21 Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes

So, I'll admit it, I forgot to bake these for a birthday on Friday, but I know she'll forgive me with these cupcakes, even if they are 3 days late. I was saving this recipe for another occasion, but since this is what she asked for, this is what she'll get.

These cupcakes are easy-peasy. It's one of those recipes that if you're nervous about straying away from the standard boxed cake mix and pre-made icing, this would be prefect. All you need to do is mix the cake as the instructions on the box tell you to, put them in the oven, and don't forget to smile when they come out perfect.

Next, you fill the cupcakes with the jelly. Really, you could use whatever flavor of jelly you want. My friend and the recipe both said strawberry so that's what I went for. I used a long piping tip made for filling cupcakes, but a regular one would work just fine. If you don't have tips at all, you could core the cupcakes and spoon the jelly in. All you do is put the tip into the cupcake and squeeze, slowly pull out the tip, and that's that. Be careful though: the jelly is thinner than icing, so it will drip out. I didn't use 2 cups of jelly. I just put all the extra back in the jelly container.

 

Finally, the icing. An easy icing from scratch. A little bit of butter, some peanut butter, a dash of vanilla, powdered sugar, and a touch of milk. I didn't used all the milk the recipe called for. If you add it slowly, like the recipe suggest, just stop when you get to the consistency that you like.


Crumbly Icing before You Add
the Milk

This cupcake was yummy. You're pretty much guaranteed that everything will be perfect. I probably could have squeezed some more jelly into the cupcakes. The peanut butter icing masks the flavor of the strawberry. But otherwise these are simple to make and delicious to eat. Perfect for packing into your kid's lunch or bringing with on a picnic... or even for a belated birthday.

Lily Loves Licking the Peanut
Butter out of the Empty Container

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes Ingredients
1 package (about 18 oz) yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix
2 c strawberry jelly
3/4 c creamy peanut butter
1/2 c (I stick) butter, softened
2 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c milk

Every Doggie Gets to
Lick the Spoon!

How to
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 22 standard (2 1/2-inch) muffin cups with paper baking cups. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.
2. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
3.  Fill pastry bag fitted with small round tip with jelly. Insert tip into top of cupcake; squeeze bag gently to fill center of cupcake with jelly. (Stop squeezing when you feel resistance or jelly comes out of top of cupcake.) Repeat with remaining cupcakes and jelly.
4. Beat peanut butter and butter in medium bowl with electric mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat at low speed 1 minute or until crumbly. Slowly add milk, beating until creamy. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes.

from The Cupcake Bible