Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes

Who doesn't love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? It's such a simple flavor combination but sooo delicious. These cupcakes taste EXACTLY like the classic lunchtime favorite and are super easy to make. They weren't the prettiest cupcakes I've made, but they sure were tasty!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes

makes 22 cupcakes

recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

For the cupcakes...

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1.5 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2 cupcake tins with paper liners.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to mix. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of your standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium high speed until light and fluffy. 
4. Add in the peanut butter.
5. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
6. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract.
7. Reduce speed to low and add half of the dry mixture, followed by the buttercream and the remaining dry mixture. Mix only until just combined - don't overmix or your cakes will fall flat. (A few of mine did!!)
8. Use your 1/4 measuring cup to fill up each liner with batter. Bake 18-20 minutes.
9. Let cool in the pans for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

For the filling...

• 1 large jar of strawberry jam (you will use this for the topping too)

1. After the cupcakes have cooled, use a cupcake corer to take out the center of each cupcake.
2. Fill up each center with a bit of jam, just enough so it's barely peeking out of the top of the cupcake.

For the frosting...

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• Pinch of coarse sea salt
• 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon heavy cream
• 3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar

1. In the bowl of your standing mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter together on medium high speed until combined.
2. Reduce speed to medium and add the salt, vanilla and heavy cream, scraping down the sides until mixed.
3. Add the confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, until frosting reaches the right consistency.
4. Fill up a piping bag and add only a small dollop of frosting to each cupcake. (You don't need much since the cakes are peanut butter flavored too!) Leave a little hole in the center so you can fill it with jam.
5. Using a small spoon, add a little dollop of jam to the center of each frosted cupcake.
6. Devour!!!