Signature Baking

      One of the tasks that's kept me busy this fall was preparing an entry for the NC State Fair's Peanut Grower's Association baking contest. The theme this year was "Peanut Butter and Jelly" and the goal was to put a twist on the classic PB&J. I won't save it until the end, because it's not really a spoiler, but I didn't win anything at this contest. Apparently "everything submitted was amazing" and "there were a record number of entries this year" and also you could probably get a bit more creative with the PB&J idea (the winner made PB&J wontons...), however, these are my signature baking item. Every single time I've made them, people tell me how much they love them! So I wanted to share with the world, my PB&J cupcake recipe.

 The secret ingredient I use is my mom's homemade jam in the center.
There is nothin' like homemade jam. 

Sarah’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

Yield/Servings: 15 cupcakes

Prep Time:15-20 mins  

Cook Time: 20-25 mins

Ingredients

Cupcakes: Filling:

1 ½ Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour      strawberry, blackberry, or grape jelly or jam           

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder     

¼ teaspoon baking soda Frosting:

¼ teaspoon salt  1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (should not be “mushy” to the touch)     

¾ cup granulated sugar    ½ cup peanut butter

2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg white      1 ½  pounds powdered sugar (+ ½ cup extra to thicken)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract       milk, as needed if frosting is too stiff

1 teaspoon vegetable oil    

⅓ cup almond milk

Directions

Cupcake Instructions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in muffin pans.

In a medium sized bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or bowl of stand mixer, add butter and sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy (using a paddle attachment if using stand mixer). On low speed, add the eggs and egg white, one at a time, until completely mixed. Add the vanilla extract and vegetable oil and mix. Continuing to mix on low speed, add the dry ingredients mixture a ½ cup scoop at a time until all is incorporated. Do not overmix. Add the milk and mix on medium speed for 20-30 seconds, or until just mixed and batter is smooth.

Scoop into cupcake liners, filling liners just over ½ full. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting Instructions:

While cupcakes are cooling, mix butter and peanut butter until creamed together smoothly. Add powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. Add the vanilla and mix. If frosting mixture is too thin, add more powdered sugar until desired texture is reached. It should be stiff, but not heavy or thick in texture. Add milk 1 Tablespoon at a time if texture is too thick to pipe.

Assembly:

Take each cupcake and, using a small knife, cut a cone shaped hole in the center of each cupcake. Drop a small amount of jelly/jam into each cupcake, filling the hole to be level with the cupcake top. Pipe frosting on top of cupcakes, making sure to cover the jelly securely (I used a large Star tip to pipe the frosting on the pictured cupcake, but round tips look good too!). Garnish with a small berry if desired.