Let me just say this now and get it over with: I hate football. I’m probably going to get some shit for this, but really, I don’t give a flying pigskin. I despise it with every fiber of my being. I’ve never liked any sports much; let alone organized games in gym class (yes, I often refused to play, no, I rarely changed into my gym clothes and no, I do not give a shit about the Presidential Physical Fitness test they give you in 6th grade). Except for when I could use it as an excuse to mess with other kids. Speaking of which- sorry Pamela, yes that was me who whacked you in the knee (on purpose) with the stick during field hockey in 12th grade. I hope you didn’t need end up needing surgery. It was all in good fun.

I took dance for 9 years so I was never a couch-potato kid, I just hated sports.

But football, ah, football… football has always been the most hated of all. Baseball? That’s a different story, slightly. I can get into it, but not enough to watch it on TV. I like to go to games, but I don’t know much about it and don’t claim to. I’m a Met fan since birth, and that’s basically an inherited title. Yes, I can totally go to a game & get into it (thanks to the hot dogs & beer). Yes, I own a Mets jersey. But don’t ask me who currently plays on the team, or what the stats are… because I don’t really care if it’s Donald Duck and Daffy, I’ll still root for ‘em and then forget if they even won a day later. Although who am I kidding, the poor Mets haven’t won anything since 1986. And I can’t watch baseball on TV at all without zoning out completely & wishing for a quick death or lead pipe to the dome.

Hockey is cool only because guys lose teeth and beat each other up during the games. Plus, sometimes I admit I stop on a game while channel surfing just to see if blood really bounces on ice (but I never get to see anything, sadly). Soccer I don’t get much either. Basketball? Well, I can’t say much bad about it, but am I interested in it? No, no more than I’m interested in accounting. But football… football is the bane of my existence. I hate how Sundays and Mondays are filled with it all winter, I hate the Superbowl, I hate the fans… I hate it all. I hate baseball fans too, don’t get me wrong- I live in New York, home of some of the most obnoxious baseball fans this side of Boston (yes, you’re obnoxious too, Bostonites).

These cupcakes have nothing to do with football.

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But by far football fans are the worst. Anyway, if you’re like me, and you agree that football does indeed suck, then you’ll appreciate this. Okay now back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Luckily, Jay is a baseball guy- so he really isn’t all that interested. My dad, however, is a football guy (Giants), and my mother always roots for the Jets. I really wish every team would just spontaneously combust upon entering the field. But I had these really cute little football themed liners and I was going to make cupcakes so… I used them.  They are pretty cute, actually, with the little footballs and helmets. I can’t remember why I bought them- I’m thinking perhaps for my dad’s birthday one year, but oh well.  Since all I heard the past few days was football this, and football that, why not use them? The cupcakes themselves really have nothing to do with football, but I guess if you’re one of those people who likes to watch it and invite people over, these would be a cute little dessert to serve. They can easily be made as mini-cupcakes too. But I only have one mini-cupcake pan so it can be a pain in the tush to make those around here. The recipe can also be halved with good results.

I’ve made a few peanut butter chocolate cupcakes before, like these, or these, and these too… but this recipe is different. This isn’t a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting, oh no, siree. It’s a peanut butter cupcake with peanut chips and chocolate buttercream, topped with MORE peanut chips. The cool thing though is that there’s no peanut butter in them! Just peanut butter extract. I got my extract from Watkins (click here for a direct link to buy the PB extract), but there are probably other places you can buy it.

I still hate football. But if football tasted like these cupcakes, I might love it just a little bit.

PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter extract
• ¾ cup whole milk
• 5 ounces peanut chips (i.e. Reese’s) for filling, then another 5 ounces for topping

Directions:

1. Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350° F. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
2. In another bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), beat the eggs and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the butter and peanut butter extract. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture, then add the milk, then finish with the flour mixture.
3. Fold in the peanut chips, but do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins, filling each roughly halfway. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

The frosting is a regular ol’ chocolate buttercream. You could go all out and do a peanut butter frosting too, if you’re a big PB lover. Or make PB&J cupcakes by making them, filling them with a jam after they’re cooled, then frost them with peanut butter frosting.

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Be very very very careful of overbeating these! For real. They will get really tough and muffin-y. And please save your breath, or I should say your finger-energy, and don’t bother commenting about the virtues of the sport. It sucks, I’ll never like it, and I’m entitled. Happy cupcaking!

EDITED 2/5/12: I’d just like to proudly say that this makes me super happy & proud, because not only is this the first thing that came up, but this entry is also the first result that comes up on Google. Nice! Football-hating pride!

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