These Snickers cupcakes combine soft chocolate cupcakes, creamy peanut butter frosting, salted caramel sauce, and chopped Snickers bars for the ultimate chocolate-caramel-peanut butter dessert.
I originally published this recipe in 2015, and I’ve since updated it with new photos and additional success tips. The chocolate cupcake base has been changed to the same one we use for cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, and we are now filling these cupcakes with salted caramel sauce, for an even more indulgent Snickers cupcake experience!
These Snickers cupcakes are everything you love about the candy bar in cupcake form. The combination of moist chocolate cupcakes, creamy peanut butter frosting, gooey caramel sauce, and chopped Snickers on top is unapologetically over-the-top—in the very best way.
If you love chocolate and peanut butter desserts, this recipe deserves a spot in your regular cupcake rotation. The cupcakes themselves are deeply chocolatey and ultra soft, with a buttery salted caramel core hiding inside. Topped with creamy, fluffy peanut butter frosting, every bite tastes like the ultimate Snickers-inspired dessert. Finish each one with a caramel drizzle and chopped Snickers bars for a truly indulgent bakery-style cupcake.
Why You’ll Love These Snickers Cupcakes
- The cupcakes are basically this popular chocolate cake, but scaled down
- Extra soft & moist, not dense or dry
- Extreme chocolate flavor; hot liquid “blooms” the cocoa
- Creamy peanut butter frosting that pipes beautifully
- Salted caramel surprise hiding inside!
4 Parts to Snickers Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes: This is my favorite chocolate cupcake base because it stays incredibly soft and flavorful. Cocoa powder can easily dry out cupcakes, so we use a careful combination of oil, eggs, buttermilk, and hot liquid to keep the crumb tender and rich.
- Caramel Filling: You can absolutely use store-bought caramel sauce, but homemade salted caramel takes these cupcakes to another level. We’re filling the cupcakes with it, and then drizzling a little more on top, because we can.
- Peanut Butter Frosting: Snickers bars are packed with peanuts, so a creamy peanut butter frosting feels right at home here. The frosting is silky, lightly salty, and sturdy enough for piping. Use regular creamy peanut butter, not natural-style peanut butter, for the best consistency.
- Chopped Snickers Bars: The final touch! Sprinkle chopped fun-size Snickers bars over the caramel while it’s still sticky so everything stays in place.
Even for an assembled/decorated cupcake, the process is still pretty straightforward. Make the cupcakes, carve a little hole in the center of the cooled cupcakes, fill with salted caramel sauce, and top with peanut butter frosting.
Let me explain some key ingredients and show you this process in photos.
Make the Chocolate Cupcakes First
My regular super moist chocolate cupcakes are great, but they can be quite fragile. I love this newer cupcake recipe below, and even use it for these chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, and these Easter cupcakes. It’s my go-to chocolate cupcake.
For the BEST texture and flavor, you need these key ingredients:
- Natural Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened, natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-process). You can read about the difference in this post: Dutch-process vs. Natural Cocoa Powder.
- Oil: Cocoa powder is a very drying ingredient, so you’ll usually find it paired with oil in cake and cupcake recipes. Oil provides moisture and doesn’t weigh down a baked good. Vegetable oil is ideal, but melted coconut oil, avocado oil, or even light olive oil can be used instead.
- Buttermilk: The team and I tested these cupcakes with buttermilk and with sour cream. Made with buttermilk, they have the best flavor, but can be a little soft and sticky, so slightly more difficult to cut and fill. Made with sour cream, they have a sturdier crumb, but the chocolate flavor isn’t as strong. We liked the buttermilk cupcakes best, and a quick chill in the refrigerator after they’ve fully cooled helps make the filling/assembly process easier.
- Hot Coffee or Hot Water: Hot liquid enhances the cocoa powder’s flavor. It also encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately. I promise these cupcakes don’t taste like coffee at all! If you don’t drink coffee, you can use hot water. For deeper and richer flavor, though, use coffee. You can either brew it in a coffee maker or make instant coffee. Decaf coffee works!
You also need all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, egg, & vanilla extract.
Spoon/pour the thin batter into a 12-count muffin pan lined with cupcake liners—you should have enough batter to make 15 cupcakes, so you will either need 2 muffin pans or you can divide and bake them in 2 batches. Fill the liners about 2/3 full. If you use the batter to make fewer than 15 cupcakes, you are overfilling the lined cups and your cupcakes will spill over the sides.
Optional (but recommended) step: When the cupcakes are completely—or nearly completely—cool, place them in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes to make them a bit easier to carve into and fill.
Make the Peanut Butter Frosting
For the peanut butter frosting, be sure to use a creamy/smooth processed peanut butter, such as Skippy or Jif. Natural-style peanut butter is great for many things, but it makes for a grainy, oily, and separated peanut butter frosting. Not ideal!
You also need room-temperature butter, confectioners’ sugar, a little cream, vanilla extract, and salt.
It comes together quickly with an electric mixer. Look how smooth and creamy it is!
How to Fill & Assemble Snickers Cupcakes
Now it’s time to assemble them. The process is just like filling my strawberry shortcake cupcakes and lemon raspberry jam cupcakes. With a sharp knife, cut a circle in the cupcake, and remove the center, which will be roughly the shape of a cone.
Using a small spoon, fill the middle of the cupcake with as much salted caramel sauce as you can. (Usually between 1–2 teaspoons.) Slice/tear off the pointed tip of the cone-shaped piece of cupcake, and gently press the round piece back on top of the filling. If you need any extra help with this step, see my How to Fill Cupcakes tutorial and video.
These cupcakes are extra soft and moist, so this step can get a little messy. That’s fine, you’re covering up the mess with frosting!
Key Success Tips for Snickers Cupcakes
- Fill the Liners Only 2/3 Full: The batter is thin, and these cupcakes rise in the oven. Filling the liners only 2/3 of the way full helps prevent overflowing mushroom tops.
- Use Natural Cocoa Powder: You need natural cocoa powder to react properly with the baking soda and acidic ingredients in the batter. Dutch-process cocoa won’t give the same rise or flavor balance in this recipe. If you only have Dutch-process cocoa, make brownies instead!
- Don’t Over-mix the Batter: Once the wet and dry ingredients come together, stop whisking. Over-mixing/whisking creates dense cupcakes instead of soft, fluffy ones.
- Cool Completely Before Assembling: Warm cupcakes will melt the peanut butter frosting, plus they are difficult to cut and fill. Let them cool completely before filling and frosting; even better, give them a quick chill in the refrigerator to make them easier to cut into.
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Description
These ultimate Snickers cupcakes are made with ultra-moist chocolate cupcakes, salted caramel filling, creamy peanut butter frosting, and chopped Snickers bars on top. Every bite tastes like your favorite candy bar in cupcake form.
Chocolate Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Frosting
Filling & Topping
- Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. This recipe yields about 15 cupcakes, so line a second muffin pan with 3 more liners or bake in batches.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, preferably with a pour spout, whisk the oil, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and buttermilk together until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the hot coffee/water, and whisk until the batter is completely combined. The batter is thin.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. You should have enough batter for 15 cupcakes.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cupcakes must be completely cooled—and even chilled for 20–30 minutes in the refrigerator if they’re particularly sticky on top—before assembling.
- Make the frosting: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed for 1 minute until completely smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat on medium-high speed until completely combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on low speed for about 20 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 minute.
- Fill the cupcakes: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a little pocket about 1 inch deep. The piece you removed will be roughly cone-shaped. Spoon cooled salted caramel sauce inside each carved-out cupcake; use however much will fit. (Usually you can fit between 1–2 teaspoons of caramel in each.) Slice/tear off the pointed end of the “cone” piece of cupcake you removed, and gently press the round piece back on top of the filling. See my How to Fill Cupcakes post if you need extra visuals or help with this step.
- Frost the cupcakes: Pipe or spread the peanut butter frosting on top of the cupcakes. I used a Wilton #1A round tip. Top with a drizzle of caramel sauce and chopped Snickers bars.
- Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before serving. (Bring to room temperature before serving.) Cover and store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. (Beat the cold frosting with an electric mixer on medium speed to loosen it up, if needed.) Salted caramel sauce can be made ahead and stored in a tightly covered jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Fill and frost cupcakes the day you plan to serve them. Unfrosted, unfilled cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then continue with step 7.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Mixing Bowl (with a pour spout) or Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton #1A Round Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- Cocoa Powder: Do not use Dutch-process cocoa in this recipe. Dutch-process cocoa is treated with an alkali to neutralize its acids and therefore will not react with the alkaline baking soda in the batter. Learn more about the difference between Dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder here.
- Cupcakes Sinking: The cupcakes may look like they’re sinking in the center while they’re baking, but they should pop back up by the time baking is finished. Cocoa powder is not as structurally strong as flour, so sinking is a common issue with chocolate cupcakes. It doesn’t matter all that much if they sink a bit in the center, though, because you’re cutting out the middles and filling them with caramel!
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower-fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cupcakes won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Hot Coffee or Hot Water: Hot liquid enhances the cocoa powder’s flavor. It also encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately. I promise these cupcakes don’t taste like coffee at all! If you don’t drink coffee, you can use hot water. For deeper and richer flavor, though, use coffee (regular or decaf, but make sure it’s black with no sugar or cream). You can either brew it in a coffee maker or use instant coffee.
- Caramel Sauce: If using my homemade caramel sauce, keep in mind this is a salted caramel. For a sweeter caramel, reduce salt in that recipe to 1/2 teaspoon. Make sure the caramel sauce has cooled and thickened before filling the cupcakes, otherwise it will be too thin. You can make the caramel sauce in advance—see make-ahead tip in the caramel recipe.
- More Success Tips: Be sure to check out my How to Use Piping Tips post for instructions on how to fill a piping bag, and my How to Fill Cupcakes post for troubleshooting tips and a video tutorial. And you can also read my 10 Tips for Baking the BEST Cupcakes.
