Chocolate Peanutbutter Crispy Cupcakes

My camera seems to be on strike, so no pictures until I manage to get is working again (UPDATE: The camera is working...hence the pictures), but lets just say that when you combine rice crispy treats with chocolate, peanut butter, chocolate mousse and then add even more chocolate on top, very good things happen. Definately proves that "vegan" and "gluten-free" do not in any way have to equal healthy...

Chocolate-Peanutbutter Crispy Cupcakes w/ Mousse Filling

Makes 6 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Mousse:
1/2 block (6 oz?) lite silken tofu (the aseptic package)
2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (or just do 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and ditch the almond)
(this will make a little bit too much mousse...but that's ok, because you can just eat the leftovers)

Cupcakes: (this recipe is a 1/2 version of this recipe which I guess is originally from How It All Vegan.)
1/2 cup sugar (I used sugar-in-the-raw)
1/2 cup brown rice syrup or corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter (I used natural unsalted unsweetened crunchy)
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
3 cups "crisped rice"

Topping:
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
2 tsp non-dairy milk or yogurt

Instructions:
Mousse (do this first, maybe an hour in advance):
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. In a blender, combine the tofu, extracts and melted chocolate until very smooth and uniform in color. Refrigerate for at least an hour so it sets.

Cupcakes:
Spray a 6 count muffin tin with cooking spray or pop in some cupcake liners. Set aside.

Combine the sugar and the syrup in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-low heat...basically until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter until well combined. Add the chocolate and the crispies and stir gently until well blended and until the chocolate is all melty and gooey. Yum.

Take your muffin tin and drop a glob of the crispy mix into the first cup. Smoosh the crispies to form a bowl-shape, with the crispies going right up to the top edge of the cup. Get out your now-set mousse and drop a dollop of it into the crispy "bowl", enough to bring it up to the top of the cup. Continue on and make 5 more mousse-filled bowls in the remaining muffin cups. You should have a little less than half of the crispies left. Then take a big spoonful of the remaining crispies and shape it into a flat top-of-cupcake shape big enough to cover the top of each "bowl". Top each filled bowl with a top and gently press/smoosh to "seal" the top onto the bottom.

Melt the 1/4 cup of chocolate and the milk/yogurt in the double boiler until melted. Pour into an icing bag (aka, ziplock with the tip cut off) and drizzle the chocolate over top of the cupcakes. I have to admit, I didn't drizzle since my cheap-o dollarstore "zipper sealed" bag split and globbed chocolate all over the place...so I spread some on each cake and that worked well, even if it didn't look as pretty.

Let the cupcakes sit out for a bit until the chocolate topping sets, then carefully cover the tin and place in the fridge to finish setting. These are awesome served cold or even frozen.

Happy Birthday Katie, hope these were an appropriate birthday dessert!