Preheat oven to 350 F or to package instructions and line two cupcake tins with paper liners and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the cupcakes and mix with a whisk until combined. Then add the semisweet chocolate chips and fold in with a rubber spatula. Then spoon two tablespoons (about ⅔ full) of batter into each of the cupcake liners.
Bake for 14-19 minutes (or to package instructions), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Gather your ingredients for the nutter butter reindeers and prepare three baking sheets with parchment paper and set it aside.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the black candy melts in 30 second increments, stirring frequently between each time, until fully melted and smooth. Pour the melted black candy melts into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton #4 tip. Alternatively, if you don’t have a piping bag or piping tip, you can use a ziploc bag and cut a very tiny piece off of the corner.
Now make the reindeer antlers by piping the black candy melts onto a lined baking sheet. You can use any design you like and get creative with it. Just make sure to keep it around 1 ½ inches in length and not to pipe it too thin otherwise they may break easily when removing them. The way I made it is by first making a ‘Y’ and then making another ‘Y’ underneath it, slightly overlapping the first. Repeat until you have 2 antlers for each reindeer. I like to make extra in case any break or if I am making extra cookies. Set aside to harden or place in the fridge.
Using a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate melting wafers on low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth.
Take one nutter butter and fully submerge it into the melted dark chocolate and make sure it is evenly coated. Lift it out with a fork and lightly tap it on the edge of the pot a few times to remove the excess. Transfer it to the lined baking sheet then repeat with a couple more nutter butters to work in small batches.
Now it is time to decorate the reindeers. Add two sugar pearls for the eyes and a red or brown M&M for the nose. Then carefully remove two antlers from the parchment paper and place them onto the reindeer, slightly higher than the eyes. You don’t want to place it too close to the edge of the nutter butters otherwise they may start to drip off while the chocolate sets.
Repeat the steps with the rest of the nutter butters. Then place the reindeers on the baking sheets into the fridge for 10 minutes or until fully set.
Now it is time to prepare the frosting. In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Then gradually add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until all is incorporated. Add the cocoa powder and mix again until fully incorporated and you have a nice even brown color. Then add the peanut butter and beat until combined. Add 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream and the vanilla extract. Beat ingredients together on high speed until you get the desired consistency. Adjust to taste by adding more powdered sugar to make it thicker and sweeter or add another tablespoon of heavy whipping cream to whip more air into it and make it lighter. You can also add a little more cocoa powder if you’d like a darker, more chocolatey frosting.
Frost the cupcakes using an icing spatula or put the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip. Sprinkle on your choice of sprinkles and then top each cupcake with a nutter butter reindeer.
