Peanut Butter And Jelly Cupcakes are an amazing kid-friendly and fun dessert with tender, peanut butter cake topped off with jam frosting and peanuts.
This Dessert takes a classic Vanilla Cupcake Recipe and mixes peanut butter flavor into the batter. Then it’s all topped off with a jelly and Buttercream Frosting for the perfect twist on classic cupcakes.
This delicious cupcake recipe is inspired by classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When it comes to comforting and nostalgic recipes, peanut butter and jelly is one of my favorite flavor combos. The taste of salty peanut butter goodness and sweet jelly just takes you right back to your childhood.
To get that classic pb&j flavor, peanut butter is melted and then mixed into the cake batter. Then it’s baked into moist peanut butter cupcakes that you can easily top off with amazing jelly buttercream frosting. It’s a super fun dessert that’s sure to be a favorite with kids and adults alike!
Serve these up at a party, bring them to a bake sale, or enjoy them as an after-dinner treat with your family. PB & J sandwiches taste amazing served up with a cool glass of milk. If you want a dessert version of that meal, just serve the cupcakes up with chilled milk, or with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream over the top.
MORE CUPCAKE RECIPES
Rich Chocolate Cupcakes
Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Rainbow Cupcakes with Vanilla Cloud Frosting
KEY INGREDIENTS
- Cupcake ingredients: The base batter for this recipe is made with simple pantry ingredients just like regular vanilla cupcakes. Butter, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, baking soda, and salt all come together easily into a smooth batter ready in just a few minutes.
- Peanut butter: The ingredient that changes this recipe from regular vanilla cupcakes is mixing smooth peanut butter into the batter. You can use any of your favorite peanut butter brands, just don’t use natural peanut butter, which tends to be more grainy.
- Jelly buttercream frosting: Simple buttercream frosting is one of the easiest dessert toppings you can make. All you need is butter and powdered sugar. Typically, you’d use heavy cream or milk for the liquid ingredient, and then add vanilla for flavor. However, in this version, you use lemon juice and fruit preserves. Depending on what flavor you want, use grape jelly, Strawberry Jam, or raspberry jam.
BAKING TIPS
- Prep time: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a 24 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Peanut butter: Add peanut butter to a microwave-safe bowl, and cover it with a wet paper towel. Microwave in 30 second-increments, mixing in between until the peanut butter is runny. This will help it to easily blend with the rest of the batter.
- Wet ingredients: Pour the melted peanut butter, butter, and granulated sugar into your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl using a handheld electric mixer. Combine at high speed until light and fluffy for about 1 minute. Then add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix at medium speed until well combined. Turn the mixer speed to low, and pour in the milk and water as it goes. Continue mixing for a couple of minutes until smooth.
- Dry ingredients: Sift the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt into the mixing bowl. Combine at the lowest speed until just combined.
- Bake time: Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners. To divide the batter among muffin cups evenly, you can use a ¼ cup scoop. Put the dish in the oven for an 18-20 minute cooking time. Stick a toothpick in the center of a cupcake to test if they’re done. Take the pan from the oven, and let them cool completely before adding the frosting.
- Jelly Buttercream: Clean your stand mixer or use another medium bowl with a handheld mixture. Add the room temperature butter and turn the mixer to low speed. Then start adding powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until fully combined. Raise the speed to medium-high and mix for another minute. Add the jelly and lemon juice and beat until fluffy. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag, and frost the cooled cupcakes. Top them all off with crushed peanuts to serve.
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VARIATIONS
- Mini Peanut Butter Cupcakes: For adorable and bite-sized treats, you can make this recipe into mini peanut butter & jelly cupcakes. Keep in mind that the miniature cupcakes will bake through more quickly, so carefully watch the mini peanut butter cupcakes to make sure that they don’t burn.
- Peanut Butter Frosting: You can swap the jelly and peanut butter in the recipe by making Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting. Mix grape jam, or whatever other kind of jam you like into the vanilla cupcake batter, then top the jelly cupcakes off with creamy peanut butter frosting.
- Cream cheese frosting: Another option is making Cream Cheese Frosting, and mixing the jelly into the recipe.
- Mix-ins: You can add some extra flavor and texture to the moist peanut butter cupcakes with mix-ins like peanut butter chips, berries, or chopped nuts.
PEANUT BUTTER DESSERTS
Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Brownies
Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
HOW TO STORE
- Serve: You can keep unfrosted cupcakes sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, after frosting the cupcakes, you don’t want to leave them out for more than 2 hours.
- Store: Seal cool cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: You can seal and freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months. If you’re stacking them in the airtight container, layer parchment paper between the layers of PB&J Cupcakes.
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cupcakes:
- 3/4 cup peanut butter , do not use natural
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Jelly Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup strawberry preserves , or grape or raspberry
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup peanuts , chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
Peanut Butter Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 24 muffin cups with muffin liners.
- Microwave your peanut butter for 30 seconds in a microwave safe bowl (covered with a wet paper towel) until runny.
- To your stand mixer, add peanut butter, butter and sugar and cream on high speed for 1 minute.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- On the lowest speed setting, add in the milk and water until smooth.
- Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
- On lowest speed setting, add in flour in batches until just combined.
- Scoop into muffin liners and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool while you make Strawberry (or grape) frosting.
Jelly Buttercream:
- To your stand mixer on low-speed, cream the butter, then start adding in the powdered sugar in ½ cup increments until fully combined then raise the speed to medium-high for 1 additional minute.
- Add in the preserves and lemon juice and beat until light and fluffy for 1 minute.
- Add frosting to a piping bag and frost your cooled cupcakes.
- Garnish with chopped peanuts.
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 394IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
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To make them jelly cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, do I add the same amount of jelly that I would for peanut butter? (Meaning do I substitute the 3/4 cup peanut butter for 3/4 cup jelly in the batter?)