Do you like peanut butter? Do you like jelly or jam? I love both of those but sometimes a pb&j sandwich makes me feel like I am eating a kids school lunch! lol Well, this recipe is about to change that! Adults and children alike love these and they are suppose to make everyone happy and feel child like! While cupcakes have a European ancestor in the Queen Cake, a small pound cake with fruit baked in a paper cup which was popular among the upper crust British in the 18th century, the cupcake itself is definitely an American fair. Not to be confused with the cup cake, which was a cake made in Colonial America when they used actual cups as a form of measurements due to a lack of standard weights and measures, the cupcake was born from the need of sweets when baking a large cake was hard to pull off. In Colonial kitchens everything was baked and cooked by fire, so cake batter would be poured into a heat-proof cup and baked at the edge of the kitchen fire. Thank goodness for those innovative early Americans! So now that the history lesson is over, on to the recipe!
I found this recipe watching The Chew. Do any of you watch that show? I love it! Anyways, Carla Hall made them on the show and I just knew I had to try it! So last I whipped a batch together and they were FABULOUS!!! These are some very tasty cupcakes! All peanut buttery with a strawberry buttercream frosting! Honestly, I loved the frosting so much I couldn't stop eating it from the bowl! I am not very good at frosting, will have to practice a lot more, so don't giggle too much at the picture. I hope you all like them as much as my family did!
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
(recipe adapted from The Chew)
Ingredients:
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat over to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a mixer bowl, combine brown sugar and hot water, mixing on low for a few seconds until sugar dissolves.
4. Add butter, peanut butter, vanilla extract, salt, and oil, mixing to combine.
5. Mixing on low, gradually add flour, mixing just until combined and remove bowl. (don't over mix)
6. Mix eggs and sour cream together in a separate bowl.
7. Stir egg mixture into batter.
8. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way.
9. Bake for 18-20 minutes until middle of cupcake springs back. (do not over bake)
10. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Frosting Instructions:
1. With the whisk attachment, beat confectioners sugar and butter until well blended, beginning on low and gradually increasing the speed.
2. Add the strawberry jam, vanilla, and milk, continuing to beat until a spreadable consistency is reached.
3. Frost the cooled peanut butter cupcakes and serve.
Options:
I made the frosting with strawberry jam and whole milk, because that is what I had on hand but the original recipe calls for strawberry puree and heavy cream. Also, using a different fruit for the frosting would be really fun! For a lighter version, piping some fruit puree folded into light or fat free whipped topping would also be very good!
I just wanted to show you how wonderful just the cupcakes looked when they come out of the oven! Yummy!!
