This past weekend, we had our very good friends come visit us in Florida from NJ. It was their daughter’s 7th birthday and we were beyond excited to celebrate with her.
When we asked her what kind of cupcake she wanted for her birthday, she overwhelmingly responded “PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY”! So, PB&J it was.
Of course, I turned to my trusted Cakes recipe book (Melissa Ben-Ishay’s Cakes by Melissa Cookbook.) and it did not disappoint. The cupcakes themselves are a basic vanilla cupcake and then they’re filled with grape jelly and topped with peanut butter. There’s no additional sugar in the frosting (which I love) and the combination of PB&J really complemented the vanilla cupcake. It was the closest thing to a PB&J sandwich you can get… but in cupcake form!
Side note – these are an amazing treat. Many times, I frost just half of them and freeze the rest. They keep frozen great and then you always have a spare dozen on hand when you need it!
PB&J Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure (or homemade) vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 3/4 cups whole milk (room temperature)
For the filling & frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups grape jelly
- 1 16-oz jar smooth peanut butter
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease cupcake tin and set aside.
- With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 1 minute on high speed, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the vanilla extract. While mixing at medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the edges of the bowl midway through.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture. When it’s mostly incorporated, add half the milk. Add the remainder of the dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Stop mixing as soon as you have a smooth batter.
- Bake until cupcakes feel springy when you gently press your finger against them, about 25-30 minutes. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely.
- Fill a disposable pastry bag with grape jelly. Massage the bag a bit before cutting off about 1/2 inch of the tip so you get an even mixture. With a small circular cookie cuter, cut a hole in the top of a cupcake and press open the edges. Slowly squeeze the bag to fill the cupcake with jelly. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
- Fill another disposable pasty bag fitted with a round tip with peanut butter. Pipe a swirl or dots (to make a flower shape) on top of each cupcake, up and around but not covering the jam. Repeat with remaining cupcakes and enjoy!
Season Generously 