PEEPS^® S’mores Cupcakes

INSTRUCTIONS

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard cupcake pans with liners and set aside.

Crust

1. Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix until combined, and small clumps form.
2. Divide mixture evenly between cupcake liners, about 1 Tablespoon per liner. Pack it down firmly with the bottom of a small glass.
3. Bake 5 minutes, then remove to cool.

Cupcakes

1. In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix and espresso powder.
2. Add remaining ingredients and whisk for 2-3 minutes, until batter is combined and uniform. Be careful not to over mix.
3. Using a large ice cream scoop, add batter on top of graham cracker crust, filling cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way full.
4. If desired, sprinkle more graham cracker crumbs on top of each cupcake, then place pans in oven.
5. Drop oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove and place on cooling rack.
7. When cool, using a paring knife, cut a small, 1-inch deep cone of cake out of the center of each cupcake. Set aside.

PEEPS® Buttercream Frosting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter 3-4 minutes until creamy.
2. Add in the confectioner’s sugar slowly, about 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth. Taste after each addition to gauge how sweet you want it.  Remember, you’ll be adding melted sugar-covered marshmallows into this!
3. Add salt and milk, beating on low until incorporated, then on high for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. If you’re making multiple colors, divide your buttercream into separate bowls.
4. In a double boiler (or a metal bowl set over a pot of boiling water – be careful with this!), melt your PEEPS®, using a silicone spatula to help the process.
5. Working quickly, add your melted PEEPS® to a bowl of buttercream, and mix with a spatula until fully incorporated and smooth. If only making one color, simply add all of the melted PEEPS® into your stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed until incorporated.
6. Fill a piping bag with your icings, striping each color separately inside to achieve a variegated color.
7. Pipe a small amount of icing inside the cutout cupcake centers, and proceed to frost each cupcake, re-striping the bag with your colored icing each time you fill it.
8. Decorate with sprinkles and full-sized PEEPS®, and enjoy!  

Use extreme caution when heating PEEPS®, they may be hot.  Handle with care.