Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Cupcakes

I can't believe the end of the semester is upon us! This semester has flown by and I am in the midst of a mid-college life crisis.  I have a HUGE project due on the 14th called the Collaborative Lesson Plan.  I have been working on it for around a month already.  It is a group project and my group members: Ben, Heather, and Jenny are great! I like to show up to group meetings with fun treats for them :).  Yesterday, I brought Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries from Trader Joe's.  I swear that grocery store is amazing.  Anyways, we have been working really hard and I can't believe that it is almost done! Our lesson plan is pretty great and incorporates Service Based Learning.  This is a concept that I, as a future teacher, find really helpful for many students.  Getting involved in the community is an excellent way to keep kids motivated and involved.  Our specific lesson is about researching an aspect of the service based learning that the students are involved in.  I can't wait to be an actual teacher and possibly use some of these ideas!

Graduating Sisters: Caitlin and Lindzey

Along with the end of the semester comes a very scary concept: Graduation.  Some of my dearest sisters from DTS are graduating this semester and I am extremely sad to see them go.  Lindzey and Caitlin have become some of my closest friends.  Plus, the fact that they are graduating means that I am not that far behind, and that is truly frightening. It is DTS tradition to treat the graduates to dinner.  This year, I have been asked to make a fun dessert to bring along to celebrate their graduation.  At first, I was going to re-make my Kit Kat Chocolate Cake with Red and White M&Ms for Wisconsin, but then I found a recipe that I just couldn't pass up.

I have tried out Cup-cookies before, but I decided to do my own this time:

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie-Cups

Cookie Cups:
Ingredients:

3 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 sticks butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

1 egg

1 egg white

1 bag mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Directions: 

1. Mix and set aside flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

2. In large bowl, mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Add egg and egg white to mixture.

3. Gradually add in flour mixture and mix until incorporated.  

4. Drop about 1 tbsp of the dough into a greased or lined cupcake pan and press along bottom and sides.  Place one peanut butter cup in the pan and then top with about another tbsp of dough.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes

Before the oven

After!

Peanut Butter Frosting (from The Curvy Carrot)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (for drizzling)

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients with an electric mixture until smooth and creamy.
2. Using a plastic bag or piping bag, pipe frosting onto the tops of the cookie cups
3. Melt the chocolate chips and using a spoon, drizzle over the cup cookies.

Off to Graduation Dinner! Can't wait for dessert :)

Enjoy :)