Sometimes Jeremy has to travel for work, and while I miss him while he’s gone, it gives me a lot of extra time to catch up on all the baking I’ve been daydreaming about (like making these cupcakes), and I’m able to give the place a thorough deep-clean without any distractions. Plus, when he goes on these trips he always brings me back a little something special, and it was on such an occasion a few weeks ago that he returned home from a work trip in Napa with a small paper bag of treats. Upon opening it, I discovered that he’d brought me back some chocolate bars, but not just any chocolate bars. He had gotten me the wildest, most flavor-intensive chocolate bars he could find.
One was a dark chocolate bar with little pieces of bbq potato chips in it, and the other was a milk chocolate bar with little pieces of beef jerky in it, (he is well aware of my propensity towards sweet & salty flavor combinations). Now, I know those flavors sound a bit crazy, but trust me when I say that the salty and chocolatey flavors of these bars taste insanely good when combined together. So after I’d inhaled them and was riding high on my cocoa-induced mania, I looked at the label again to see who made these amazing bars of joy, and saw it was Wild Ophelia.
I decided to use their banana peanut butter chocolate bar as an inspiration for these cupcakes, and made banana chocolate chip cupcakes with a peanut butter ganache. But I melted down their banana peanut butter chocolate bar and used it as the base for the chocolate ganache filling. So basically, these were the chocolatiest peanut-butteriest banana cupcakes ever. The banana made the cake portion super moist, and the salty-sweet pb buttercream provided a great flavor contrast. And the cupcake liners I used made my cupcakes look like they were wearing little Dracula collars, which I enjoyed. But the soft ganache center was what really brought it alllllll together. Thank you, chocolate. Thank you for making my life so much fun to live.
Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Buttercream & A Chocolate Ganache Center
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Ingredients
Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
- 3 slightly overripe bananas
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup butter softened
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Peanut Butter Banana Buttercream
- 1 and 1/3 cup butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
Chocolate Ganache
- 4 ounces chocolate broken into small pieces
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a muffin pan and line with cupcake liners and set aside. Begin by making the banana chocolate chip cupcakes. Mash the bananas together in a medium sized bowl using a potato masher. Set the bowl aside.
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In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar. Add all of the liquid ingredients, including the eggs and mashed bananas, and mix until until well-blended. Set them aside.
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Mix together the remaining dry ingredients in a small bowl and then stir them into the banana mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
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Pour the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them up 3/4 of the way. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until they are set and the tops are a light golden color. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely before filling and frosting.
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While they're cooling, you can make the ganache. In the top of a double boiler, mix together the chocolate and cream and continue stirring gently until the mixture is melted and completely smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to firm up to a frosting-like texture and cool to room temperature.
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While the ganache is cooling, you can make the buttercream. Beat together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add the peanut butter and continue mixing until completely incorporated. Set aside.
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Once the cupcakes and ganache have cooled, use a spoon to scoop out a hole in the top center of each cupcake, about 1-inch deep. Spoon in some of the chocolate ganache, then pipe the frosting over the top of the cupcake to cover the hole. Repeat until all the cupcakes have been frosted. Serve immediately.
My favorite chocolate pairing is a salted caramel with fleur de sel. Sometimes the chocolate is so good it doesn't need a pair, if you know what I mean.
It might be because I loved Raisinets as a kid, but I love chocolate and dried blueberries together. It's even better when the dried blueberries are made at home!
My favorite pairing is either chocolate + orange or chocolate + peanut butter.
Oh. It would definitely be peanut butter and chocolate. Though, I made some dark chocolate port truffles that were TO DIE FOR. So…hm….
Chocolate and peanut butter!
Chocolate and peanut butters is probably my favorite combo but I like lots of things with chocolate – strawberry, orange, banana, toffee, caramel….
These cupcakes look amazing! And my favorite chocolate pairing would have to be toffee…yum!
These look fabulous! I love peanut butter and chocolate, but I have a special weakness for chocolate and salt.
The filling in these looks freaking fabulous! Gorgeous!!
I Love flavored chocolate! I love small batch local foods! I will be hoarding these bars for myself. I Will be searching for these bars in my local Earth Fare!
Wow…. chocolateyyyy banananyyyy heaven! These look amazing! Always love your photos and posts, Cheers~
My favorite is cherries and chocolate
My favorite chocolate pairing-probably would be whatever chocolate was in my mouth at the time. I just made a banana cake. Bananas must be popular right now!
yum!!
I like to eat chocolate next to my chocolate Labrador retriever …but I don't share
My favorite chocolate pairing is chocolate and caramel!
Cherries and Chocolate would have to be my favorite – tart and sweet, mmmm!!
My very favorite chocolate combo is marshmallow, caramel and dark chocolate! I also love a good salted chocolate chip cookie! MMMMM!
Anything with salt and chocolate is at the top of my list. I would love to try the BBQ potato chips flavor you mentioned> crazy!
OOH! Almost every one of those flavors are intriguing me, but most especially the one with granola, and actually ANYTHING with dark or semisweet chocolate!!
Chocolate and coconut is pretty much the best thing ever.
Those cupcakes sound so delicious. . .my favorite pairing is the classic chocolate-and-orange. We became hooked on it while living in Scotland. Terry's Chocolate Orange, OMGosh. Lindt's chocolate-and-chili is a close second.
My favorite chocolate combination is dark chocolate, pistachio, and ginger! Yum.
My favorite chocolate combination is dark chocolate, pistachio, and ginger! Yum.
Chocolate and bbq chips?? Okay gotta try that. Also need to try these cupcakes Eva, love love that photo showing the center.
I'm traditional – chocolate and raspberry.
Chocolate peanut butter!
Leslie:
I love dark chocolate with cashews.
leslieannstevenson@yahoo.com
I think my favorite chocolate pairing would have to be chocolate and caramel!
The chocolate bars AND the cupcakes both sound delicious!
I actually love chocolate with potato chips! 🙂
My favorite by far is chocolate and caramel…but I do love chocolate and peanutbutter too!
Salt anything + chocolate anything..YUM
Gorgeous cupcakes, I love chocolate with PB, chocolate with caramel, or chocolate with mint.
Ah! I've seen these at Whole Foods before and am always so tempted. Next time I must pick up a bar (or seven). I'm a big chocolate and sea salt fan.
chocolate w/ sour cherries
fruitcrmble AT Comcast DOT net
Suzanne of Simply Suzannes at Home
They look amazing! And your photography . . . is stunning.
Have a beautiful week,
Suzanne
I love fruit with dark chocolate
Chocolate and Vanilla Swirl in cake and ice cream.
chocolate and peanutbutter anything
I'm kinda boring with chocolate and salted caramel. Choco-peanut butter too. I am excited to step out though. 🙂
chocolate and coffee is my favorite paring!
catharineellie [at] gmail [dot] com
I love chocolate and fruit!
My favorite food to pair with chocolate is peanut butter, always has been and always will be!
my favorite combo is chocolate with almond
chocolate with coconut and chocolate with peanut butter
Oh my – what a whirlwind of flavor combinations! I really love chocolate and gingerbread combination. I friend in Finland sent me some for Christmas one year. Oh, and I can't wait to try your cupcakes – they look to die for! Thanks for a chance to win!
Cheers!
I love Wild Ophelia as well as their sister company vosges. In fact, as I sit here and type this, I am eating their Bapchi's Caramel Toffee Bar. Yummy!
I love dark chocolate and raspberry together!
I love chocolate and hazelnut!
My favorite flavor combo is plain old chocolate and peanut butter. You can never go wrong with that combination.
I love chocolate and almonds together, unless I'm wanting chocolate and hazelnut, or chocolate and peanut butter, or chocolate and coconut, or chocolate and raspberry…
that's a tough question, but at this particular moment, i'd have to pick chocolate and caramel.
I have a weakness for a deep chocolate with dark roast espresso beans– I'm salivating just thinking about it!
My favorite Chocolate flavor pairing is definitely dark chocolate and peanut butter!!
wimbley73@aol.com
Chocolate and Roast Espresso beans. My husband votes for ice cream. 🙂
Chocolate and any kind of nut is my favorite.
It's always peanut butter and chocolate for me!
salted caramels and chocolate
I like smores!
I love caramel and chocolate together best!
Thank you for the sweet giveaway!
Chocolate + raspberry!
I know it's cliche but I'm a chocolate and peanut butter kinda gal. These cupcakes look divine, and that ganache center is dreamy!!
My favorite is milk or white chocolate and raspberry.
Chocolate and fig. Yum!
I think that would be cherries and chocolate — like chocolate covered cherries or cherry flavored fudge, etc.
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
BBQ chips in chocolate? Awesome.
Hello. Someone told me about your blog and "Cooking With Mr. C." on Facebook. I look forward to looking through your blog. Denise
peanut butter and chocolate! or nuts and chocolate, or caramel and chocolate. Anything chocolate actually!
oh my goodness these look delicious!
So decedent! I can't wait to try.
I like dark chocolate and lemon ice
i love chococate with salty caramel!
Who doesn't like chocolate? They all look yummy!
My favorite pairing is a classic: chocolate and strawberries!
Chili!! Who isn't down with some extra spice in their life (or their chocolate)??!
They have the ones with chilies in them at a coffee shop in old downtown Fayetteville,NC and I can never pass it up when I check out. I charish it and limit myself to a square a day lol They are to die for!
I love a combo of dark chocolate, salted caramel and coconut!
Good grief these look good.
I just love chocolate with any kind of berries.. soo good!
I love chocolate and peanut butter in everything! They go so well together!
umzug wien umzug Entrümpelung Wohnungsräumung
I love chocolate and vanilla (like marshmallows)
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