Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

This Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcake is a take on a favorite childhood sandwich in cupcake form! A vanilla flavored cake batter is filled with jelly and then topped with a creamy and delicious peanut butter frosting! This is a cupcake kids of all ages will love!

If you are looking for a fun and delicious dessert recipe, then this one is it! Perfect for parties of all kinds as well as potluck and picnic gatherings. These Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes have a surprise of your favorite flavored jelly on the inside of a tender vanilla single serve size cake. One bite of the cupcake with the frosting and you will be hooked!

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Peanut Butter Nostaliga

I have always loved peanut butter. In any form. Give me smooth or chunky, I’ll eat either one of them by the spoonful and love every bit of it! The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree here. Because my mom isn’t much different. Her favorite store bought cookies were the nutter butter. You know, the wafer cookie with a dome shape that was filled with peanut butter? Yeah, that cookie is a yummy one to me also!

The first time I made this cupcake was in August of 2008. My son Chris was not living at home, but was there often. I will never forget how he raved about these Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes! He raved so much over them, that when I made them for this post I sent him the photo. He immediately responded to me “PBJ?” I guess that apple didn’t fall too far from the tree either!

How to make Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

The cupcake batter itself is a basic vanilla cupcake batter. You can follow the recipe in the recipe card here, or you can make a vanilla cupcake mix. Whatever is easiest for you and how you would like it the best. I am a from scratch girl. Always have been. But, I have been known to take the cake mix shortcut in the past. I don’t see anything wrong with it!

The trick to getting the filling in the cupcake is to fill the muffin liner with only enough cupcake batter to fill line the bottom of the liner. I would say you need at least 1-½ tablespoons of batter on the bottom. I then use my measuring spoon to spread the batter out and fill the bottom of the liner.

The jelly filling in the cupcake

Next you will take a teaspoon of your favorite jelly and place it in the center of the cupcake, the way you see it done in the photo above. As you can see, from the jam in my cupcake photo, I went with Raspberry Jam. That is grumpy’s favorite flavor so of course, I made these to please him! I have also made these with Berry Rhubarb Jam and Grape Jam and love them that way too!

The final step before baking is to top the jam with more batter. Be careful not to fill it to the very top of the cupcake liner as you will likely have a cupcake that spreads out over the top of your cupcake pan (see photo below). It doesn’t affect the taste of course, but it does make for a cupcake that looks a little funny!

No worries though, should your cupcake overflow and bake over the top of the pan like mine did, you can salvage them. Just run a knife under the top to loosen it up. If it breaks off, just hide that cupcake for yourself to enjoy later!

When the cupcakes come out of the oven you should let them cool before removing from the cupcake pan. These are on the fragile side and until they are no longer hot, you take the chance of having them fall apart. Once they are cooled, they will be sturdy enough to remove without much worry.

Tips for Frosting Cupcakes

When I decorated these, rather than starting from the outside of the cupcake and spiraling into the center, I started at the center and worked my way to the outside of the cupcake. This gave the frosting a whole different look! I also used a large star tip so I could have more ribbon like look to the cupcake frosting.

To be honest, most of my life I didn’t bother frosting my cupcakes with anything but a butter knife. And that works great! However, if you want to make the cupcakes look pretty, then there is nothing better than a good set of decorating tips! I love this Decorating Set from Wilton. And, it includes a reusable decorator bag along with 10 disposable bags. The reusable bags are awesome and your not filling up your trash bag every time you decorate.

• Make sure your butter and peanut butter are at room temperature before mixing the frosting. Otherwise, it will not blend easily.
• If you find your frosting is too stiff, add a drop or two of half and half.
• As well, if your frosting seems too soft, you can add a little more powdered sugar to stiffen it up more.
• When decorating with a tip, start from the outside of the cupcake and swirl around it continuing to go towards the center.
• If you want a wide ruffled look with your icing, use a large star tip.

What to serve with Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

Cupcakes are great to serve when you want to provide single serving sizes to your family or guest. They are also a great portable item for picnics. Having said that, if you are attending a picnic, great picnic dishes that are savory that you could bring to the party are salads. Some of my favorite salads are Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad, Broccoli Salad, or Pasta Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

Shelby Law Ruttan

A jelly filled vanilla cupcake topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 425 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Cupcake Batter

• 1-½ cups flour
• 1-½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup almond milk
• 12 teaspoon raspberry jam

For the Frosting

• 8 tablespoons butter softened
• ⅓ cup peanut butter
• 2-½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoon half and half

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper baking cups.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the milk. Slowly add the flour mixture and combine until the batter is uniform. Do not overmix.
• Fill each cupcake liner halfway with batter. Drop a tablespoon of the jam in the center of each cupcake and then top with more batter so they are a little more than three-quarters full.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when touched lightly. Let them cool completely before icing with Peanut Butter Frosting.
• To make frosting: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the butter and peanut butter together. Add the confectioners’ sugar, salt, and then the milk. Add additional tablespoons of milk or sugar to loosen or tighten the icing, respectively. For best results, use immediately.
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Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 425kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 5gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 270mgFiber: 1gSugar: 43g

Keyword Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

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