hot coffee
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line 18 standard-sized muffin cups with baking liners.

Combine together the ground pretzels, the butter, and the sugar into a small bowl, and mix together until moist and combined. Place about a tablespoon of the crumb mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup, dividing as evenly as possible among the 18. Press down gently with your fingers to cover the bottoms in an even layer. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and let cool completely before filling with the cupcake batter.

Combine the chocolate and cocoa in a medium mixing bowl and pour hot coffee over. Let sit until chocolate is melted. Stir to combine; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. To chocolate mixture add vinegar, oil, eggs, and vanilla; mix well with fork to combine. Pour over flour mixture and stir well.

Pour the batter into the lined muffin tin (filling about 3/4 full). Bake at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes in pan and then cool completely on a wire rack.

See the layers of goodness? Purple cow, right there.

~ Peanut Butter Filling ~

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Using an electric mixer (handheld is also fine), beat butter at a medium speed until creamy. Mix in peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Alternately beat in powdered sugar and milk until the filling is the proper consistency (you want the mixture to be thick, but not too dense to pipe onto the tops of the cupcakes). 

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the peanut butter filling (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Put the remaining filling into a pastry bag fitted with a #22 star tip (or whatever you like, really - that's just what I used).

With the chain link fence in the background it sort of looks like the cupcakes are in the pokey!

~ For ganache ~

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

On the stovetop, bring cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, stir in chocolate and mix well until fully incorporated and shiny. Let cool for about 15 minutes before using (this will also let your cupcakes chill). 

~ Caramel Drizzle ~

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a heavy-bottomed, high-sided saucepan, cook the sugar over medium heat until it begins to melt around the edges, about 5 minutes. Stirring with a clean wooden spoon, continue to cook until the sugar is melted and has turned golden amber, about 3 minutes longer.

Carefully pour the cream down the side of the pan in a slow, steady stream (it will bubble and spatter), stirring constantly until completely smooth. Don't be alarmed if your sugar forms a huge lumpy pancake. Just stir, gently (you don't want this to splash on you, either), until it's all melted in. Stir in the salt. Pour the caramel into a small ceramic bowl and let cool completely before using. (The caramel can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; bring to room temperature before using.) 

Final Assembly:

Carefully spoon the cooled but still liquid ganache on the top of each cupcake. Chill in the refrigerator until set (about 15 minutes). Pipe a peanut butter rosette on the top of each cupcake. Drizzle the caramel sauce on the top of the cupcake and top the rosette with a pretzel piece, if desired.

Cupcakes, cupcakes, as far as the eyes can see!