If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I love food. I love making it and I love eating it. But if I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life, it would be a simple peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Boring, right? Well, if I really think of it, there are only a handful of foods that I don’t get sick of quickly. And peanut butter & jelly sandwiches are one of them. I honestly think I could eat one a day and not get tired of them.
So when I saw this recipe for Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes in this month’s Cookbook of the Month, I knew it was a recipe I would be making. And they are so cute, I just couldn’t pass them up!
I have made 2 baked goods with natural peanut butter (before these cupcakes, of course). The first called for natural peanut butter, and they turned out wonderful. The second didn’t specify, but I was out of regular old Jif that day, so I used natural peanut butter instead. Big mistake. the cake turned out dry and just not very good. So when this recipe said that natural was preferred, I was a bit apprehensive. I shouldn’t have been, because it worked out just wonderfully in the cupcakes.
The icing, on the other hand – not quite as great. I do have to say that the icing recipe does not say whether to use natural peanut butter or not. But I figured since I used it in the cupcakes, why not the icing? Well, my icing did not look the same as in the book. And it did not taste good – originally at least. After I followed all the instructions, I tasted it and it was not sweet at all. And an icing needs to be at least a little bit sweet. So I ended up sifting in probably another half cup of confectioners’ sugar until it tasted sweet enough for me. The texture was still weird, and I had to put them in the fridge to set up a bit. I’m blaming it all on the natural peanut butter. I don’t know how it would work with Jif, but I’m guessing it would be sweeter and smoother!
Recipe rating: (with my adjustment in the icing) 3.9 out of 5
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
from Martha Stewart Cupcakes
makes 24
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Frosting, recipe follows
1/2 cup jelly or jam – I used cherry
Preheat oven to 375F. Line standard muffins tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Mix in peanut butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, being careful to not overmix. Mix in sour cream and peanuts.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups. Bake until golden and cake tester comes out clean, about 22 minutes*. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
*Keep an eye on your cupcakes – mine were done at about 15 minutes.
Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until pale and fluffy. Add salt and peanut butter and beat to combine. Beat in vanilla.
In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk cream until medium-stiff peaks form. Fold cream into peanut butter mixture.
To Assemble
Spread frosting on top of each cupcake, leaving a small well in the middle. Dollop about 1 teaspoon of jelly into each well. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 1 day in an airtight container; bring to room temperature before serving.
I think I maybe the only person I know who grew up not liking peanut butter & jelly but I bet just about everyone else including my hubs would love these
My food I could eat every day and not get tired of is a grilled cheese sandwich. mmmmm.. makes my mouth water at 8 oclock in the morning! 🙂
Sorry your frosting didn't work out as well as you hoped. They still look reallly yummy!
i'd don't know specifically what one thing i'd eat for the rest of my life, but i know it'd contain cinnamon. 🙂
great idea for a cupcake. it's a shame the frosting didn't work out.
Peanut butter would certainly be on my list of foods I could eat every day. When I lived in Hong Kong I used to keep a jar of peanut butter in my little dorm room for when I got homesick!
Mmmhhh, my kind of cupcakes! They look so scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
I think these look absolutely yummy! I love that we have chosen different cupcakes each week. Watching what you've made is almost like I've made them myself 🙂 Btw, my cupcakes always sink, too. It makes me crazy. I talked with my friend Dianne (the pastry chef) and all the reasons she gave me I had addressed. So she is stumped, but trying to help me figure it out. I'll let you know if we ever solve the mystery! Deborah, this has been such fun doing the cupcakes with you. Wanna join me for "Cookie Mondays" in July?
Oh those are so cute! I'd love to have one right now.
I tend not to be a cookie person but these have tempted me. It sounds like a really nice recipe.
I definitely agree icing must be sweet! And I'd assume the cupcake and the icing would use the same type of peanut butter. How funny. Maybe I'll check out some other peanut butter icing recipes before making this one. As always, so glad you've shared your experience. And so glad the cupcakes themselves were yummy! K x
These are an intriguing flavor to me. I'm always back and forth on if I want to try them. It souds like they may be good cupcakes at least!
These look so yummy! I know my husband would love them. I just got this cookbook yesterday and am drooling over all the cupcakes. I can't decide which to make first!
I've never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or at least I can't remember having one. After typing that I realized how really weird that is. Maybe I'll try it in cupcake form.
~ingrid
It is chancy trying to substitute natural peanut butter for the hydrogenated kind because they have such very different consistencies. My food for life would have to be pizza. Lots of variety to work with; always delicious.
I just bought this cookbook, and am making notes of your thoughts on each of the recipes you try. this one stuck out at me as something the kids would enjoy, but I'll try the icing with regular PB based on your experience. Thanks for sharing!
I've been craving pbj lately. Like the tips on types of peanut butter. Definitely would like to try this — plus I have some leftover frozen pb icing.
I really need to buy this cookbook.
My first love is peanut butter and chocolate but after seeing these I think I might change my mind!!! I am so making these this week! Awesome job and very yummy looking!
I love peanut butter and jelly! These cupcakes look lovely, but it's too bad about the frosting. Tyler Florence has a really good pb&j cupcake if you want to try it out.
Ooo these sound good. I've been wanting to make peanut butter muffins! Too bad the icing wasn't that good. Sounds like Skippy/Jif would be better for the icing. I wonder if the cupcakes tasted really peanut butter-y?
These cupcakes are so darling!
I didn't grow up eating PB&J. It was PB and banana for me, but Brad LOVES the stuff. Cash already eats peanut butter sandwiches and nom, nom, noms them so I'm sure he'll love this, too!
Wow! These cupcakes look amazing! I love pb&j.
I'm so happy to hear that the natural pb worked here, I have heard mixed reviews about baking with it too and I've been too scared to use it. PB & J and I were very good friends in college, definitely better than dorm food :).
I just don't know what mine would be – dilemma – I would need to feed my sweet tooth for sure. Those pbj cupcakes look and sound divine.
Mmmm I just ordered this book from barnesandnoble.com for like $16 w/ free shipping! Gotta love online shopping! 😀
I love PB&J desserts!