This Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcake recipe is a take on a favorite childhood classic sandwich in cupcake form. A vanilla flavored cake batter is filled with jam or jelly and then topped with a creamy and delicious peanut butter frosting.
PBJ Cupcakes are a delicious cupcake recipe that is perfect for parties of all kinds as well as potluck and picnic gatherings. This is a cupcake kids of all ages will love.
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❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
✔️ Peanut Butter and Jelly is a classic combination that is makes the perfect cupcake!
✔️ Kids and adults both love the creamy peanut butter frosting bursting with peanut butter flavor and the jelly in the center of each cupcake!
✔️ These tasty cupcakes are easily portable and great for birthday parties or school lunches.
🥘 Ingredients
Unsalted butter , room temperature
Jam or Jelly, try this Homemade Berry Rhubarb Jam or your favorite store-bought jam.
🔪 Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer at medium speed, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the milk. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until the cupcake batter is uniform. Do not over mix.
For the jam or jelly center:
- Fill each cupcake liner halfway with batter. Drop a tablespoon of the jam in the middle of the cupcakes 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 the peanut butter frosting:
- In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, 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.
🙋 Recipe FAQ's
No, you can bake the cupcakes, then core out the center and fill it, then cover the top of the hole with the peanut butter frosting when icing the cupcake.
I like to use a peanut butter that has less sugar than regular peanut butter, but you can use any peanut butter that you do not have to stir.
💭 Tips
- 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. You need at least 1½ tablespoons of batter on the bottom of the cupcake liner. Use a measuring spoon to spread the batter out and fill the bottom of the liner.
- To fill the cupcake with jam after baking, use an apple corer to remove the center of the cupcake, then fill with your favorite jelly.
- Be sure to cool the cupcakes before removing them from the pan. The hot cupcakes are fragile and can easily fall apart if still warm.
📖 Variations
- Make a classic flavor combination and substitute grape jelly for the raspberry jam.
- Top the frosted cupcakes with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts or your favorite sprinkles.
🍽 Equipment
Mixing bowls
Electric hand mixer
Rubber scraper
Muffin tin
Cupcake liners
Wire rack
Piping bag
Piping tip
Serving Suggestions
Serve cupcakes with a glass of milk, hot coffee, or scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream
Storage
Store baked and frosted cupcakes in an airtight container on the counter top up to 3 days, in the refrigerator up to 1 week, and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Related Recipes
Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Fudge
Chewy Peanut Butter Layer Bars
Peanut Butter and Jelly Monkey Bread
Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Caramel Swirl Brownies
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📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
Equipment
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Ingredients
For the Cupcake Batter
- 1½ cups
all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 12 teaspoons raspberry jam
For the Frosting
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ⅓ cup all natural no stir peanut butter
- 2½ cups confectioner's sugar
- 2 tablespoons half and half
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
- 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 hand mixer.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the milk.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until the cupcake batter is uniform. Do not overmix.
- Fill each cupcake liner halfway with batter. Drop a tablespoon of the jam in the center of the 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.
For the 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.
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook
I've done PB&J muffins before, but these cupcakes look much better! I know my son would love these. Heck, so would I!
Sarah Reid, CNP (@jo_jo_ba)
What a sweet twist on the classic!
Laura Dembowski
Peanut butter and jelly is always a winning combination!
Tammi @ Momma's Meals
OMG the kids would die for these cupcakes. OK so would I!
Monica
These are gorgeous! How can you not like PB&J?
Carlee
These are so fun! Cupcakes of any kind are a childhood favorite, but the peanut butter and jelly take it to the next level. Your frosting looks so beautiful too!
Ellen
Wow! These look delicious! How could they not be a favorite?!
claudia
What a fun and awesome idea!
Liz
I'm not a fan of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but a cupcake is right up my alley! Your frosting rose is perfect and they sound amazing!!!
lindsay Cotter
really?! oh man, I will take your pb and j sandwich and your cupcakes! haha LOVE THIS!