PB & J Cupcakes!

Yummm. Right?

My hubs loves peanut butter and jelly like woah. Ever seen the pre-made PB & J "Crustables" in the freezer section? Grab them, defrost them, and you're good to go. He lives off of those things. So when I saw these cupcakes, I knew he would geek out to see them sitting on the kitchen table. I did surf the web to check out other recipes, but I really like the way the ones in my book looked. And trust me, they taste even better than they look. I don't think these puppies lasted more than an hour in my house. Hubs gave them two thumbs up. I was also able to share them with my mother and stepfather, which was a nice treat, because it's rare that anyone other than my better half and office pals get to indulge in what I make. This needs to CHANGE! :)

The book called for a basic vanilla cupcake. I decided to go for a buttery yellow cupcake instead. I opted for raspberry preserves in the center of the cupcake and finished with a delightful peanut butter frosting. This recipe was simple which is how I think it should be. I mean, when are PB & J sandwiches ever complicated?

(Click Read more For Recipe)

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Yellow Cupcakes: 

adapted from "Cupcakes" By Shelly Kaldunski

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp

2 large eggs, room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup whole milk (i used 2 percent, and they turned out fine)

makes 12 cupcakes

For the filling: 3/4 cup fruit jam or preserves (i used raspberry, but there are so many options!)

The How To:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. (No liners for this recipe!)

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

3. In another bowl, use an electric mixer on med high speed to beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. (2-3 min)

4. Add the eggs and vanilla to the sugar mix and beat until well combined.

5. Add the flour mix in 3 separate additions, alternating the milk in 2 additions. (So, Add Flour, then Milk. Flour. Milk. Flour. Done.) Beat on low speed while doing all of this.

6. Scrape the sides of bowl if needed.

7. Beat batter on med high speed just until no flour remains. Do not overbeat.

8. Divide batter among the muffin pans, about 3/4 full.

9. Bake 18-20 minutes.

10. Cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour.

**These cakes come out with a more dense consistency. Like a pound cake. This make sense due to the fact that you're slicing them in half and they need to be somewhat sturdy**

Once cupcakes are cooled, use a paring knife to halve each cupcake horizontally. Spread about 1 tablespoon of jam on each cupcake bottom, then replace the tops. (I used a little bit more than 1 tbsp of jam. I like my goodies goooeeeyy.)

Peanut Butter Frosting, oh My!

6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temp

3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

To make the frosting, use an electric mixer on med low speed to beat butter, sugar, peanut butter, and cream together until nice and smooth. Use right away.

Frost your cakes and be prepared to be blown away by their awesomness!

Just an FYI, you will see quite a few posts in the upcoming days. No, I haven't been baking like a maniac every night. I just have a ton to catch up on. I'm baking faster than I can post. This could be a good thing! :)