It's Peaunt Butter Jelly Time

WHEW! Week 8 is over! Thank goodness. I am a stress baker. If anything is making me even the slightest bit anxious, I can usually calm my nerves by baking. If you know I'm stressed, come to my house because there will definitely be cupcakes. I can't guarantee any stimulating conversation, but you will get fed. This week was particularly stressful so not only did I bake some cupcakes, I went for the most comfort food-y cupcakes I could possibly think of. Peanut butter and jelly. It is the most comforting of all comfort foods, not to mention one of the most delicious. I went to the UK on a choir trip in seventh grade and we made sandwiches for lunch everyday to eat on our bus trips to different attractions and sightseeing excursions. Our bus driver had never eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before so we made one for him. He couldn't have been happier with his sandwich and he asked for one everyday for the next two weeks. I think he probably ate a total of 50 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches over a span of 13 days. PB & J is just too delicious, and it is even better in cupcake form. This recipe came from Kokken 69, but there was some adapting to be done.

There is nothing like a Starbucks and cupcakes with buddies to put you in a good mood!

CUPCAKE:

1 3/4 Flour

1/4 t baking soda

3/4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1 1/2 sticks butter (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

Generous splash of vanilla

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup milk

Jelly in any flavor of your choosing

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Reduce the speed and beat in the peanut butter. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between additions. Add the vanilla and mix. Add the flour mixture in batches, alternating with additions of yogurt and milk. Beat until combined and super fluffy (like really whipped and airy almost). Fill lined cupcake tins about 1/4 full with batter. Add a generous dollop of whichever jelly you like on your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I used strawberry. Then add the remaining batter and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. I ran out of big cupcake liners (WOE IS ME!) so I made some mini cupcakes too. These were only baked for about 14 minutes As always, let them cool completely before frosting. In this case, eating too. The mini cupcakes are so much easier to just pop in your mouth right out of the oven. Don't do this unless you want third degree jelly burns on your tongue. I'm only assuming these cupcakes were good from the feedback from my friends. I actually can't taste anything because of my singed taste buds. Patience is truly a virtue.

PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING:

6oz cream cheese (at room temperature)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

Splash of vanilla

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar slowly and beat until mostly combined. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the heavy cream and mix until fluffy. Spoon or pipe onto cooled cupcakes. I started piping but this frosting is pretty thick and the peanut butter makes it really sticky. I felt like I was channeling the hulk when piping the frosting so I switched to just spooning the frosting on. 

These cupcakes had the perfect balance. Not too light, not too dense. Not too dry, not soggy. They were delicious and the perfect comfort food. Next time, I think I want to bake the cupcakes with out the jelly and pipe it inside before frosting. The cupcakes that didn't get as much jelly tended to lose the gooeiness. Or I'll just use a lot more jelly. 

I have had that ridiculous dancing banana Peanut Butter Jelly song stuck in my head throughout this whole post. Sorry if you do too, now....

xoxo,

KG